This glossary provides more color on selected terms in the article "Seoul Hipsters". The terms are in order of appearance in the article.
One of the most all-time popular TV shows in South Korea is “Infinite Challenge” with 563 episodes aired from 2006 to 2018. In the TV show, six guys tried difficult challenges given to them that seemed insane and sometimes impossible. Like a 100m sprint against a train, a tug of war with a bull, surviving in a desert island and debuting/releasing an album as a music band.
In one episode, they were asked to find a guy named “Sangduk Kim” in Alaska, which is like asking Americans to find Carl in a small island deep inside South Korea. They met a Korean-American there, who said confidently he knew the famous tagline for the TV show “Moohan Dojeon”. But he shouted the wrong line, “Mooyaho”, when he was asked to shout the tagline. That happened back in 2010, but it got into the spotlight again a decade later in 2020. Since then, it has been recreated to a number of fun memes and become a cultural phenomenon on the Internet.
A traditional Korean cocktail. It’s a mix of Soju and Korean beers. There are tons of different ways of mixing them at various proportions. Its taste and the vibes around it depend on three factors: types of Soju and Korean beer, ways of mixing these two drinks and proportion of Soju and Beer, respectively. Do you want to grab Somaek with Samgyeopsal tonight?
This is a nickname for Naver, the most popular search engine in South Korea. Naver is more useful than Google when it comes to information regarding Korea or in Korean.
They earned fame last year not only in Korea but across the world, called “Joseon hipsters”. They rewrote traditional Korean music “Gugak” into an alternative pop style and added unique dances from the crews. They were known for unique videos promoting major cities in South Korea. Search for the video “Feel the Rhythm of Korea”. Some of their videos have 46 million+ views.
Literal meaning of Nopo is an old, family-owned restaurant run by multiple generations of a family (grandfather to father to son to grandson). But, Nopos generally indicate restaurants that have been impressing customers with consistent quality of their food served at the same location for decades. There are some cliches for Nopos. Obviously, not every Nopo has these cliches. First, owners are characters. For example, they can be sweary, exceptionally kind, or seem unfriendly but show their warm hearts occasionally. Second, their utensils and kitchenware show the history of Nopos. Third, how they serve their customers has not changed since their inception. At Nopos, you can enjoy deep, non-modernized versions of Korean food which are only available in Korea and specifically at Nopos.
(Gyeongsangdo-Jip, a pork ribs Nopo located in Euljiro. Pork ribs grilled on a charcoal briquette can be enjoyed at outdoor tables.)
The hottest dessert place in Seoul, particularly among those with a sweet tooth. They sell doughnuts with various creams. A smile logo with a stuck-out tongue is its emblem. You have to wait in line if you visit any of their stores, but they offer delivery luckily! What a life in Seoul!
One of the hottest coffee shops in Seoul. Camel coffee started out of Seongsu and later expanded to Apgujeong, and Cheongdam. They recently opened another branch in The Hyundai, a luxury department store, in Yeouido. They are on fire right now. The one in The Hyundai was so insanely popular upon opening that hundreds of people waited in line to grab a cup of coffee. Obviously, their coffee tastes awesome but the owner contributed to its rise as well. He is a quite interesting fashionista and calls himself an artist at heart. He designed and created various Objets d'art and tableware by himself, and even some paintings on the wall. He is very active on social media, particularly on YouTube, and came up with numerous buzzwords.
A military themed vintage shop, which imports original military products around the world and reproduces them. The shop is tiny (about 100 square foot) and humble. Its products, however, showcase that the owner is a seasoned collector for military items for decades. He has an eye for military vintages. They usually open around noon and close at 7:30pm. Don’t be surprised if the owner leaves for a long summer vacation for 15+ days.
One of the most popular vintage shops in Seoul. It started out of Yeonnam and expanded to Sinsa. Their focus is on 90s American casual wear, but they have great workwear in 50s French style or military looks. Recently this shop became famous for Cartier Tank collectibles. They started selling items designed and manufactured in-house more and more, including workwear made of Moleskin and pigment dyed baseball hats. These in-house products are very popular as well due to their quality and looks which keep a sense of originality. Interestingly, a pastor owns the stores. So, Sundays they are shut. Their website is up and running 24/7 though.
As its name indicates, the taste of the Le Freak chicken sandwich is crazy. Le Freak is decorated like a bar–it is dark and has a bar table right in front of the open kitchen. There are more tables alongside the walls. Their effort to replicate the Nashville spirit is shown from pictures hanging on the wall, music and everything else in the restaurant. Needless to say, their chicken sandwich tastes fantastic.
