If you watched the Swimming Pool version of BTS’s new music video SWIM, there’s a good chance one moment made you pause. While the members splashed around in suits, wore duck-shaped floaties, and handed out life vests, Suga quietly passed Jimin something completely unexpected — a stiff, dried fish.
Not a pool noodle. Not goggles. A dried fish.
If you’re not Korean, your reaction was probably: “…why?”
Here’s the thing — that dried fish has a name, and it carries centuries of Korean culture inside it. It’s called bukeo (북어), and once you know what it means, that whole scene hits differently.
What Is Bukeo (북어)? The Dried Fish in BTS SWIM Explained
Bukeo is dried pollack — specifically, a whole myeongtae (명태, Alaska pollack) that has been dried in cold winds until it’s as hard as a piece of wood. You genuinely cannot break it with your bare hands.
What makes Korean pollack culture fascinating is that the same fish gets completely different names depending on how it’s processed:
| Korean name | How it’s prepared |
|---|---|
| 명태 (Myeongtae) | The original fish — Alaska pollack, fresh off the boat |
| 생태 (Saengtae) | Fresh, sold and eaten without freezing or drying |
| 동태 (Dongtae) | Frozen |
| 북어 (Bukeo) | Fully dried in cold wind |
| 황태 (Hwangtae) | Freeze-dried repeatedly over winter |
| 코다리 (Kodari) | Semi-dried |
One fish, five names. That alone tells you how central pollack was to Korean daily life. And of all the forms, bukeo — the fully dried one — became the most symbolically loaded.
Bukeo in the Korean Kitchen — The Soup You Beat Before You Cook
Before you can cook bukeo, you have to beat it with a mallet. No, really. The fish is so rigid that the only way to soften the flesh is to pound it all over until the fibers loosen, then pull it apart by hand. It’s very satisfying, actually.
💡 That iconic Korean drama scene — A husband staggers home late, reeking of soju. The next morning, his wife is in the kitchen. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. You’d think she’s doing something productive. She is — she’s beating the bukeo. And pouring every ounce of her frustration into it. By the time the fish is tender, so is she. A steaming bowl of bukeoguk lands in front of her husband without a word. This, right here, is Korean aejung — that particular flavor of love that looks a lot like barely-contained rage.
The resulting soup, bukeoguk (북엇국), is mild, clean, and deeply savory. It’s made by simmering the shredded fish with tofu, egg, and green onion — no cream, no heavy seasoning, just honest broth. It’s been Korea’s go-to hangover cure for centuries, and there’s actually science behind it: bukeo is packed with amino acids and protein that support liver function and help the body recover from alcohol. So yes, the wife knows what she’s doing.
Beyond soup, bukeo is also eaten as bukeo muchim — the shredded fish seasoned with gochujang, sesame oil, and garlic — a staple side dish that doubles as a perfect drinking snack (somewhat ironic given the hangover context).
Beyond the Kitchen — Why Bukeo Is Sacred in Korean Folk Belief
Here’s where things get really interesting.
According to the National Folk Museum of Korea, Koreans have believed for centuries that among land animals, the pig connects humans to the heavens — and among sea creatures, bukeo serves as the medium between humans and the gods (천신, cheonsin). It was considered a sacred object capable of carrying human prayers upward and bringing divine protection downward.
This belief runs deep. Historical records show that by the late Joseon period (17th–19th century), bukeo appeared on ritual tables across every social class — from commoners to aristocrats to Confucian scholars. The Ojuyeonmunjangjeonsango (五洲衍文長箋散稿), a 19th-century encyclopedia, notes that dried pollack had spread nationwide as both a daily food and a ritual offering. The Nanho Eomokji describes how bukeo was transported from Wonsan (on the east coast) day and night by horse and boat to reach every corner of the country.
It was, in modern terms, everywhere. And when something becomes that central to daily life, it inevitably becomes sacred.
Why Bukeo Specifically? The Symbolism Behind the Fish
Several qualities made bukeo the ideal ritual object:
1. It never closes its eyes. Dried bukeo preserves its eyes wide open. In Korean folk belief, a fish that never sleeps was seen as a guardian that could ward off evil spirits — because malevolent spirits were thought to fear the light. This is the same logic behind the fish-shaped locks on traditional Korean furniture: a lock shaped like a fish never closes its eyes, so it keeps watch over valuables day and night. Buddhist temples use a similar symbol in their wooden fish percussion instruments (목어, mogeo), hung to remind monks to stay vigilant in practice.
2. Its appearance carries auspicious meaning. A large head, a wide-open mouth, bright eyes, and the ability to produce vast quantities of eggs — in traditional Korean symbolism, this translated to abundant descendants, prosperity, and fertility. Hanging a bukeo was essentially a wish: “May this household be as abundant as this fish.”
3. It can stand in for a human. This one is darker and more fascinating. In Korean shamanistic practice, a concept called daesudaemyeong (대수대명) refers to transferring a person’s misfortune onto a substitute object. Because dried bukeo resembles a mummified body, it was frequently used as a stand-in for the human being — the bad luck would attach to the fish instead. This practice appeared in wedding rituals, illness rites, and seasonal ceremonies alike.
