Uptempo Global

  Hello, this is Uptempo! The practice of granting someone an advantage, privilege, or position purely because they are a close friend or family member of another important person is called “Nepotism.” The term originated from the Italian term “Nepote,” which means nephew. Many people back in the 17 th  century are believed to tend to promote their nephews to important positions at the expense of other candidates. Numerous philosophers, including Aristotle, Valluvar, and Confucius, have criticized and called ‘nepotism’ wicked and foolish. Today’s society is still corrupted by nepotism because powerful people still tend to give their relatives, friends, or associates jobs that they are not always qualified or suitable for. In Korea,  nepotism  is called  연고주의 ( 緣故主義 ). 緣  means ‘relationship’ 故  means ‘old’ or ‘reason’ 主  means ‘king’ or ‘master’ 義  means ‘righteous’ or ‘correct’ 연고주의  includes three things: ‘ 학연 ,’ ‘ 지연 ,’ ’ 혈연. ’ ‘ 학연 ’...

Hello, this is Uptempo! If you've ever visited Korea or enjoy Korean cuisine, I'm fairly certain you would have tried 간장 ( g anjang -soy sauce), 고추장 (gochujang - red pepper paste), and 된장 (doenjang – bean paste). They are the three most frequently used Korean seasonings, and they are added to almost every food. These fermented condiments were traditionally kept in special clay jars called ‘ 장독 (Jangdok)’ or ‘ 항아리 (Hangari).’ The 장독 are made of baked clay and are claimed to be “breathable.”  장독 were also the main way to keep Kimchi fresh until the ‘ 김치 냉장고 (Kimchi fridge)’ appeared in 2013.  Since pickled and fermented food has always been such an important part of the Korean diet, 장독 also took on a significant role in Korean cuisine.   There’s an old Korean idiom ‘ 밑 빠진 독에 물 붓기. ’ ‘ 밑 ’ means ‘bottom’ ‘ 빠진 ’ means ‘missing,’ or ‘broken’ ‘ 독 (= 장독 )’ means ‘a jar’ ‘ 물 ’ means ‘water’ ‘ 붓기 ’ means ‘to pour’ ‘Trying to pour water into a jar that has a cracked ...

Hello, this is Uptempo! Many Koreans today add ‘ 갓 (God)’ as the prefix to the beginning of a word to describe something so amazing that it is godlike. ‘ 우리말 샘 (Open dictionary),’ which is directly translated to ‘Our Language Spring,’ is an online Korean dictionary created by the National Institute of Korean Language in October 2016. Anyone may contribute to the dictionary since it is accessible to the public to write or edit.   According to the ‘ 우리말 샘 ’ dictionary, ‘ 갓 (God)’ is defined as ‘ 사람들에게 최고라고 평가받음 . 또는 그런 사람 .’ 사람들 means people 최고 means the best 평가 means evaluated or rated 받음 means receive ‘ 갓 (God)’ refers to something that is evaluated or rated the best.   The below article is titled “ 패션의 완성은 뷔 ' 방탄소년단 뷔 , 갓미모 , 갓지컬 로 보여준 'Simple is the best.'” https://m.mt.co.kr/renew/view.html?no=2021060509131222941 It is translated to: “V completes the fashion. V from BTS introduces us to ‘Simple is the best’ with his perfect face and perfectly fit body...

Hello, this is Uptempo! It is not always easy to put oneself in another person’s shoes and comprehend or sympathize with their perspective, opinion, or point of view. However, empathetic people understand others’ emotions, share their feelings, and respond with compassion and care. One of the fundamental characteristics that make us human is our ability to put ourselves in other people’s shoes.   In Korean, ‘ 역지사지 ’ means ‘to put oneself in someone else’s shoes.’ 易 ( 역 ) means ‘to reverse’ or ‘to change’ 地 ( 지 ) means ‘ground’ or ‘place’ 思 ( 사 ) means ‘to consider’ or ‘to think’ 之 ( 지 ) means ‘to go’   Ex) A: 너는 왜 항상 늦으면서 미안하다는 말을 안 해 ? A: How come you’re always late and never even say you’re sorry? B: 그렇게 많이 늦은 것도 아닌데 왜 그래 ? B: I’m not even that late. What’s wrong with you? A: 내가 매번 늦었다면 너는 어떻게 느꼈을 것 같아 ? A: How would you feel if I were always late? B: 난 괜찮을 것 같은데 . B: I think I would be fine. A: 내가 너랑 만날 때 한 번도 늦은 적이 없으니까 모르겠지 . 넌 기다린 적이...

Hello, this is Uptempo! The below video that has received 5k likes is titled “ 작심하루 – 오전 8 시에 일어나는 아침형 인간으로 살아봤습니다 … 과연 아침형 인간으로 살 수 있을까 ?”   It is translated to: “Setting a goal that we can only keep for one day – We tried to wake up at 8 am… Will we survive as early birds?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbuBH5esI2s&list=PLFXzORUmgr2mpOagLJvD52b1aDzDeX7Ff&index=1 Setting resolutions or goals to improve our habits or lifestyles is not difficult, but it can be tough to follow through with them. There’s an expression in Korea, “ 작심삼일. ” It is directly translated to “to make up one’s mind (or set a goal) and one only tries to keep it for less than three days.” The word ‘ 작심삼일 ’ is made up of four Chinese characters: ‘ 作心三日. ’ 作 ( 작 ) means 'to produce' or 'to grow' 心 ( 심 ) means ‘heart’ or ‘spirit’ 三 ( 삼 ) means ‘three’ 日 ( 일 ) means ‘sun’ or ‘day’ Ex) A: 우리 수업 끝나고 치킨 먹으러 가자 ! A: Let’s grab some fried chicken after class! B: 너 어제부터 다이어트 한다고 ...

Hello, this is Uptempo! “Saving face” has always been a very important part of Korean culture. Most Koreans try hard to “ 체면을 세우다 (build one’s face),” and “ 체면을 지키다 (maintain one’s face),” and not to “ 체면을 잃다 or 체면을 구기다 (lose one’s face).” ‘ 세우다 ’ means ‘to build’ ‘ 지키다 ’ means ‘to keep’ ‘ 잃다 ’ means ‘to lose’ ‘ 구기다 ’ means ‘to crumple’ or ‘to damage’ ‘Saving one’s face’ means ‘to build one’s reputation,’ ‘maintaining’ one’s face’ means ‘to keep one’s reputation,” and ‘losing one’s face’ means ‘to lose or damage one’s reputation.’ However, some people are more concerned about their profit than “saving or maintaining their face.” They “ 간에 붙었다 쓸개에 붙었다 한다. ” ‘ 간 ’ means ‘liver’ ‘ 붙다 ’ means ‘to stick’ ‘ 쓸개 ’ means ‘gallbladder’ It is directly translated to “It sticks to the liver for a second and then moves to the gallbladder to stick to it for another.” It describes the behavior of someone who switches between two opposing teams or groups for completely selfish reasons. The...