2018 in South Korean music

The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in 2018 in music in South Korea.

Notable achievements and events

• January 10–11 – IU and BTS win the digital and album daesangs, respectively, at the 32nd Golden Disc Awards.
• February 25 – CL and Exo headline the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, serving as representatives of K-pop at the event.
• February 28 – At the annual Korean Music Awards, BTS, Kang Tae-gu, and Hyukoh win the grand prizes.
• April 1 and 3 – The Spring is Coming Korean cultural diplomacy concert takes place in Pyongyang, North Korea, which featured performances from various South Korean musicians including Cho Yong-pil, Red Velvet, Lee Sun-hee, Baek Ji-young, and Seohyun.
• April 20 – The Korea Music Content Association launches new certification system for albums, downloads, and streaming in South Korea.
• May 27 – ' by BTS becomes the first K-pop album to top the Billboard 200, as well as the highest-charting album by any Asian act.
• May 28 – Twice's "Wake Me Up" becomes the first single by a foreign female artist to be certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).
• May 29 – BTS's "Fake Love" becomes the first K-pop song to enter the top-ten on the Billboard Hot 100, and the 17th non-English song to do so in the chart's history.
• June 16 – "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" by Blackpink records 36.2 million views on YouTube video within 24 hours, setting a new record by a Korean act.
• June 25 – Blackpink's "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" and Square Up simultaneously become the highest-charting song and album by a K-pop girl group in the US at the time.
• August 8 – Red Velvet's "Power Up" become the first ever song by an SM Entertainment artist to achieve Perfect All-Kill on the .
• October 24 – The 9th government-run Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards take place. Kim Min-ki, , Gim Jeong-taek, and BTS are awarded with the Order of Cultural Merit; BTS were the youngest recipients of the honor in South Korean history. Yoon Sang is awarded with the Presidential Commendation and Kang San-ae and receive the Prime Mister's Commendation.
• November 5 – Twice become the fastest K-pop girl group to reach 20 million views on YouTube with "Yes or Yes", doing so in 10 hours and 27 minutes.
• November 9 – "Mic Drop" (Steve Aoki remix) is certified platinum by the RIAA, making BTS the first Korean group with a platinum-certified single in the US.
• November 12 – Exo becomes the first group to surpass 10 million total album sales in South Korea.
• December 1 – At the annual Melon Music Awards, iKon and BTS win the grand prizes.
• December 10, 12, 14 – The 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards are held in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong over the course of a week. BTS and Twice receive the grand prizes at the ceremony.
• According to Forbes, "the South Korean music market experienced a 17.9% increase in revenue growth in 2018, and it was described as 'shifting from 'potential' to 'power' player'" on the global stage.