The Grand Narrative

Once you learn that they’re out there, then Korean advertisements with sexual innuendos in them turn out to be surprisingly common, and make you realize just how misguided generalizations about any place can often be without a knowledge of the local language. To wit, take this news report about the text in this ad on the right (source) for the Vitamin C drink Vita500 (비타500), one line of which that even with this post’s title I guarantee you will still find surprising!

But first, I should mention how important the timing of this post proved to be: had I come across the ad just a week ago, let alone when it first came out in March 2006, then I’m sure I wouldn’t have given it so much as a second glance, so focused have I been on visual representations of  sexuality in the Korean media previously. Certainly I wouldn’t have considered it a “야한광고” or “lewd advertisement” at least, which is how come I happened to find it on a Naver search (see footnote).

But learning about the hidden meanings in Korean texts at about the same time I wrote this post about why – until only recently – expressions of especially female sexuality in the media have tended to be in the guise of “innocent” and/or “cute” ones instead and all, then although it’s probably too much for me to suppose that the Korean language itself may have an affinity for such double-entendres, it made me realize that Korean advertisers – operating under restrictions, but still always wanting to get sex in there somehow – will probably tend to use them much more often than, say, their US counterparts. Hence my being inclined to take a second glance at this advertisement then, trying to figure out why it was singled out by a Korean blogger for being lewd.

And which turned out to be  exclusively because of what Lee Hyori (이효리) is supposedly saying, specifically the “따먹는 재미가 있다” line next to her face. Simply put, the first word (not to be confused with “다먹다,” or “eat all”) is a combination of “따다, ” which means has many meanings but in this case “open; uncork” would be the most appropriate, and “먹다,” which is to eat; then the next word is “재미” meaning “fun, interest,” and a “가” which must attach to it because of the final word “있다,” or “to have.” So literally:

“The act of opening and eating [this] fun has”

Eating often means eating and drinking in Korean. Naturally, a better English translation would be:

“Opening and drinking [this] is fun.”

Still a little awkward, yes? But the point is, “따먹다” has another, entirely different meaning. For instance, a guy might say to his friends:

“그여자 봐? 난 따먹었어요”

Which means:

” You see that woman? I opened and ate her”

“Eating” someone doesn’t have the same connotations in Korean, but you’re on the right track:  “I fucked her” would be the most accurate translation, and so apparently Lee Hyori is saying “Fucking is fun” in the ad. Sentiments we all agree with I’m sure, but as you’ll see below it naturally caused a bit of a stir at the time(!), although after reading it I think primarily because the phrase is/was almost exclusively used by guys, and particularly of the sort I really don’t want my daughters ever meeting at that!

“Too Lewd!” Lee Hyori’s Subway Advertisement is Surprisingly Suggestive

인기가수 이효리가 모델로 등장한 한 식음료 제품 광고의 문구가 지나치게 선정적이라는 지적이 일고 있다.

A food product advertisement with popular singer Lee Hyori has been getting a great deal of attention for the use of a certain phrase in it.

이 광고는 K제약이 지하철 주요노선과 지면에 사용하고 있는 광고다. 네티즌들은 이효리가 등장한 광고 속에 ‘따먹는 재미가 있다’는 문구가 불쾌하다는 지적을 하고 있다. 해당 광고는 K제약이 지난 15일부터 병뚜껑을 따서 속을 확인하는 경품 행사를 홍보하기 위해 제작됐다.

This advertisement by K Medicine Manufacturer (James: because of Korea’s draconian libel laws, the real name isn’t given, even though it’s blatantly obvious) has been used on a major subway line in Seoul since the the 15th of March. Netizens have been indicating their displeasure with the phrase used by Lee Hyori in it to promote a competition that gives prizes to those who find marked bottletops.

네티즌 ‘구구콘’은 “난감한 지하철 광고”라는 제목으로 문제의 광고 사진을 한 인터넷 커뮤니티에 올렸다. 이에 네티즌 ‘sevenstarcider’는 “여자로서 정말 화가 나는 광고”라며 “광고 목적을 모르는 것은 아니지만 도가 지나쳤다”고 지적했다. 네티즌 ‘피부미인’도 “건강음료라는 생각보다 음란한 음료라는 생각이 먼저 든다”고 꼬집었다.

