[Korean Culture & Language] 사이다 illustrator

Hello, this is Uptempo Marketers!


Do you remember that the words ‘고구마’ and ‘사이다’ can describe a situation or a person?

사이다s often speak bluntly about an issue that the majority of people would agree on but are usually hesitant to talk about since they’re too shy or afraid of being judged. Many people get vicarious satisfaction from listening to 사이다s, because 사이다s usually sound like they have taken the words right out of their mouth. 

Like how Lee Jae-myung is a representative of 사이다 politician, Yang Kyung-soo is a representative of 사이다 illustrator in Korea. His cartoons reflect labor issues in Korea so clearly that almost everyone can relate to them. 

Korea is notorious for its strict hierarchies, demands for obedience and loyalty, and long working hours that sometimes even lead to ‘gwarosa’ - death by overworking. Because it's often frowned upon to leave the office before your boss has left, Koreans typically work far longer hours than stated in their contracts. This is probably how Koreans become some of the longest working workers in the OECD. They are not only expected to work longer hours, but usually have to deal with autocratic, passive-aggressive, or even creepy bosses. 

Below is one of Mr. Yang’s most famous illustrations: 

https://m.hani.co.kr/arti/economy/economy_general/815771.html#cb

The guy who seems to be the boss says, “You don’t look well,” and the woman responds, “I feel awful”. In smaller letters, he asks, “약은 먹었고?,” meaning “Have you taken a medicine for it?”. She replies, “야근 먹었어요”. It directly translates to “No, I’ve taken the late-night work”.

약 means medicine, and 야근 is a noun for “working late hours”. Because “약은” and “야근” sounds the same, this is a clever, sarcastic way to respond. 


https://www.pinterest.co.kr/qooqoo1136/%EA%B7%80%EC%97%AC%EC%9A%B4-%EA%B7%B8%EB%A6%BC/

This is another popular illustration by Mr. Yang. The boss says “Take some breaks in between,” and the guy mumbles, “I was taking a break, but you came.” Because of 눈치 culture (Being expected to read between the lines and react appropriately) in Korea, Koreans feel extremely pressured simply by having their boss around. 

The illustrations by Mr. Yang is so popular because it really hits the spot. Most readers can gain indirect satisfaction as the employee characters in the illustration speak their mind.

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