Work & school slang

Combines "geupsik" (school-provided lunch) with the derogatory suffix "-chung" (bug/pest) to belittle teenagers as a group.

It refers to a student who buys bread at the school store, in other words, an errand boy.

A suffix for openly revealing an interest, identity or affiliation you used to keep quiet about — from "coming out," as in a fan finally admitting their obsession ("deok-ming-out") or revealing their job ("il-ming-out").

A suffix shortened from "-grade student" — used as "yu-ding" (kindergartner), "cho-ding" (elementary schooler), "jung-ding" (middle schooler), "go-ding" (high schooler), "dae-ding" (college student), "jik-ding" (office worker). As youth crime has risen, harsher, more contemptuous versions aimed at middle/high schoolers have become more common than the plain forms.

I am saying this because I am having trouble solving the problem.

It is a derogatory term for thoughtless elementary school students active on the internet. Depending on the context, it can also refer to all elementary school students.

UBD is a unit of counting audience numbers created using the English initials of the movie *The Bicycle King Um Bok-dong*, which failed at the box office by only attracting 170,000 viewers, and 1 UBD is 170,000 people.

A prefix meaning "god-" — attached to something's name to praise it as god-tier, e.g. "god-meshi" (a god-tier meal), "god-hanminguk" (Korea as a god-tier country), "god-su" (a rich person with no job).

Short for "small but certain happiness" — modest everyday pleasures you can count on.

It is used to mock people who pretend to be Korean hipsters by borrowing the place name ‘Hongdae,’ which refers to the area near Hongik University, a symbol of indie culture.

"Dawn commute to school," shortened — common among students cramming for college entrance exams or those living far from school.

A game monster/enemy — from English "mob." Also used as a suffix, e.g. "boss-mob."

"Hell" + "Joseon" — a self-mocking name young Koreans use for Korea as a hellish place of job struggles and fixed class lines.

A suffix that critically labels taking pride in something not really worth being proud of, e.g. "chest pride," "age pride," "degree pride," "hip pride," "military-service pride," "level pride."

It is the sum of the achievements a job applicant possesses, such as their alma mater, GPA, and English proficiency scores.

He is an employee who collects a salary without doing any proper work at the company.

"The final boss" — the toughest enemy that appears at the very end of a game. Used to mean the best (or worst) of something.

"Funny University," shortened — a Korean humor community site.

: This refers to a student who commits school violence or does not listen to teachers. It is similar to a delinquent student.

Short for "work-life balance."

Extremely tough and grueling — a word especially common in the context of military service.

From English "generate" — when a monster spawns in a game's field or dungeon (e.g. "mob-jen," "boss-jen").

"20-somethings, half unemployed" — a term for the difficulty young adults face finding jobs.

"My part-time job pay wasn't enough to cover tuition" — a self-deprecating admission about finances.

It is a speech pattern used by teenagers of the generation that eats school lunches. They mix in abbreviations, initialisms, and slang from famous creators.

"Campus Couple," shortened — a couple who are both students at the same university.

"Forced transfer," shortened — being forced to switch schools, typically as discipline.

"I suddenly checked my bank account and realized I need a part-time job."

"Mrs. Kim" — originally referencing a boss's wife who drove her own car despite rarely needing to, it broadened into a blanket, misogynistic label for women assumed to be bad drivers, often invoked when a driver causes a confusing or reckless accident and people assume it must be a woman.

"Resignation-prep student" — someone still employed but preparing to quit, a play on chwijunsaeng (job seeker).

"Not even one." The phrase "I don't know 1" first became popular, originating from Henry writing "I don't know 1" as the correct answer to a military quiz contest on MBC's *Real Men* in 2014, followed by expressions such as "I don't know 1." However, there is also a theory that the expression "I don't know 1" was actually already in use as early as 2010.

In serious trouble, doomed, with no way out. "The exam is tomorrow and I haven't studied. I'm cooked."

Short for "sorry for being a liberal-arts major" — a self-deprecating joke about humanities grads' poor job prospects (or their weak math/science).

Doing only the bare minimum at work instead of going above and beyond.

