You're pretty much on the right track.
Here is a more technical explanation, and if this comes across as nerdy, well....
As said above, 'Oldeuboi' is simply how a Korean speaker pronounces the English compound word "Oldboy". Since Korean does not allow for certain consonant clusters (that is, when consonants in speech are adjacent), there occurs a phonological process where a VOWEL can become inserted between consonants. Thus, /old_boi/ --> /old eu boi/
In this case, the 'd-b' combination in the word "Oldboy", is specifically a 'voiced alveolar stop' (d) + 'voiced bilabial stop' (b) combination. Korean speech does not allow for 'stop' combinations; thus when the language borrows words (such as "Oldboy" from English), the word then undergoes any phonological processes to make it acceptable within Korean speech, as outlined above.
Hope that helps :)
Let me know if you have any further questions.
P.S. If you enjoy Korean cinema, best Korean film of last year is 'Cold Eyes' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2969656/?ref_=nv_sr_1
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oldmotem
10 years ago
Similarly,
"Audition" is also named
"Odishon"
...if you are familiar with that movie.
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RainmanCT
10 years ago
bilabial? that's hot
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Samus Aran
10 years ago
That made me chuckle.
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RynoII
9 years ago
Why would Korean filmmakers call the movie Oldboy if there is no Korean word for Oldboy, and it's an English word for them? Did they think the movie might become a hit with English speaking audiences, and they were just planning ahead, title wise?
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