Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine research trends related to basic psychological needs in Korea and identify major research topics and trends. Methods To this end, we analyzed 327 academic papers related to basic psychological needs, which were more than candidates for KCI registration published on the Academic Research Information Service. The data was preprocessed through an R program, and the results of keyword frequency analysis were visualized in a word cloud, and analyzed by topic modeling. Results First, according to the literature status, 327 journals have been published in 106 societies, including the Learner-Centered Curriculum Education Association and the Korean Youth Association. Second, in keyword frequency analysis, terms such as basic psychology, desire, research, relationship, influence, mediation, analysis, autonomy, effectiveness, satisfaction, and competence appeared as top words. Third, topic modeling results were categorized by effects on individual psychological well-being, research methods, relationships with elementary school students and psychological well-being, the influence of young people's home and school environments, the mental health of college students, and relationships with stressors in modern society. Conclusions This study is significant in that it identified the characteristics of basic psychological needs research trends in Korea by applying text mining techniques to a vast amount of information on basic psychological needs, and it can be used as useful basic data for setting the direction of basic psychological needs research and selecting research topics in the future.