4. It could last forever. A properly dried bukeo doesn’t rot. It keeps its form indefinitely. This made it a natural symbol of permanence and protection — and when wrapped with white silk thread, the combination expressed a wish for lasting peace that would never be cut short.
How Bukeo Is Used in Real Life — Korean Rituals You Didn’t Know About
The ritual uses of bukeo go far beyond a fish on a door. Here’s how it actually shows up in Korean life:
Opening a new business (신장개업 고사) When a Korean shop opens or relocates, the owner performs a gosa — a ritual offering to invite good fortune. After the ceremony, the bukeo from the offering is wrapped in a silk thread bundle and hung above the front entrance. The wide-open eyes and gaping mouth are believed to absorb bad energy before it can enter the space. Walk through any traditional Korean market and you’ll still see this.
Building a new home (상량식) During the sangnyangsik — the ritual held when the main beam of a traditional house is raised — bukeo was tied with a silk thread bundle to the ridgepole itself. The fish would remain in the structure, protecting the home from within.
Buying a new car (자동차 고사) Yes, this is a thing. Koreans perform a gosa for new cars too. Bukeo is placed as an offering, then used to tap the body of the car to transfer any bad luck onto the fish. Afterward, the bukeo is wrapped in thread and kept inside the vehicle. Some people still do this today.
Warding off illness and bad luck (액막이) In regional traditions, bukeo appears in some striking forms. In Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, where a large portion of Korea’s pollack was historically caught, bukeo wrapped in five-colored cloth was burned in place of a straw effigy during the jeung-chi (제웅치기) ritual — a ceremony to redirect a person’s fate away from death or serious misfortune in a given year.
In Samcheok, if someone fell ill after attending a funeral (believed to be caused by absorbing the spirit of the deceased), a shaman would wrap the patient’s clothing around a bukeo and perform a rite to transfer the illness onto the fish.
At weddings, bukeo was used to strike the box of wedding gifts being delivered to the bride’s home, to purify the gifts before they entered.
At sea (배고사) In coastal Gangwon Province, fishermen performed ritual offerings before heading out. After the ceremony, bukeo was thrown into the sea — one piece per crew member — as both an offering and an act of protection, asking the sea to take the fish instead of the people.
Source: National Folk Museum of Korea — Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture folkency.nfm.go.kr
The White Silk Thread — Why the Wrapping Matters
The bukeo is never just hung bare. It’s always wrapped in white silk thread (흰 명주실).
White in Korean tradition represents purity and cleanliness — it’s the color of ritual, of fresh beginnings, of the space between the human world and the divine. Silk thread itself was historically valuable, making the act of wrapping a statement of sincerity: I am offering something precious.
But the thread also carries its own meaning. A long, unbroken thread is a symbol of continuity — of a life or a business that stretches on without being cut. Wrapping a bukeo in white silk was, in one gesture, a prayer for protection, prosperity, and unbroken peace.
So Why Did Suga Give Jimin a Dried Fish?
BTS’s album ARIRANG is built around Korean identity — the title itself references Korea’s most iconic folk song. Every detail was considered.
So when Suga hands Jimin a bukeo in the middle of a swimming pool, surrounded by rubber ducks and lifeguard chairs, wearing a full suit — it reads as absurdist humor. And it is. But in Korean cultural shorthand, passing someone a bukeo also means something specific: “May nothing bad touch you.”
It’s protection. It’s luck. It’s the kind of care that doesn’t announce itself — it just hands you a dried fish and walks away.
Very on-brand for Suga, honestly.
FAQ
Q: What is the dried fish in the BTS SWIM music video? It’s bukeo (북어) — whole dried pollack. A staple of Korean cooking and one of the most important objects in Korean folk ritual, used for centuries as both food and spiritual protection.
Q: Is bukeo the same as hwangtae? Same fish, different process. Bukeo is dried in cold wind until completely stiff. Hwangtae (황태) is repeatedly frozen and thawed over winter, which gives it a softer, almost fluffy texture. Hwangtae is considered the premium version for soup; bukeo is the ritual standard.
Q: Why does bukeo have spiritual significance in Korea? According to Korean folk belief recorded in the National Folk Museum of Korea, pollack was considered a medium between humans and the heavens (천신). Its wide-open eyes, large mouth, and abundant eggs made it a symbol of vigilance, protection, and prosperity. It also physically resembles a mummy, which made it useful as a stand-in for humans in protective rituals.
Q: Why is bukeo wrapped in white silk thread? White represents purity in Korean tradition. Silk thread was historically precious, so wrapping the fish was an act of sincerity and devotion. The unbroken thread also symbolizes continuity — a wish for lasting peace and uninterrupted good fortune.
Q: Do Koreans still hang bukeo in shops today? Yes. The practice of hanging bukeo after a business opening ceremony (고사) is still common, especially in traditional markets and among older business owners. It’s less universal than it once was, but far from extinct.
Q: Is bukeoguk really a hangover cure? It’s been used that way for centuries, and there’s nutritional logic behind it. Bukeo is high in protein and amino acids that support liver function. The mild, clean broth is easy on a sensitive stomach. Whether or not you believe in the folk medicine, the soup is genuinely good — hungover or not.
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