[Korean Culture & Language] Slippers: The Year-Round Shoe

Hello, this is Uptempo!


Walk into any convenience store in Korea and you’re bound to find this item that’s black, white, and rubbery plastic all over. It’s called 삼선 슬리퍼 (sam-sun slippers), which literally translates to “slippers with three lines.”


These slippers feature a simple design of three alternating black and white lines that can be credited to Adidas’s Adilette slippers, first released in 1972. The Adilette slippers rose to popularity among Korean teenagers in the early 2000s but because they retailed for a pricey $40, they were considered somewhat of a luxury item. Enter, the 삼선 슬리퍼, also known as 삼디다스 (sam-didas), a portmanteau of the words “Adidas” and 삼 (sam, three). Sold for a much more reasonable 5000 won (equivalent to $4 USD), these shoes are available in a rainbow array of colors and have become a staple item for middle school and high school students. 



source: http://www.yes24.com/Product/Goods/75726439

To offer some context regarding the wearing of slippers in general, Koreans do not wear shoes inside their homes because they traditionally slept on the floor with thick blankets called 요 (yo), though many sleep in beds now, and to this day, use an 온돌 (ondol) heating system that heats the floor of the home. The custom of wearing indoor slippers, 실내화 (shil-nae-hwa), in classrooms was adopted in the 1970s and continues to this day.


삼선 슬리퍼 have proved to serve a wide variety of purposes than just being an indoor shoe. The hard plastic exterior is apt for killing bugs that make their way into the classroom and during break time, students can set up a makeshift ping pong table with their desks and use the slipper in lieu of a paddle. Some even wear them when playing basketball or soccer, perhaps to show that they don’t need sneakers to put their athletic skills to use. Not to mention, these slippers are easy to hose off, provide circulation to the feet, and are cheap enough to throw away when they’re beyond repair.


삼선 슬리퍼 aren't just for students however. It is customary to wear such shoes in the workplace as well, a la a reverse “Devil Wears Prada” scenario: rather than changing into dressy heels to impress colleagues and higher-ups, in Korean workplaces, employees switch into comfortable slippers as soon as they land at their desks. It is not uncommon to see people with their slippers still on when they’re out and about on their lunch breaks and sometimes, one may even spot individuals wearing these slippers, sans socks, in the dead of winter.



In addition to convenience stores, these shoes can be found at supermarkets, school supply stores, and Daiso, the Korean dollar store, proving that they are indeed, the unofficial national Korean shoe.

댓글

댓글 쓰기

이 블로그의 인기 게시물

[Korean Culture & Language] Impulsiveness and MBTI

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has become increasingly popular in Korea in 2020, owing to people’s boredom due to the COVID-19 quarantine. Since the spring, MBTI feeds have been readily available on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms.   Below is a popular meme titled ‘ #MBTI 충동 (MBTI Impulsiveness) ’. This meme jokingly illustrates how ‘ 충동적인 (impulsive)’ each MBTI types are.   https://ddnews.co.kr/mbti-%EC%A7%A4-%EB%B0%88/ It reads: 전혀 충동적이지 않음 (Not impulsive at all): ENTJ, ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ 평균적으로 충동적임 (Average impulsivity): INTJ, INFJ, ENFJ, ESFJ 너무 충동적 (Very impulsive): INTP, INFP, ISTP, ISFP 엄청나게 충동적 (Extremely impulsive): ENTP, ENFP, ESTP, ESFP 전혀 means ‘ not at all ,’ 평균적으로 means ‘ to an average level ,’ 너무 means ‘ very , ’ 엄청나게 means ‘ extremely ’.   The above meme is another illustration of impulsiveness by MBTI types. ENFP says “ 요즘 자수가 너무 배우고 싶어 (I want to learn how to embroider). 근데 나 소묘도 배워...
자세한 내용 보기

[Korean Culture & Language] Switching between the liver and the gallbladder

이미지
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...
자세한 내용 보기

[Korean Culture & Language] Washing one's Identity

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! In July 2021, a Chinese man in his 50s got arrested for killing two people in China and fleeing to Korea. It took years to catch him because he has ‘ 신분세탁 (washed his identity) ’ . Photo by   Jeremy Sallee   on   Unsplash https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/24104555#home According to Korea JoongAng Daily, this murderer killed two people in Yantai, Shandong Province, China in 1987, when he was 20. While hiding in China, he made a new passport after ‘ 신분세탁 (washing his identification) ’. He entered Korea in 2016, and has obtained a permanent residency (F5) visa by marrying a Chinese woman who had obtained Korean citizenship a while back. The term 신분세탁 (Washing one’s identity) refers to a person’s attempt to conceal their prior identity to rebuild a new life . Prostitutes and ex-convicts, for example, are likely to strive to 신분세탁 (rebuild their lives by concealing the fact that they have ever committed a crime or worked as a prostitute).   Belo...
자세한 내용 보기