The inbound tourism market in South Korea has experienced a notable expansion over the past few decades,
attributed to the pervasive the influence of the Korean popular culture (pop culture), also referred to as Korean Wave. In
light of the increasing body of literature on Korean pop culture tourism, this study aims to conduct a systematic review
of the literature on Korean pop culture tourism to provide a comprehensive view of emerging themes and to construct a
knowledge map. A bibliometric approach was employed to review and analyze 137 articles published in Korea Citation
Indexed (KCI) journals through May 2023. Network analysis illustrated the dynamic evolution of the number of
publications, exhibiting significant growth, decline, and rebound. This study revealed that the majority of articles were
empirical research papers using a quantitative methodology. Keyword network analysis identified five clusters: K-tourist
behaviors, K-content, K-fan behavior, K-impact in China, and K-medical. These clusters describe connections between
keywords and emerging trends in Korean pop culture tourism over time. The findings provide a contemporary
understanding of the current status and evolution of the Korean pop culture tourism and suggest potential avenues for
future research