Exploring changes in the perception of Korean home-cooked meals(Jipbap) through online text data: focusing on the COVID-19

This study aims to explore the sociocultural meaning of “home-cooked meals (or Jipbap)” in the context of Korea’s changing dietary patterns. This study conducted text mining and frequency analysis utilizing big data from major Korean portal sites to examine how public perceptions of Jipbap have shifted—particularly before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The results reveal that the concept of Jipbap has expanded from a traditional Korean meal structure (rice, soup, and side dishes) to include simplified, single-dish menus that emphasize practicality and efficiency. Keywords such as “health,” “family,” “mother,” and “care” highlight the emotional and symbolic roles associated with Jipbap. As a counterpart to dining out and functioning as a cultural response to contemporary lifestyle needs, it was also found that Jipbap represents trust, safety, and personalization in food. This study contributes to food culture research by offering a data-driven, empirical analysis of how Jipbap is perceived as socially construct.