MovieChat Forums > Kkotboda namja (2022) Discussion > Help for non-Korean with forms of addres...

Help for non-Korean with forms of address, culture, etc.


I absolutely loved everything about this series, but I've some questions about Korean culture that hopefully others can answer:

1. Forms of Address:

JanDi addresses the flower boys as "sunbae," translated as "senior." Is this a term used only to denote someone older, or is it something else? And elderly persons seem to be addressed as "Grandpa" or "Grandma" regardless of the actual relationship between people. For instance, Jan Di refers to Ji Hoo's actual grandfather as "grandpa" even though they are not relations and the elderly woman who trains Jan Di to be a maid is referred to as "Grandma" although I wasn't sure if she actually was Goo Jyun Poo's grandmother or just a long-time family employee who ran the household.

Also, the characters are often addressed by their full names, such as Geum Jan Di or Goo Jyun Poo, not just by their given or first names. Why is this done and does it mean something when the last name is included?

2. Intimate relationships:

Is pre-marital sex or "making out" truly a rarity in Korea or just a taboo subject that Korean film doesn't depict. I love the fact that there are no raunchy sex scenes in this series, but the chasteness of the relationsips is certainly different from I'm used to seeing. Is this an idealized portrait of modern Korean society or fairly accurate?

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I've struggled a bit with the first one myself, particularly since the subtitles for the dry cleaner's where Jan Di's parents work says it's called "Jan Di Cleaners", since her surname (to us) would be "Geum", wouldn't it? The "sunbae" thing puzzles me a bit too, since Jan Di uses it for Ji Hoo but not Jun Pyo. I'm not too sure about that one but I'm fairly sure you're right about older people being called "Grandma" or "Grandpa" regardless of their relationship to the person saying it. I'm going to guess that it's a word that doesn't have an English equivalent (maybe "sir" or "ma'am" but a bit friendlier, more casual).

However, I can answer the second one. I know pre-marital sex in Korea is definitely off-limits. When it's practiced, I'm not sure about the male, but the female is likely to be considered "unclean" (for lack of a better word). I think our equivalent would be how girls can sometimes be called "sluts" for being promiscuous with lots of guys but that's what happens with regards to pre-marital sex in Korea. Slightly different though, in that ours is subjective (like, some people wouldn't care that the girl sleeps around and the girl could have defences) while theirs is more cultural and is ingrained in society.

Making out, as far as I know, isn't taboo but it's just not done. I didn't even know it existed until I played The Sims 2. Even so, even romantic kisses aren't as realistic as they tend to be in real life. I don't know why but a comment on YouTube mentioned that kisses on television and in film in Korea really do just tend to be two people pressing their faces to one another rather than giving each other an actual kiss. It reminds me of the old rule about how you only used to be able to show people in bed together on television in the US as long as each of the actors had one foot on the floor while they were filming.

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"Kick her in the balls!"

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I'm going to have to go back and review the series as I didn't notice that JanDi never calls Joon Pyo (sp?)"sunbae." That has to mean something. As for the kissing, I noticed too that they are more like pressing their lips together ran than a real, open-mouth kiss. However, in "My Princess," my first introduction to Korean dramas, the characters are older and their kisses, especially in the later stages of the relationship, are much more passionate. Maybe in this series the producers were conscious that the characters are supposed to be high-schoolers and the character of Jan Di is admittedly sexually inexperienced.

Another question: I was curious about the ages of the F4 and Jan Di. If they corresponded to the age group in America that graduates from high school they would be about 17-18 years old. But that's awfully young to have Goo Joon Pyo get married so I'm thinking mayb the characters are a bit older.

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sunraider, i seem to recall that as jandi was in her last year of high school she said she was 19.

question 1, seems that the link answers so much. the culture really thrives on respect in away that we just aren't that accustomed too.

as for question #2, i lived in south korea for two years teaching english and what i've seen, i don't think premarital sex is common like it is here in the west. honor and obedience is so much more engrained and valued than out here. plus, most young people live at home (with extended family too) until marriage so there are few opportunities to hookup. plus, as a whole koreans are not as aggressive or demonstrative as you see here in america.

