Mountain hiking leads South Korea with 17.3 regular sports participation rate (share of regularly active people aged 10+ who name the activity among the
This page ranks the sports of South Korea by one number that is collected the same way for all of them: The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s annual National Survey on Sports Participation asks 9,000 people nationwide which sports they practice regularly, giving a single comparable percentage across all activities. The figures come from Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (문화체육관광부), press release ’23년 생활체육 참여율 62.4%, 전년대비 1.2%포인트 상승 (2023년 국민생활체육조사, survey institute: Korea Institute of Sport Science).
Mountain hiking is on top, followed by Bodybuilding (strength training) and Swimming. The full table below covers 7 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.
The Most Popular Sports in South Korea
The table counts regular sports participation rate (share of regularly active people aged 10+ who name the activity among their main sports, up to 3 answers allowed), not people who say they like a sport. It is the figure that is published the same way for every sport in the list, which is what makes the rows comparable. The listed sports account for 62.4 in total. The reference year is 2023.
| # | Sport | Regular sports participation rate (share of regularly active people aged 10+ who name the activity among their main sports, up to 3 answers allowed) | Governing body |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain hiking | 17.3 | Korea Alpine Federation |
| 2 | Bodybuilding (strength training) | 16.3 | Korea Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation |
| 3 | Swimming | 7.7 | Korea Swimming Federation |
| 4 | Golf | 7.1 | Korea Golf Association |
| 5 | Gymnastics | 6.1 | Korea Gymnastics Association |
| 6 | Badminton | 5.2 | Badminton Korea Association |
| 7 | Table tennis | 4.5 | Korea Table Tennis Association |
One caveat applies to every ranking of this kind: someone who plays two sports is counted twice, once in each federation, and sports people mostly do on their own, such as running or hiking, barely show up at all.
Most Played and Most Watched Are Not the Same Sport
Membership and license numbers tell you what people do. Audience figures tell you what they watch, and the two lists rarely have the same sport on top.
| Sport | Figure | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball (KBO League) | 10,887,705 | The KBO League set a new single season attendance record in South Korea in 2024, the first time a domestic professional league topped 10 million fans. |
| Football (K League) | 3,000,000 | Combined paid attendance across South Korea’s K League 1 and K League 2 passed 3 million for a second consecutive season in 2024. |
| Esports (LCK, League of Legends) | 176,000 | Domestic viewership of the LCK, South Korea’s top League of Legends league, reached a record average minute audience in the 2024 Summer season. |
Is There a National Sport of South Korea?
- Taekwondo. Taekwondo is South Korea’s national martial art by law, following a 2018 revision of the Taekwondo Promotion Act passed by the National Assembly.
- Baseball. Baseball draws South Korea’s largest spectator crowds among domestic professional leagues, with the KBO League becoming the first Korean league to draw more than 10 million fans in a single season.
Sports That Were Invented in South Korea
- Taekwondo. Taekwondo, long regarded as Korea’s own martial art before its formal 2018 legal designation, is administered worldwide from the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo headquarters in Seoul.
- Ssireum. Ssireum, traditional Korean wrestling in which competitors grapple using fabric belts, was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018 through a joint bid by North and South Korea.
- Taekkyeon. Taekkyeon, a traditional Korean martial art built on fluid, dance like footwork, was the first martial art inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in 2011.
#1 Mountain hiking
- Regular sports participation rate (share of regularly active people aged 10+ who name the activity among their main sports, up to 3 answers allowed): 17.3 (Korea Alpine Federation, 2023)
In the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s 2023 National Survey on Sports Participation, 17.3 percent of regular exercisers named mountain hiking as one of their main sporting activities, placing it second only to walking. The ministry reported that participation in hiking rose across nearly every age group compared with the previous year.
The survey treats hiking as a category distinct from ordinary walking, reflecting its role as a structured outdoor activity pursued on marked mountain trails rather than everyday movement. No individual competitive federation or athlete could be verified for this entry, since the survey tracks hiking as a leisure activity rather than an organized competitive sport.
#2 Bodybuilding (strength training)
- Regular sports participation rate (share of regularly active people aged 10+ who name the activity among their main sports, up to 3 answers allowed): 16.3 (Korea Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation, 2023)
Bodybuilding, referring to gym based strength and resistance training, was named by 16.3 percent of regular exercisers in the 2023 National Survey on Sports Participation, making it the third most cited activity. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recorded a particularly sharp increase among people in their thirties.
The survey category reflects general strength training rather than the competitive sport contested under federations such as the Korea Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation. Because the survey does not separate recreational gym training from competitive bodybuilding, no individual athlete is listed for this entry.
#3 Swimming
- Regular sports participation rate (share of regularly active people aged 10+ who name the activity among their main sports, up to 3 answers allowed): 7.7 (Korea Swimming Federation, 2023)
- Best known athlete: Hwang Sun-woo. Won the 200 meter freestyle title at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, becoming the third South Korean swimmer to win a world championship gold medal after earlier silver (2022) and bronze (2023) finishes in the same event
Swimming was named by 7.7 percent of regular exercisers in the 2023 National Survey on Sports Participation, recovering from a pandemic era low of 6.3 percent recorded between 2020 and 2022. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism data show participation climbing back toward pre-pandemic levels as public pools reopened.
