Finding My Way Back - 5 K-pop Songs That Reconnected Me with Korea

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BTS – "Spring Day" - Longing, Loss, and Korean Resilience

"Spring Day" wasn’t just a hit.
It was a lifeline.

Its message of missing someone, waiting through emotional winters,
and believing spring will come—
reminded me of my own distance from Korea,
and the quiet ache of wanting to return.

It made me feel Korean again,
even before I set foot back here.

 


IU – "Love Poem" - Quiet Comfort and Emotional Depth

IU’s voice in Love Poem felt like someone reaching into the silence
and placing a hand on my shoulder.

It reminded me of the Korean way of loving—
not loud or showy,
but constant, present, and deeply felt.

This song helped me understand how care is expressed
without words in Korean life.



Taeyeon – "Dear Me" - Self-Love and Healing

After leaving the military,
I carried weight I didn’t know how to name.

"Dear Me" felt like a conversation I had never allowed myself.
Taeyeon’s lyrics gave voice to a forgotten part of me:
the part that needed to be told,
“You’ve done enough.”

Korea’s story of healing became mine through this song.



EXO – "Don’t Go" - Nostalgia and Tender Goodbyes

"Don’t Go" by EXO captured the bittersweet tone of longing
that defines so much of Korean culture.

The soft melodies, the pleading lyrics—
they echoed my childhood visits to Korea,
the scent of my grandmother’s house,
and the emotions I never translated into English.

This song gave me back those memories.

 


SEVENTEEN – "Home" - Redefining What Home Really Means

"Home" isn’t just a place.
It’s where you’re understood without explanation.

As someone who always lived “between,”
this song reminded me that home can be chosen,
and that culture isn’t just blood or birthplace—
it’s what comforts you when you’re lost.

SEVENTEEN reminded me
that Korea is still my home, in my own way.

  


Why These Songs Matter - Music That Brought Me Back to Myself

These five songs didn’t just sound beautiful.
They reached into my identity and rewired it.

They taught me that being Korean isn’t about fluency or geography.
It’s about feeling—deep, vulnerable, and real.

Through music, I didn’t just reconnect with Korea.
I reconnected with myself.

  


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