"I Said 'It's Clear Today,' and Was Asked 'Are You Joseonjok?'... Typical Conversation Between Assistant Manager and New Employee"

"I thought 'quaechunghada' meant you were drinking," says a new employee
Does "saheul" mean 4 days?
Recurring literacy controversies

A story has emerged about a man who tried to explain the meaning of the word "clear" (quaechunghada) to a junior employee, only to be asked, "Are you Joseonjok?" The junior employee found the word "quaechung" unfamiliar. Recently, as misunderstandings of basic vocabulary have become more frequent among the MZ generation, concerns are growing about declining literacy skills.

A new employee said, "I thought you were drinking because you said 'quaechunghada'"

A man shared a story about how he explained the meaning of the word "clear" to a junior employee and was then asked, "Are you Joseonjok?" Photo by Pixabay

Recently, a post titled "I was asked if I was Joseonjok to my face" was uploaded to an online community. The author, Mr. A, who holds the position of assistant manager at his company, was on a weekend business trip with a new employee, Mr. B. During the trip, Mr. A said, "The weather is clear today. Let's finish quickly and stop by somewhere nearby."

However, Mr. B seemed not to know the meaning of "quaechunghada" and asked, "Did you drink yesterday?" When Mr. A asked what he meant, Mr. B replied, "I thought you meant you were feeling good after drinking. Isn't 'quaechung' how you feel when you have no hangover the next day?"

Mr. A explained, "'Kwai' is the Chinese character used in words like 'pleasant' and 'refreshing,' and it's also used in 'quaechunghada.' 'Cheong' is the same character as in 'cheongcheonbyeokryeok' (a bolt from the blue). Together, 'quaechung' means the weather is refreshingly clear." He then apologized, saying, "Maybe I was trying too hard to teach. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

But the response was unexpected. Mr. B asked, "Assistant manager, are you Joseonjok? You seem to know Chinese characters very well." Mr. A, taken aback, replied that he was not. Later, Mr. B contacted him to say, "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Mr. A expressed his discomfort, asking, "Is 'quaechung' really such a difficult word?"

Does "saheul" mean 4 days?... Ongoing literacy controversies

This is not the first time a "literacy controversy" has arisen, where people give odd answers or lash out because they do not understand vocabulary properly. For example, the pure Korean word "saheul," which means three days, is sometimes mistaken for the number 4. Similarly, the phrase "deep apology" ("simsimhan sagwa"), which means a heartfelt apology, has been misread as meaning "boring" due to a homonym, sparking controversy.

Previously, a YouTuber posted a casting notice for actors with the phrase "Number of recruits: 0," only to receive criticism such as, "Why post a notice if you're not hiring anyone?" "Why does it say 0 people?" and "You should be more humble as you become successful." In this context, "0" meant "no fixed number, flexible," but some netizens who failed to understand the context criticized the announcement.

Such incidents are seen not as simple mishaps, but as evidence that declining literacy among young people has reached a structural level. According to the 'Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)' released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in December last year, the language, numeracy, and problem-solving skills of Korean adults (aged 16-65) were found to be below the OECD average. In particular, language proficiency scores dropped significantly compared to ten years ago. In the 2011 and 2012 surveys, the score was 237, matching the OECD average at the time, but in the latest survey, it fell by 24 points to 249, which is 11 points lower than the OECD average. Language proficiency scores declined across all age groups.