[New Slang Dictionary] Suljji - A Loser Who Can't Drink Alcohol

40% of Koreans have Asian flush syndrome, which causes their faces to turn red when they drink alcohol, but 59.3% of adults have experienced drinking at least once a month, indicating that drinking culture is widespread.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Bishop Marie Nicolas Antoine Daveluy, a French missionary who set foot on Joseon soil in the mid-19th century. During the period he hid in the countryside to escape Catholic persecution, he left many letters to the Paris Foreign Missions Society and his family. Fluent in the Joseon language and striving to understand Joseon’s culture and history, this blue-eyed missionary’s observations of the daily lives of Joseon people at the time were unique. Especially in his "Notes for an Introduction to Joseon History," he offered an interesting perspective on Joseon’s drinking culture. "Gluttony is certainly one of the vices possessed by the Joseon people. And drinking to the point of intoxication is the same. Even the Yeonguijeong (Chief State Councillor) or the king openly engage in heavy drinking. When drunk, they lose consciousness, roll on the floor, or sleep to sober up. Still, no one is surprised or displeased, and they are left alone to rest." As Bishop Daveluy described, in Joseon, regardless of social status, the culture of encouraging drinking was considered both law and etiquette. Regarding this, Yeonam Park Ji-won lamented in his "Yeolha Ilgi" (The Jehol Diary), "Our people have such large stomachs for alcohol that they must pour it into a large bowl and gulp it down with a frown. This is not drinking but pouring alcohol into the stomach. Once they drink, they get drunk, and once drunk, the drinking party always ends with drunkenness and chaos." Because of this, stories have been passed down that if someone couldn’t drink or said they wouldn’t drink at such gatherings, they were often criticized for pretending to be refined.

"Suljji" is a compound word of "sul" (alcohol) and "jjijili" (a derogatory term for a weak or pathetic person), used to disparage someone who is bad at drinking. Its cute nuance has made it widely used especially among younger generations. According to research, 40% of Koreans have what is called "Asian flush syndrome," where their face turns red when they drink alcohol. This is interpreted as a signal that the body rejects alcohol. Alcohol is converted in the body into acetaldehyde, a toxic substance, and aldehyde dehydrogenase breaks it down into non-toxic acetic acid. The symptom of facial redness appears in people who lack this enzyme, so experts warn that even small amounts of alcohol can be harmful to health if facial flushing occurs while drinking. The Arab news channel Al Jazeera once reported on Korea’s drinking culture, introducing Korea as "a country with many alcoholics and the worst drinking culture in the world, with social costs related to alcohol reaching 20 billion dollars annually." It seems necessary to shift the perception that it is not pathetic to be bad at drinking, but rather pathetic to force oneself to drink.

Usage Example

A: Let’s all cheer together~ Hey, why aren’t you drinking?
B: I turn red even if I drink just one glass.
A: You’re totally a suljji, huh? Hey, you have to drink to get better at it.
B: Is being good at drinking something to brag about? By that logic, you’re a suljji too.
A: Me? Why?
B: You look like someone completely soaked in alcohol right now. Cut back on drinking.