Exploring K-Breaking Research Trends Using LDA Topic Modeling

Breaking, an athletic dance form, has recently been incorporated into international sporting events, such as the Olympics and Asian Games. This article aims to explore the trajectory of breaking research in Korea from the early 2000s to the present by analysing a dataset of 74 articles sourced from KCI. Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling, five key themes were unearthed: (1) the intersection of traditional Korean culture and modern street dance, (2) the reliability and perception in street dance evaluation, (3) breaking’s Olympic integration and its surrounding controversies, (4) the educational and identity facets of street dance, and (5) the psychological aspects of street dance participation and perception. Interestingly, post the formal announcement of breaking’s Olympic inclusion, there was a surge in themes related to its evaluation and Olympic integration. Despite the official international sports recognition of breaking, Korean research often opted for varied terms, including break dance and break dancing. Consolidating these insights, this study provides a cohesive view of the evolving breaking research landscape in Korea, advocating for the consistent use of the term ‘breaking’ to streamline academic discourse and thereby shape future investigations, further advancing the domain in the Korean context.