Last updated on October 23rd, 2024 at 11:04 am
Korean pop music, known as K-pop, has taken the world by storm over the past decade. K-pop is sensational, energetic music performed by larger-than-life icons. With so many avid fans, it should be no surprise that this musical style has found its place during the holidays with K-pop Christmas songs.
To get you into the Christmas spirit, our team here at Remitly created this list of K-pop Christmas songs.
Table of Contents
How Are Korean Christmas Songs Unique?
As with many other countries, Christmas is a popular holiday in Korea. While it’s not the biggest holiday of the year—that honor goes to holidays like Seollal and Chuseok—Christmas is still a festive time in this Asian country.
An interesting difference between Christmas in Korea and Christmas in many other parts of the world is that in Korea, it’s a holiday focused on couples, similar to Valentine’s Day. In South Korea, the 25th of December is a time to relax and enjoy a romantic evening with someone special.
As a result, many K-pop Christmas songs focus on romance rather than religious themes. Many of the songs are ballads, but our list also includes some upbeat classic Christmas songs that will set a festive mood at a holiday gathering.
Original K-pop Christmas Songs
While there are several popular Korean versions of traditional Christmas carols and songs like “Jingle Bells” out there, K-pop Christmas music is a unique subgenre—and one that’s worth listening to if you love sparkling, flawless production, energetic beats, and soulful singing.
But you will find little talk of Santa, snow, and Christmas trees. The most popular original K-pop holiday songs are about love and longing during this romantic season.
No matter where you celebrate Christmas this year—or who you celebrate with—we hope you’ll enjoy this playlist of eighteen popular, original K-pop Christmas songs. Many are also available to stream on Spotify.
1. “Goodbye Christmas” — LAY
For a soulful, gentle Christmas song, look no further than “Goodbye Christmas” from K-pop sensation LAY. With nothing but a heartbreaking piano melody accompanying LAY’s evocative vocals, this isn’t a traditional happy carol but conjures a melancholy sense of longing during the holidays, perfect for a quiet winter evening at home.
2. “Lonely Christmas” — Monsta X
Looking for a little more pop in your Christmas K-pop? “Lonely Christmas” by Monsta X might sound like another sad song, but it’s an upbeat tune about wishing for a special someone to have by your side for the holidays. With a throwback sound, catchy melodies, and an irresistible groove, this is a song you’re likely to put on repeat.
3. “Christmas Day” — Starship Planet
Starship Planet is a K-pop powerhouse made up of more than a dozen iconic Korean artists. “Christmas Day,” one of the group’s more popular holiday tunes, is a catchy song with an R&B-inspired sound and cheerful vocals that speak about longing for romance on Christmas Day.
4. “Merry & Happy” — TWICE
An iconic K-pop girl group, Twice, sings the Christmas song “Merry & Happy.” It’s a cheerful tune that’ll likely get stuck in your head—but you probably won’t mind! “Merry & Happy” has a more recognizable Christmas sound with bells and chimes throughout.
The lyrics are about a special someone helping to make the holidays feel new and joyful again—a romantic message that speaks to Korea’s intimate Christmas traditions.
5. “Dear Santa” — Girls’ Generation-TTS
If you’ve ever felt nostalgic for the feeling of Christmas as a child, this song is for you. “Dear Santa” by Girls’ Generation-TTS is a triumphant Christmas anthem that starts with lovely harmonies and lilting instruments before exploding into a high-energy, rocking song about rediscovering the joy of the season through the love of someone special.
6. “Miracles in December” — EXO
This list wouldn’t be complete without K-pop icons EXO! “Miracles in December” is a slower, more melancholy Christmas ballad with dramatic piano, restrained vocal harmonies, and soaring strings in the background.
The lyrics are emotional, both in their delivery and their meaning. The song is about missing someone on Christmas when your loved ones should be near. It’s a sad song but beautiful.
7. “Snow Kiss” — Teen Top
If you’re looking for the perfect K-pop Christmas song for this year’s couple’s party, this is the one! Teen Top’s holiday number “Snow Kiss” is an energetic, rock-inspired pop song with an irresistibly festive groove.
The song is about being madly in love with someone during the Christmas season—a cheerful, positive, and hopeful message.
8. “White” — Fin.K.L
Using a sample of the famous melody of “Feliz Navidad,” this K-pop reimagining combines dance-pop, R&B, and even hip-hop for a fresh, modern sound. With throwback 80s synths and a groovy beat to match, this is a lovely, romantic Christmas song about feeling safe, secure, and in love with your partner—and keeping warm together on a cold Christmas Eve.
9. “Santa U Are the One” — SMTOWN
Securing its place in our top 10 is the track “Santa U Are the One” by SMTOWN. This cheerful Christmas song will sound familiar to carol lovers.
Sung in English, this song is directed to Santa Claus, thanking him and asking how he does what he does—spreading joy and making a better world year after year.
