What Is the 'No-Jam City' Meme That Sparked Both Controversy and Buzz on SNS? [No-Jam City]

[No-Jam, Searching for the Fun in the City]
<1> The Image of the 'No-Jam City' Asked to ChatGPT
② How the No-Jam City Discourse Was Created
Started with Netizens' Drawings
Rapid Rise Coinciding with Daejeon Visit Year

A painting considered the origin of the term "Nojam City." The original artist is from Daejeon and is said to have painted this work out of nostalgia for their hometown. (Photo by SNS)

The term 'No-Jam City,' meaning a boring city, started with a single illustration posted on social networking services (SNS) in 2014. The illustration, titled 'A No-Jam City, a friend is coming to Daejeon! What should I do?' followed an algorithmic format with conditions such as 'Are there many acquaintances?', 'Can you invite them home?', and 'Can you eat spicy food?', ultimately concluding with all options leading to 'Stop by Seongsimdang and send them home.'

The original creator is known to be from Daejeon. While working in Seoul, they developed a deep nostalgia for Daejeon and created the illustration while talking about their hometown with friends.

This was shared modestly among some netizens but resurfaced in 2019, coinciding with the Year of Visit Daejeon. Since all conclusions ended at Daejeon's famous bakery 'Seongsimdang,' the formula 'Daejeon = Seongsimdang' was established during this period. As a result, the number of visitors to Seongsimdang increased significantly, and the bakery held an event earlier this year to find the original creator ahead of its 70th anniversary.

During this time, a new phenomenon began to be observed on SNS. A 'No-Jam City Battle' started among netizens. A comparative framework formed around the theme 'Which city is more boring?' with Ulsan, Gwangju Metropolitan City, and Cheongju being mentioned together. The rivalry even grouped Daejeon and Ulsan into a competitive format, evolving into memes (internet viral content) that compared and analyzed each other.

Subsequently, No-Jam Cities emerged as a research topic among experts. A paper titled 'Why Did Daejeon Become a No-Jam City?' published in 2021 by Joo Hye-jin, a research fellow at the Daejeon Sejong Research Institute, gained significant attention, and follow-up studies began at other regional research institutes. For example, Park Su-jin, an adjunct researcher at Chonnam National University’s Regional Development Research Institute, analyzed blog posts related to 'No-Jam Gwangju' in March.

However, controversies surrounding No-Jam Cities continue, and opinions among experts remain divided. While some view it positively as a catalyst for interest in regions and a witty nickname, criticism persists that it is a derogatory term belittling local areas.

What is clear is that this meme has begun to change South Korea. Local government heads have started to reconsider what elements bring fun to their cities. Regional experts argue that this debate should serve as a starting point to discover 'the fun of the place where I live' and call for moving away from the traditional perspective centered on Seoul when viewing regions.

Accordingly, Asia Economy analyzed how the No-Jam City meme is transforming South Korea by examining the past, present, and future of four cities.

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