A Systematic Review of Research on Tacit Knowledge in Korea

This study analyzed research trends based on 158 academic journal papers (1998–2026.06) on domestic tacit knowledge research, selected through a PRISMA-based systematic review of the RISS database. The purpose is to identify the overall landscape of domestic tacit knowledge research, summarize patterns of theoretical framework utilization, and propose future research directions through content analysis. Results show that research is most heavily concentrated in fields outside business and education—such as martial arts and physical education—followed by pedagogy and business administration, with AI-related research increasing markedly since 2020. Nonaka's SECI model remains the most widely utilized theoretical framework, but its dominance is declining, while Embodied Cognition theory and reinterpretations of Polanyi's original texts are steadily gaining ground. Findings are classified into six categories: conceptual/theoretical frameworks, transfer/sharing conditions and barriers, acquisition and internalization processes, organizational performance linkage, AI/digital integration, and practical tools/systems. Three historical phases are identified: introduction (~2004), multi-disciplinary expansion (2005–2019), and AI/digital integration (2020–). This study contributes theoretically by providing the first empirical evidence of a paradigm shift in domestic tacit knowledge research—from SECI-model dependency toward embodied-cognition and original-Polanyi-based reinterpretation—thereby offering an evidence-based diagnostic map for the field's theoretical diversification, and proposes future directions including mixed-methods designs and Korean contextualization.