가드 올려라, 횽왔다!, 싱하형

The 'Singha-hyung' meme gained significant popularity in the mid-2000s, especially from 2004, primarily on online communities like DC Inside and Utdae. After 2007, interest gradually waned, making it almost obsolete, but it was intermittently re-examined in the early 2010s, 2018, and 2020. Around June 2012, the original movie clip of the Singha-hyung image was discovered, bringing it renewed attention, though not with the same impact as its heyday.

'Singha-hyung' is a meme that originated from a fixed-nickname user named 'Singha' who was active on DC Inside in the mid-2000s, and the scowling Bruce Lee image he used. The story goes that the user 'Singha' became enraged and 'awakened' when no one recognized him at a fashion gallery offline meeting. Subsequently, he gained popularity in the StarCraft gallery by delivering threatening messages to so-called 'kkokkomma' (kids) or 'jjijiri' (losers), telling them to "turn off their computers and study within 10 seconds, or beg for forgiveness, or come to the underpass for a beating."

The core of this meme involves using catchphrases like "Guard up, hyung is here~!", "You're gonna get seriously beaten," "underpass," and "I'll give you 10 seconds," along with the scowling image of Bruce Lee from the movie 'Enter the Dragon,' depicting a mix of anger and sorrow. Although it uses outwardly violent and rough expressions, there's also a heartwarming backstory that the reason for 'beating' the 'jjijiri' was out of affection. This meme significantly influenced the spread of unique linguistic styles, such as using 'hyung' (older brother) as a first-person pronoun, spelling 'jonna' (very/f*ing) as 'jonnae,' and 'saekki' (bastard/kid) as 'saekwi,' as well as popular terms like 'jjijiri' and 'gogosing' (let's go).

It was highly popular primarily among young people in their late teens to early twenties who enjoyed internet culture in the mid-2000s. Its impact was so significant that even general internet users and elementary school students at the time found the name and facial expression of Singha-hyung amusing. Although the meme's heyday has passed, it is remembered as a nostalgic meme by the generation that experienced internet culture at the time. It continues to be referenced whenever it's homaged in various media like games and webtoons, maintaining recognition across a wide age range.

The 'Singha-hyung' meme is primarily used on internet forums or communities to warn someone or to strongly express dissatisfaction about a particular situation.

• "Guard up, hyung is here~!"
• "Hyung is here!!! Hyung is in a seriously bad mood right now. Some f*ing part-timer seriously pissed me off. You dumbass part-timers with only the Olympics in your heads. I'll give you 3 seconds. Come out to the Han River underpass right now. I'll smash your dumb heads."
• "I'll give you 10 seconds. No 9 seconds, no 11 seconds."
• "You kids are just gonna get seriously beaten, just seriously beaten."

It is used with the scowling Bruce Lee image or by photoshopping it onto the faces of other people or characters as a parody. For example, in the parody video 'Boy, Be Singha,' Singha-hyung's face was composited onto Shinji Ikari's face.

Furthermore, in situations where the word 'underpass' appears, expressions like "I'll give you 10 seconds" are used, evoking Singha-hyung.

Although the 'Singha-hyung' meme can be interpreted as containing affectionate admonishment, it fundamentally includes threatening and somewhat crude expressions (e.g., "You're gonna get seriously beaten," "saekwi"). Therefore, it is best not to use it in formal settings or situations requiring politeness. During the meme's peak, profanity and informal speech were not as widespread as they are today, so it might cause offense to those who don't understand the context of that era. Particular caution is advised if it is used in conjunction with or linked to other controversial memes, such as the 'Hosung-seongnim' meme that gained popularity after the 2010s, as this could lead to misunderstandings.