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Tourists watch the sun rise at Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Sunday, a few days ahead of the start of 2026. Yonhap<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
As the clock resets on New Year\u2019s Day, many K-pop listeners follow a small but familiar ritual: choosing the first song they will play in the New Year. It is a habit rooted in the idea that music can help shape the emotional tone of what comes next.<\/p>\n
Every year, K-pop fans usually treat their opening track as a kind of soft launch for the year ahead. Some reach for comfort, others for confidence or motivation, but the impulse is the same: Start the year on the right note.<\/p>\n
Over time, this has turned certain K-pop tracks into annual fixtures. While most of these were not written to become New Year\u2019s anthems, they do share something more lasting \u2014 themes of renewal, self-belief and forward motion. <\/p>\n
With 2026 arriving at a moment that feels both uncertain and full of possibility, that first choice matters more than usual. Below are some of the songs fans return to as they step into a new year, spanning different eras, genres and moods.<\/p>\n