Why do we warn of spoilers, isn't that the chance you take going to a site like imdb?

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plus, most young people live at home (with extended family too) until marriage so there are few opportunities to hookup.


hence the love motel culture.

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I would guess that she didn't call Joon Pyo 'sunbae' because she didn't respect him at first, like she did Ji Hoo.

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"Volt? Where are you from, Ikea? Yo, your mama was a futon!" -Darien Fawkes

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You're not the only one that got confused about these subjects. I know I did when I first started watching K- dramas.

For Q1, from what I've heard and seen is that, you always talk formal with those older than you. Like you address them as Sunbae, or for older females,The word noona means you respect or look up to as a sister. When Jan di calls Ji Hoo sunbae which is actually spelled Seonbae, according to wiki means she acknowledges him as her senior. With Jyun Poo not so much. The younger generation uses banmal, which is their word for slang.They only talk this way with those they feel comfortable with.

For more info, you should read this on Korean honorifics and speech:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_honorifics


For Q2, The korean Tv heads are very strict about what can be seen on tv. That's why there are not a lot of sex, drugs etc.. in their dramas. The writers and or studios can be penalized if something in the script was deemed to negative for tv. In films its a different story. I've been hearing a lot about the sex scenes in some korean films.

From what I've heard, there is pre-marital sex going on. There is a chick who's blog I follow who teaches in SK and she said they do the same thing we do. You have the virginal girls that want to wait until they get married. you have the other who if they have been in a long committed relationship they might go all the way and you have the promiscuous girls. Lets just say they let the adults think they are not getting down.Because lets be honest, if you have been with your boyfriend after 2yrs and you still haven't at least got to 3rd base then something is wrong.

With dramas particularly teen dramas the main female character is virginal so she doesn't have a lot of "experience" and I've noticed that most actresses tend to be uncomfortable with intimate scenes so they tend to stand there and let the actor do all the work.Goong (Princess Hours) being one exception because their kissing scenes were hott. The more mature dramas some have better kissing scenes.








If I wanted to kill my husband, I'd do it and I wouldn't get caught. I'd scare him to death.

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Thank you for the link to the page about Korean honorifics. Very interesting.

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no prob! when I got into K-dramas and K-pop, I started looking up the terms and some of the culture to get a better understanding.





If I wanted to kill my husband,I'd do it and I wouldn't get caught.I'd scare him to death.

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Just to clarify "noona" is how a male would address an older sister. Females call their older sister or those older that they consider a sister (Jan Di to Jun Hee) "unni"

Also I recall the scene where Jan Di is venting screaming on the balcony on her first day about how much the F4 disgust her and she says something about rather jumping off the balcony before ever calling Jun Pyo her "sunbae"
"Sunbae" is a more casual term for senior whereas "sunbae-nim" (how Jan Di addresses Jun Pyo's grandmother) is more formal.

About the kissing thing there's a blooper of the scene where Jun Pyo and Jan Di are stuck in that cabin during the snow storm and they kiss. Lee Min Ho opens his mouth as he goes in to kiss Ku Hye Sun and the director says, "hey why are you opening your mouth?" and the crew laugh and Min Ho and Hye Sun get all embarrassed So cute.


You're a bitch... and you're going to die of diabetes.
Gale is a Hawthorne tree

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In relation to the noona/unni subject, what about "oppa"? I know Ga Eul called that one guy "oppa" and also referred to him as her boyfriend but I thought oppa was more for a girl addressing an older male she sees as a brother... unless it can be used for either a brother or boyfriend?
___________

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Oppa is so confusing. It can mean the guy is the girl's actual older brother, a guy who's like an older brother, or her boyfriend. Although, if the 'oppa' is done in conjunction with the 'pout' and 'wiggle' then the guy is most likely her boyfriend (or she wants him to be).

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What I have been told by a Korean woman I work with is that in adulthood you are referred to by your full name and never just your given name. Monkey girl refers to Joon Pyo Goo as Joon in the theater to which he asks if he is a dog. There is a huge emphasis on family surnames are very important

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