Stuck in your head constantly. "That song lives in my head rent free."

Short for "did someone threaten you with a knife?" — a sarcastic retort telling a complainer they chose it themselves and must live with it.

Short for "knife-sharp clock-out" — leaving work exactly on time, the minute your hours end.

A play on 칼퇴 (leaving work right on the dot) — a "box-cutter" version where you don't leave exactly on time, but slip out reasonably early after reading the room.

Short for "taking advantage of the chaos" — sneaking something in while everyone is distracted, as in 혼틈퇴근 (slipping out of work during a commotion).

An exaggerated way to say "delicious," popularized by a Gyeongsang-dialect sketch on the YouTube channel Psick Univ; a newer alternative to JMT.

A "hexagon person" — someone who scores high in every area of life (looks, education, job, wealth, family, personality), like a maxed-out stat chart in a video game.

Short for "90% of humanities grads are unemployed" — a self-mocking pun on Malthus's "Essay on Population" about the humanities job crunch.

Short for "meal promise" — a plan to grab a meal together, especially between senior and junior students at university.

Someone juggling several jobs or side gigs at once — "N" (many) + "job" + "-er."

"Six-seven" — a near-meaningless Gen Alpha meme said with a see-saw hand gesture, roughly "meh, so-so"; it came from a Skrilla song and spread from US teens to Korean kids.

"Gold-spoon intern" — an internship that's all but guaranteed to turn into a full-time job, or the well-connected intern who lands one.

An operatic-sounding yawn noise that went viral from an office worker's story — used when you're sleepy or bored, and sometimes when something is so good your jaw drops.

Korean for "quiet quitting" — staying in your job but doing only the bare minimum, with no overtime or after-hours replies.

"Quiet firing" — when a company pushes someone out indirectly, sidelining them or reassigning them, instead of formally laying them off.

Short for "what matters is the heart that keeps going even though it's already broken" — a self-deprecating twist on 중꺾마 for grinding on after you've lost all motivation.

Short for "clocking out of parenting" — the moment the kids are finally asleep and parents get time to themselves.

"Silicon collar" — modeled on white/blue collar, it refers to chipmaker employees whose huge bonuses have made them a new affluent class.

Adds "Ha" (for SK hynix) to the classic list of elite majors — medicine, dentistry, Korean medicine, pharmacy, vet school — joking that chip jobs now rank with becoming a doctor.

Taking a break from fandom — pausing fan activities for a while (e.g. while busy, or while your idol is in the military) without quitting.

To go into full-focus mode and get serious about a task. "Finals are next week, I need to lock in."

A meme from a CORTIS song, used as a quick, cheerful thumbs-up for something you like, want, or see as a win — "getting paid while job hunting? green green." The opposite of 레드레드.

"No reply? Have a nice life" — a mock-dramatic breakup line used when someone is slow to text back, really meaning "text me already."

From the StarCraft transport unit — someone who's bossed around into running errands for others, often a bullied student. Combines into words like 빵셔틀 ("bread runner").

A formative, often painful or embarrassing experience treated as an unavoidable part of growing up — "Getting your heart broken in college is a canon event."

From 갑 ("party A," the stronger side in a contract) plus the negative suffix -질 — abusive, bossy behavior by someone with power toward those beneath them, like a boss or customer mistreating staff.

Cover letter + novel — a job-application essay so embellished it reads like fiction. Job seekers use it self-mockingly.

"Yoon again" — a slogan chanted by hardline supporters of former president Yoon Suk Yeol after his April 2025 removal from office, calling for his political comeback; critics also use it as a label for that hardline camp.

A blend of "lunch" and "inflation" — the sharp rise in the cost of eating lunch out, often used when talking about office workers' budgets.

A "secondhand rookie" — someone with prior work experience who applies for entry-level positions again, as opposed to a true first-time hire (쌩신입).

"Perfect-attendance beggar" — a taunt aimed at kids who never miss school, implying their family can't afford trips abroad during term. It drew wide news coverage in 2024 as a sign of status pressure among children.

Short for "person who works well" — someone who gets things done quickly and accurately at work. Used as a compliment among office workers.