“If ‘Hotteokjipge’ isn’t the thick paper that holds Hotteok, then what on earth does it mean?” This article explains Korean slangs used in idol fan communities and online communities. [Editor’s Note]
An old saying goes, “Where there are three, there’s always a teacher.” It’s a nice way of saying that no matter who you meet, there’s something to learn. However, today’s generation has rephrased it as “where there are three, there’s always one villain.” This reflects the idea that the more people gather, the more likely it is to have a wierdo in the group.
The popularity of K-pop is at its peak, with it being so common to see foreigners exclaiming, “I love K-pop!” in interviews. Many great idol groups have been created such as BTS, Blackpink, NewJeans, Zerobaseone and so on. As the number of international fans of K-pop rapidly grows, it’s becoming easier to spot fans with bad manners, or “villains.”
Today’s K-slang word is “외퀴(OeKwi)”.
OeKwi is a slang word made up of two words. It merges the first syllable of ‘외국인’ (foreigner) and the second syllable of ‘바퀴벌레’ (cockroach). It conveys that “some foreign fans of idols are as annoying as cockroaches.”
Domestic K-pop fans have pointed out reasons such as ‘forcing idols to use English,’ ‘unwarranted invasion of idol’s private lives,’ and ‘comparisons with other idols.’ For instance, leaving comments like “English Please” on idol videos in Korean is seen as disrespectful of the culture of Korea.
On the website Namuwiki, where netizens share information and create articles, the explanation of the term ‘OeKwi’ spans over 18,500 characters, including spaces. As fans sharing the same interests, it would be great if they could show more understanding and consideration for each other.
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