Cover of Encyclopedia of Hallyu. (Lee Jeongwoo)

By Charles Audouin

Oppa, a term for a girl's elder brother, older male friend or boyfriend, dokkaebi (goblin), "chimaek," or the pairing of beer and fried chicken, and mukbang (meokbang), an online video of a person filming oneself eating.

These words often appear in K-pop songs or K-dramas but fully comprehending their meanings or cultural contexts can be challenging for non-Koreans. Thus a newly released guide in English allows even those unfamiliar with Korean culture to understand the meanings behind these expressions.

The National Folk Museum of Korea on Feb. 2 released Encyclopedia of Hallyu, an English-language compendium of Hallyu (Korean Wave) terminology. Based on the Korean-language edition published in 2024, this is the first such guide in English exclusively about Hallyu.

This book features detailed explanations of 347 entries and about 600 pages of visual materials to aid understanding, backed by the expertise of about 130 domestic and foreign researchers who participated in its production.

The book covers a wide range of fields such as folklore, food, daily life and pop culture. The table of contents and entries are written in English and Korean for easy searches in either language. Entries such as gimbap (seaweed rice roll), tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) and ramyeon (instant noodles) are written in Romanized spellings of the words' Korean pronunciations instead of translations, thus maintaining their original names.

Table of contents in Encyclopedia of Hallyu in Korean and English. (National Folk Museum of Korea)

Senior museum researcher Baek Min Young, who led the work's compilation, said, "We began this project given the lack of materials that systematically explain food, places and titles that often appear in Korean content."

"We focused on conveying Korean culture through a more accurate and balanced perspective."

The encyclopedia also answers many questions about Korean culture.

"We presented cultural nuances, social contexts and usage of each term so that even readers new to Korean culture can understand them," Baek said. "For instance, we explained that an eungwonbong (light stick used to express support for celebrities) is more than merchandise; it's a heading that explains the formation and significance of Korean fandom culture."

"The jwasik (floor-sitting lifestyle) entry covers the history and background of the custom of sitting on the floor."

Miyeokguk (seaweed soup) in Encyclopedia of Hallyu. (Lee Jeongwoo)

Baek said the biggest challenge of the project was explaining expressions with a distinct Korean feel, singling out singgeopda (bland) and "Bap hanbeon meokja" (Let's a grab a meal sometime) as the most difficult.

"Singgeopda describes not only flavor but is also an ambiguous expression gauging someone's personality or attitude as 'awkward' or 'out of place,'" she said. "'Bap hanbeon meokja' can mean a formal greeting to either make an appointment or maintain a relationship. I strived to convey the subtle nuances that literal translations cannot."

Mukbang (meokbang) in Encyclopedia of Hallyu. (National Folk Museum of Korea)

The encyclopedia is expected to keep evolving in tandem with the ongoing creation of Hallyu cultural content. As the fusion of Korean elements and global culture continues such as the animated blockbuster "KPop Demon Hunters" and the hit song "APT." by K-pop singer Rosé and U.S. musician Bruno Mars, the book's content is likely to expand further.

Baek also indicated the possibility of the encyclopedia being translated into other languages, saying, "Translation is not mere language conversion but a task requiring careful consideration of each culture's ways of understanding and reading environment."

Encyclopedia of Hallyu is available free for download as a PDF file on the museum's website, while the print edition is on sale at the museum's souvenir shop.

caudouin@korea.kr