There are words that will never appear in your Korean textbooks. Thus, “Let’s Talk Oppa” ends its first season by talking about the swear words in Korean.
The show does not condone its usage. However, knowing what these words are will allow the listeners to recognize them and have a deeper understanding of emotions portrayed in K-dramas or Korean films.
The dramas used as an example for the fifth episode include “Vagabond,” starring Lee Seung-gi and Suzy Bae. In one memorable scene, Lee’s character cursed at the bad guy. The show will break down the events leading to it and what was the situation.
“Let’s Talk Oppa” also eavesdropped on the discussion of Ju Ji-hoon and Kim Hye-soo in “Hyena.” As lawyers, the two are duty-bound to defend their clients. But it doesn’t stop them from calling their client what he really is: trash.
The film “My Sassy Girl” starring Jun Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-hyun popularized the phrase jugeullae or “Do you wanna die?” But as threatening as it sounds, the slang is commonly used among friends as a form of warning them.
There are other curses also discussed including one to call out perverts.
For this episode, Ateneo de Manila University Korean Language instructor KC Rico explains the meaning for each bad word.
“Let’s Talk Oppa” is an Inquirer podcast, powered by PumaPodcast. It’s hosted by Inquirer Super K editor Ruth L. Navarra. The show is produced by Tricia Aquino and edited by Nina Torralba. The show is brought to you by Smart.