Hwang Sun-woo has been the sport’s most prominent competitive representative in recent years, winning the 200 meter freestyle title at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha. His victory made him only the third South Korean swimmer to win a world championship gold medal.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#4 Golf
- Regular sports participation rate (share of regularly active people aged 10+ who name the activity among their main sports, up to 3 answers allowed): 7.1 (Korea Golf Association, 2023)
- Best known athlete: Ko Jin-young. Held the LPGA world number one ranking for a record 163 weeks, more than any other player in women’s golf history, and won two major championships in 2019
Golf was named by 7.1 percent of regular exercisers in the 2023 survey, continuing a steady rise from 6.7 percent the previous year according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The ministry’s report placed golf among four sports it singled out for consistent year on year growth, alongside gymnastics, badminton and table tennis.
Ko Jin-young has been the sport’s leading international figure, holding the world number one ranking in women’s golf for a record 163 weeks and winning two major championships in 2019. Her results have made her one of the most recognized South Korean athletes on tour.
Latest Posts about Golf
#5 Gymnastics
- Regular sports participation rate (share of regularly active people aged 10+ who name the activity among their main sports, up to 3 answers allowed): 6.1 (Korea Gymnastics Association, 2023)
- Best known athlete: Yang Hak-seon. Won South Korea’s first Olympic gold medal in gymnastics in the vault event at the 2012 London Games, and also won world titles in 2011 and 2013
Gymnastics was named by 6.1 percent of regular exercisers in the 2023 National Survey on Sports Participation, up from 5.5 percent a year earlier, one of four sports the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism highlighted for steady growth. The category covers general gymnastics practiced by regular exercisers rather than only elite competitive training.
Yang Hak-seon remains the sport’s best known competitor, having won South Korea’s first Olympic gold medal in gymnastics in the vault event at the 2012 London Games. He also won world titles in 2011 and 2013 before retiring from competition.
Latest Posts about Gymnastics
#6 Badminton
- Regular sports participation rate (share of regularly active people aged 10+ who name the activity among their main sports, up to 3 answers allowed): 5.2 (Badminton Korea Association, 2023)
- Best known athlete: An Se-young. Won the women’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the world number one player, South Korea’s first Olympic women’s singles badminton title in 28 years
Badminton was named by 5.2 percent of regular exercisers in the 2023 survey, rising from 4.4 percent the year before, another of the four sports the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism flagged for consistent growth. Badminton sessions at community sports centers make the sport widely accessible to casual players.
An Se-young is the sport’s most prominent current athlete, winning the women’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the world number one player. Her win was South Korea’s first Olympic women’s singles badminton title in 28 years.
Latest Posts about Badminton
#7 Table tennis
- Regular sports participation rate (share of regularly active people aged 10+ who name the activity among their main sports, up to 3 answers allowed): 4.5 (Korea Table Tennis Association, 2023)
- Best known athlete: Ryu Seung-min. Won the men’s singles gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the last non-Chinese player to win that event, and later became president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee
Table tennis was named by 4.5 percent of regular exercisers in the 2023 survey, nearly doubling from 2.3 percent the previous year, the largest year on year increase among the four sports the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism highlighted for growth. The sport is widely available at community sports centers.
Ryu Seung-min remains the sport’s most celebrated figure, winning the men’s singles gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He was the last non-Chinese player to win that event and later became president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.
Latest Posts about Table Tennis
Sources
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (문화체육관광부), press release ’23년 생활체육 참여율 62.4%, 전년대비 1.2%포인트 상승 (2023년 국민생활체육조사, survey institute: Korea Institute of Sport Science)
- The Korea Times
- Korea Professional Football League (한국프로축구연맹), official press release
- 경향게임스, citing LCK’s own 2024 Summer viewership report
- The Korea Times
- The Korea Herald
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 2023년 국민생활체육조사 press release
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 2023년 국민생활체육조사 press release
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 2023년 국민생활체육조사 press release
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 2023년 국민생활체육조사 press release
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 2023년 국민생활체육조사 press release
Figures on this page come from national federations and statistics offices and are only as current as their latest published report. Last reviewed: August 2026.
FAQ
What is the national sport of South Korea?
Taekwondo is South Korea’s legally designated national martial art. The National Assembly passed a revised Taekwondo Promotion Act in 2018 that formally states taekwondo is the South Korean national martial art, after decades in which it was only customarily regarded that way.
What is the most popular sport in South Korea?
By regular participation, mountain hiking is named by the largest share of regularly active South Koreans among genuine sports, at 17.3 percent in the government’s 2023 National Survey on Sports Participation, followed by strength training and swimming. By spectator numbers, baseball is the biggest draw: the KBO League passed 10 million fans in a season for the first time in 2024.
What are Korean traditional sports?
Taekwondo, ssireum and taekkyeon are South Korea’s best documented traditional sports. Ssireum, a belt wrestling style, and taekkyeon, a footwork based martial art, are both listed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, inscribed in 2018 and 2011 respectively.
What sports are popular in South Korea?
Among sports South Koreans practice regularly, hiking, strength training, swimming, golf, gymnastics, badminton and table tennis rank highest in the 2023 government participation survey. As spectator sports, baseball, football and League of Legends esports draw the largest audiences, with the KBO League, the K League and the LCK all reporting record attendance or viewership in 2024.
What are the top sports in South Korea by participation?
Based on the 2023 National Survey on Sports Participation, the top sports named by regularly active South Koreans, after excluding everyday walking, are mountain hiking, strength training, swimming, golf, gymnastics, badminton and table tennis, in that order. Full figures for further sports were not published in a citable, text based form.