A netizen by the name of “Cuckoo-corn”  uploaded the above photo under the title “Strange, puzzling subway ad” to a community site about problem advertisements, and there “Sevenstarcider” under the post title “An Ad That Really Makes Women Angry” wrote “it’s not that I don’t know the purpose of this ad, but that is just too much.” Also, netizen ‘Skinbeauty’ cynically wrote “my first thought is not that this is a health drink, but some kind of sex drink instead.”

K제약측은 이에 대해 “섹스 어필할 의도는 전혀 없었다”고 해명했다. 홍보팀의 한 관계자는 “광고대행사가 경품행사의 성격을 반영해 제안한 문구였다”며 “(성적으로) 이상하게 유추하는 사람들이 있지만 이효리씨의 건강미에 초점을 맞춘 것 뿐”이라고 설명했다.

About this advertisement, a representative of the PR company behind it explained that “there was absolutely no intention to use sex appeal in it,” and that “the text is a simple reflection of advice about the promotion being advertised” and finally that “while there are people who infer something sexual to it, Lee Hyori’s only focus is on the health and beauty benefits of the product.”

(James: as, I’m sure, is the logic behind the Wondergirls’ {원더설스} choice of clothing in more recent advertisements for the company too)

그동안 성적 연상효과를 노린 광고 문구들이 적지 않았던 탓에 ‘야한’ 광고가 다시 도마에 올랐다.

As there have been lot of advertisements with sexual innuendos in their text so far, this subject is again becoming controversial.

지난해 배두나와 신하균이 모델로 나선 한 무선인터넷 광고는 “어,끈이 없네”, “밖에서 하니까 흥분되지” 등과 같은 대사로 시청자들의 비난을 샀다. 1990년대 모 아이스크림 광고에서는 여성 교관이 남성 훈련병에게 “줘도 못먹나”라고 말해 세간의 입방아에 오르내렸다. 90년대 후반에는 영화 ‘원초적 본능’의 여배우 샤론 스톤이 등장한 국내 정유회사 광고가 논란에 휩싸였다. 빨간 스포츠카에 올라탄 샤론 스톤이 “강한 걸로 넣어주세요”라고 말했기 때문.

For example, last year [2005], Bae Doo-na and Shin Ha-kyun appeared in an advertisement for a wireless internet company which included the line “Because [we] do [it] outside, [it's] much more exciting!,” which generated a lot of complaints. Also, in the early 1990s, an advertisement for Mo Ice Cream Company (James: another pseudonym) featured a female drill instructor saying to a new male recruit “I gave [it] to you to eat, but you can’t eat it [well]!,” and finally in the late-1990s a gasoline advertisement featuring Sharon Stone climbing into a red sports car had her saying  “only put strong [things] inside.”

광고주들은 섹스어필 의도성을 강하게 부인해왔다. 그러나 한 광고업계 종사자는 “광고 문구를 지을 때 섹스어필한 표현을 찾기 마련”이라고 귀띔했다.

While in public advertising companies strongly deny that they use sexual innuendos in advertisements, speaking on condition of anonymity an industry insider revealed that of course they do in reality.

K제약 측은 올해 이효리가 출연하는 3편의 광고를 더 제작할 계획이다. 이효리는 지난 1월 K제약과 1년동안 계약금 8억원에 광고모델 출연계약을 맺었다.

In January, K Medicine Manufacturer signed a contract with Lee Hyori to appear in three more advertisements for the company over the next year, for the fee of 800 million won.

( “Remember everyone…따먹는 재미가 있다~!” )

Footnote:

For those of you who are interested in Korean, “광고” means “advertisement,” and, according to Korean dictionaries, “야하다” means:

1.showy, gaudy, gay (color, garments), noisy (color, necktie), ostentatious, flashy, tawdry, garish, loud (color), screaming (color), raffish.

But actually all of those are wrong: “lewd” would probably be the closest equivalent in English, although there’s another word for that – “음란하다” – too. Curiously, while “야한광고” itself presents no problems, any other variation of “야하다” on Korean portal sites requires your national ID number as proof that you’re over 18 to search it. Naturally, as a foreigner then my perfectly legitimate one doesn’t work, but as my wife’s one does then I use that instead…for which I’m sure she is eternally grateful!