This study explores the pedagogical potential of cultural keywords for integrating language and culture in Korean language education. Although Korean language education has expanded with the global spread of Hallyu, language and culture are often taught separately. This study proposes a culture-centered instructional model for intermediate and advanced learners, drawing on Byram’s Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) framework and the ACTFL culture framework. Cultural keywords are core concepts that reflect the values, emotions, and ways of thinking embedded in a society and can connect linguistic and cultural learning. Using *bap* (밥, cooked rice/meal) in the context of K-food as a case study, this study presents instructional strategies and learner-centered activities that integrate language, culture, and authentic discourse. The findings suggest that cultural keyword-based instruction can enhance authentic communication, deepen learners’ understanding of sociocultural contexts, and foster critical and intercultural awareness through comparisons between the target and learners’ own cultures. The study further suggests that authentic materials and learner-centered activities can promote learner engagement and motivation. This study reconceptualizes Korean cultural education as intercultural meaning-making rather than the transmission of cultural information and offers a practical model for Korean language education in international contexts.