Korean slang profile
먹방
mukbang
An eating broadcast
A broadcast or video showing someone eating food.
- Expanded form
- 먹는 방송An eating broadcast
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Mar 20, 2013
- Documented trend period
- Around 2013~
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
밤에 먹방 보면 배고파져.
Watching mukbang videos at night makes me hungry.
- Quoted from a source
최근 먹는 방송의 줄임말인 ‘먹방’의 인기는[2]
The recent popularity of ‘먹방’, an abbreviation for eating broadcast, is
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- March 2013A Kyunghyang Shinmun reporter's column introduced the actor's meal scene in the movie as the so-called '먹방' scene and discussed the reason why '먹방' is popular.[1]
- April 2013The Korea Herald reported that the popularity of ‘먹방,’ short for ‘Eating Broadcast,’ seems to signal a new era in food and eating. 먹방 explained that it refers to a situation that makes the viewer's mouth water, such as a scene where an actor eats food or a cooking program host's tasting.[2]
03Origin & word formation
Short for 먹는 방송, meaning an eating broadcast. A 2013 Korea Herald article explicitly gives this explanation. That source does not verify the claim that it began in internet broadcasting.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The expansion as 먹는 방송 is explicit. Sources appear to differ on whether it began in internet broadcasting or a film scene, so the origin needs further checking.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- [기자 칼럼]‘먹방’이 뜨는 이유 (경향신문)Published Mar 20, 2013Original source checked Nov 5, 2026
- 우리는 왜 '먹방'과의 사랑에 빠진 걸까? (코리아헤럴드)Published Apr 26, 2013Original source checked Nov 5, 2026