[New Word Dictionary] Seubuljae - It's All My Fault

Spuljae is an abbreviation of "self-inflicted disaster," used mainly when one regrets their own choice that led to difficult consequences due to excessive enthusiasm. Illustration by artist Oh Seongsu

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “I’m 26 years old, with a credit rating of 9, but I bought a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet on a 40 million KRW full installment plan at an interest rate of 21%.” Recently, Lee Seungjae (27, pseudonym), who was considering purchasing a foreign car, joined a “Kapoor” open chat room due to pressure from his girlfriend who was trying to stop him from buying the car, and has been observing the conversations there. After getting a job, he was looking into buying his dream foreign car and saw that it was easy to purchase through deferred installments and high-interest loan products, so he was ready to act immediately but did not proceed due to objections from his family and girlfriend. Lee said that watching stories of his peers in the open chat room who recklessly bought foreign cars helps calm his excited feelings. One story from a young Kapoor who earns 3.5 million KRW after tax but spends an average of 2.9 million KRW monthly on installments, insurance, and fuel, and after enduring for a year ended up selling the car with 30 million KRW debt remaining, was just one of many similar stories differing only in car model and amount. Seeing this endless stream of stories, Lee finally decided to secure more financial stability before purchasing a car.

“Sbuljae” is an abbreviation of “self-inflicted disaster,” used when someone regrets their own choice that led to an outcome they cannot handle due to over-ambition. According to the “Status of Imported Car Leasing among People in Their 20s” released in 2018 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Financial Supervisory Service, out of 123.18 billion KRW in imported car lease contracts, fees paid for early termination before the contract period ended amounted to about 1.3 billion KRW over four years. Deferred principal installments, mainly used by young people because they allow buying a car with less money upfront, often result in large lump-sum payments at the end of the installment period, leading to frequent cases of unpaid balances, according to industry insiders. A vehicle maintenance company official pointed out, “Depending on parts inventory and other factors, repair costs for foreign cars can be 3 to 5 times higher than for domestic cars, and in case of accidents while driving, newly employed young adults may face amounts they cannot afford.” Responsibility for self-inflicted disasters inevitably falls entirely on the individual. How about taking the case of Kapoor as a mirror and adopting an attitude of contentment and moderation in the new year?

Example

A: You said you’d make lunch, but why did you buy so many ingredients?
B: Wait and see. I’ll serve an amazing dish.
A: (One hour later) Are you done yet? Aren’t you trying too hard?
B: No, I definitely followed the recipe, so why does it taste so weird? The cooking isn’t going as planned. This is a total sbuljae, man.
A: Oh dear. That’s why I said we should just order delivery! I’m ordering chicken right now~