10. “Joy” — NCT Dream
Comprised of the youngest members of NCT, NCT Dream is known for its youthful, vibrant energy and upbeat sound. “Joy” is no exception. This tune combines Christmas classics such as “Jingle Bells” with a cheerful spin on “Joy to the World” and finishes off with original, festive lyrics.
11. “This Christmas” — JYP Nation
“This Christmas” by JYP Nation tells a timeless story of yearning to find love during the Christmas season. It’s a collaboration among many popular artists from the JYP record label, old and new, bringing together nostalgic sounds with contemporary musical elements.
12. “Just Another Winter Song” — I’ll
Knowing that Christmas music will soon be blasting from every speaker, I’ll, the stage name of indie group Hoppipolla’s frontman, dreads hearing them, as they only remind him of his failed relationships of Christmases past. In this 1980s-inspired track, he cleverly works in original lyrics to the melodies of classic Christmas songs, such as “Last Christmas,” to tell the tale of a love lost in winter.
13. “Sweet Dreams” — TXT
Featuring smooth, sultry vocals and a slow tempo, “Sweet Dreams” invokes all of the warmth of relaxing with a loved one on a romantic Christmas Eve. Jingle-bell lighting keeps the time in the background of the track, setting the perfect mood for Christmastime.
14. “Lately” — INFINITE
The members of INFINITE sing of heartache and longing at Christmastime in the 1980s-inspired track “Lately.” This love confession song speaks of the regret of never expressing feelings for a past fling, and longing to spend the holidays with them. Loneliness colors this tune as INFINITE reflects on what could have been.
15. “Wish Tree” — Red Velvet
Full of nostalgic Christmas imagery carried over a downtempo beat, the ladies of Red Velvet bring a soothing, thoughtful atmosphere to this playlist. Reflections on their childhood Christmases are juxtaposed with dreams of holidays to come in the form of wishes made under the Christmas tree.
16. “Miracle” — GOT7
In this gorgeous piano ballad, “Miracle” transforms the winter season into a metaphor for falling in love. Members of GOT7 croon over a cold and hopeless life growing warmer and brighter after a chance to meet their soulmate. This soulful tune delivers the story through soothing vocals carried over delicate piano notes.
17. “Christmassy!” — The Boyz
With classic snowbells introducing this romantic track, “Christmassy” compares the bliss of reuniting with a long-lost love to the warm and joyful Christmas season. A danceable beat underlines the track, giving the song the same gleeful feel that the lyrics provide.
18.“The Winter’s Tale” — BTOB
Polishing off our list is “The Winter’s Tale,” which begins with spoken words that set the stage for the rest of the story. In this deceptively upbeat disco-inspired track, BTOB reflects on a past relationship that went sour and the ways they’re reminded of the breakup during the wintertime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the best k-pop Christmas songs that are not already mentioned above are “Christmas EveL” from the boy band Stray Kids, “Beautiful Christmas” from the girl group Aespa, “The First Snow” from the solo artist Taeyeon (who is a member of the girl group Girls’ Generation), “Funky Glitter Christmas” from the group NMIXX, “Christmas Day” from duo TVXQ, made up of members Yunho and Changmin, and “It’s Christmas” from the Z-Pop Dream project groups Z-Boys and Z-Girls (collectively known as Z-Stars.) BoA, nicknamed the “Queen of K-pop”, has released several Christmas songs as well, such as “Merry Christmas from BoA” (2005). She also staged a Christmas concert in 2006.
BTS has a few K-pop songs with Christmas themes – some noteable ones are “Snowman” (2020), from the album BTS 2020 Season’s Greetings, “Merry Christmas (2014) off of Skool Luv Affair, “Christmas Tree” (2021), featured on the soundtrack of the K-drama film Our Beloved Summer, and “The First Noel” (2017) from BTS Winter Package 2017. Jimin from BTS has also released solo Christmas songs, like “Christmas Love” (2020).
Twice has released several Christmas songs over the years, including “Merry and Happy” (2017) from their repackaged album Twicetagram, a joyful song about a special someone helping to make the holidays feel new. Others include “The Best Thing I Ever Did” (2019) from the album Feel Special, and a special release of “Christmas Once Again” (2021).
Although their covers of Christmas songs are popular, like the group Loona’s rendition of “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” some K-pop artists have created original Christmas songs, like some of the examples above. Also, many K-pop Christmas songs focus more on relationships than on religion. K-pop in general is unique, with the blending of multiple genres, like rock, rap, reggae, electronic, and traditional Korean music. For instance, groups like SHINee have released tracks that incorporate elements of R&B and pop. The accompanying music videos often showcase stunning cinematography and elaborate set designs.
In Korean, the word for Christmas is 크리스마스 (krisimaseu) but is sometimes also called 성탄절 | or “Sung Tan Jul.” South Korea is the only Asian country that recognizes Christmas as a national holiday.
