What happens when you combine a defiant “So what?” with a random household appliance? You get eojjeol-TV (어쩔티비). Asking why may already miss the point when it comes to this choding-led lingo. Eojjeol-TV to Jiral Sofa: Anatomy of a Random Mashup Eojjeol (어쩔) is a shorthand form of eojjeorago (“So what?”). The addition of “TV,”…

The term oetoven (외토벤) is a portmanteau of the Korean word for “foreigner” (oegugin) and “Beethoven.” It is a popular slang term used to describe international composers who produce music for K-pop. Originally, the expression was used with a bit of hyperbole to suggest that these foreign producers possessed a level of musical genius that…

Explore how Korean neologisms use the ‘four-character aura’ of traditional sajaseong-eo to turn modern slang into profound mini-philosophies of life.

Have you ever wondered why Koreans call certain YouTubers ‘Wrecker’ (렉카)? The term has evolved from a simple word for a tow truck into a metaphor for yellow journalism in Korea. Rek-kah (렉카) is how Koreans pronounce “wrecker,” which means a tow truck. Nowadays, the word is frequently used to refer to yellow journalism on…

The literal meaning of ‘오징어 지킴이’ is a squid keeper. The word is a derogatory term for a woman who is overly protective of her husband/boyfriend. Calling someone ‘오징어 지킴이’ implies that no one cares to steal her husband/boyfriend because he is not that attractive in the first place. It has been for a while…

‘할많하않’ is simply an abbreviation of “할 말은 많지만 하지 않는다,” which means, “I have a lot to say but I won’t.” It’s one of the example where a plain sentence gained a deeper meaning and became a thing when people abbreviated it. Traditionally, Koreans use a lot of four character idioms that originated from…

‘판춘문예’ is a certain type of writing style that is a trademark of the website called Nate Pann. Nate is an internet portal service that has been around since 1999. The portal had its short heyday in the mid-to-late 2000s, with its integration with Cyworld, a Korean social media service, and the success of Nate…