[Korean Culture & Language] 작아격리 & 질량관리청


Hello, this is Uptempo Marketers!


Central Disease Control Headquarters and Central Disaster Management Headquarters in Korea stated, “자가격리 중인 사람은 자가격리 장소를 이탈하거나 이동하지 않도록 해야 함”.

It means “Do not leave the room (or the place you are quarantined) if you are in self-quarantine”.

This meme below has become popular as COVID-19 spread. It reads “You have to report to the 질량본부 if you are a confirmed 확찐자 and are being 작아격리”

[유머] 하...코로나.. 저도 결국 작아격리 됐습니다.. 질량본부에 매일 보고 중이네요.. 특정종교 의심까지 받았어요 ㅠㅠ (ft. 스님들이 코로나에 강한 이유) : 네이버 블로그 (naver.com)


It sounds similar to the first statement, but definitely sounds a little off. Do you remember “확찐자” from my last article? It refers to someone who suddenly gained weight from staying home a lot. Because many people are anxious to leave the house, and the amount of physical activities decreased due to telecommuting and school closing, many “확찐자s” are being “confirmed”.

작아격리 is another slang word that was created with the pandemic. 작아격리 sounds exactly the same as 자가격리(self-quarantine), but 작아 means “small,” and 격리 means “quarantine”. As more and more people are becoming “확찐자,” the pants they wear become smaller. So it means that pants are being self-quarantined in the closet due to so many 확찐자s.  

Lastly, 질량본부 sounds like 질병관리본부, which is Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. But it’s literally translated as “Mass Control Agency”.

All three words are related to people gaining weight due to COVID-19 anxiety syndrome. It’s sad how COVID-19 can affect everyone’s lives physically and mentally but thank god we can still laugh about it. 

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