Paik

Paik is a romanization variant of a Korean surname, usually written in Hangul as 박 and in Hanja as 朴. In English, the name is most commonly rendered as Park or Pak, but some families adopt the spelling Paik as their preferred transliteration. The surname is common in Korea and appears across various lineages and regions.

Nam June Paik (1932–2006) is the best-known bearer of the Paik spelling. He was a Korean-born American artist who is widely regarded as a founder of video art. His work integrated television monitors, electronics, and performance to explore the interactions between technology and culture. Notable works include TV Buddha (1974) and Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., 1966–1995. Paik helped connect the Fluxus movement with contemporary media art, influencing generations of artists to use mass media and multimedia installation as artistic material.

Beyond Nam June Paik, the spelling Paik appears among people of Korean descent who have chosen that transliteration, though it remains one of several anglicized renderings of the broader Korean surname 박 / 朴. The name reflects Korea’s linguistic and cultural history, where multiple romanization systems and personal choices shape how Korean surnames are represented in English.