창렬

The 'Chang-ryeol' meme first emerged around 2009 when a convenience store instant food product, "Kim Chang-ryeol's Pojangmacha," named after singer Kim Chang-ryeol, became a hot topic in online communities due to its ridiculously small quantity and low quality for the price. The meme gained renewed attention and spread widely across the internet around 2014, coinciding with the "nitrogen snack" controversy (referring to snack bags filled mostly with air). From then on, it began to be used for any product or situation, regardless of its connection to Kim Chang-ryeol. Its popularity continues into the 2020s, having become a common expression even used by mainstream media.

'Chang-ryeol' is a neologism used when a product's quantity, quality, or overall value is absurdly poor compared to its price. The term originated from criticisms of the poor contents of "Kim Chang-ryeol's Pojangmacha" products, which featured singer Kim Chang-ryeol as a model, leading his name to be used with a negative connotation. While Kim Chang-ryeol's name is officially spelled 'Kim Chang-yeol' in Korean, the product name used '김창렬' (Kim Chang-ryeol), and the '렬' (ryeol) pronunciation was often perceived as '녈' (nyeol), solidifying the meme as '창렬' (Chang-ryeol). The antonym of this meme is 'Hye-ja,' derived from the name of actress Kim Hye-ja, which signifies good value. 'Chang-ryeol' is used not only in adjectival forms like '창렬하다' (to be chang-ryeol) or '창렬스럽다' (chang-ryeol-like) but also as a noun, such as '창렬' or '창렬이다' (it is chang-ryeol). It also appears in various modified expressions like '창렬 돋는다' (it's so chang-ryeol) or '창렬이 형 XXX에 진출' (Chang-ryeol hyung entered XXX). Some analyses suggest that the negative nuance of the characters '창' (chang) and '렬' (ryeol) themselves also contributed to the meme's widespread adoption.

"Chahng-nyul" (like 'chahng' in 'charming' and 'nyul' as in 'new' with an 'l' sound at the end). The meme's name, '창렬' (Chang-ryeol), is often pronounced closer to 'Chang-nyeol' by Korean speakers due to the way the original product name was perceived.

Initially, the meme spread primarily within male-dominated online communities like DC Inside. However, after its re-discovery in 2014, it diffused across the entire internet and was used by a wide age range, from teenagers to those in their early thirties. Currently, it has become so mainstream that it's even used by major media outlets, making it a recognized and used expression by all generations who actively engage with the internet, without being limited to a specific age group or gender.

• "This snack is too 'chang-ryeol' for its price."
• "I'm disappointed because the rewards for the new game update are so 'chang-ryeol'."
• "Inflation is so high these days, it's truly a 'Great Chang-ryeol Era'."
• "Our concert is not 'chang-ryeol'." (An example used by singer Kim Chang-ryeol himself on a broadcast.)

Since the 'Chang-ryeol' meme originates from the name of a real person, it's important to be aware that its use can be insulting or defamatory to the individual. Kim Chang-ryeol himself and his family have experienced significant stress due to this meme, and there have been instances where he sued the food company in the past. Kim Chang-ryeol's son is also aware of the meme and has asked people to use it in a positive way if they use it for fun. Therefore, it is advisable to use caution with this expression, as it can have a negative impact on individuals. Furthermore, while the National Institute of Korean Language has acknowledged its commonality by stating it's difficult to find an alternative word, it is not yet an officially recognized word in dictionaries.