펭하! - 펭수

Peng-ha~! - Pengsoo

PENG-ha~! - PENG-soo (pronounced as "PENG-hah" for "Peng-ha" and "PENG-soo" for "Pengsoo"). The "Peng" part rhymes with "hang", and "ha" is like "hah" in "haha". "Soo" is like "Sue".

'Peng-ha~!' is a popular catchphrase that swept across South Korea from the latter half of 2019 to early 2020. Pengsoo began to gain significant popularity as the mascot character of EBS's YouTube channel 'Giant PengTV'. By November 2019, the phrase 'Korea is Peng-ha!' was already widely used to the extent that it appeared in news articles. By December 2019, it had become so widespread that there were mentions of young children using "Peng-ha" as a greeting.

'Peng-ha~!' is a portmanteau created by combining the name of EBS's popular character, Pengsoo, with the English word 'Hi'. It is Pengsoo's signature greeting, used when introducing itself or warmly greeting fans, and it established itself as a popular greeting alongside Pengsoo's rise to fame.

This meme is widely used across all age groups. Initially, as an EBS character, Pengsoo gained popularity among children and parents. However, its popularity surged as it resonated with office workers in their 20s and 30s due to its honest and realistic portrayal on YouTube. Later, by incorporating elements of 'black comedy', it encompassed teenagers, young adults, and adults, earning the affection of all age groups. Even managers in their 40s would use 'Peng-ha!' to greet others in group chat rooms. Currently, Pengsoo even greets users with "Peng-ha" in the elementary English education app 'AI PengTalk', indicating its familiar use among children.

'Peng-ha~!' is primarily used as a greeting in Pengsoo-related content or when fans of Pengsoo greet each other in a friendly manner.

• "Children & kidult friends, Peng-ha~!"
• Pengsoo greeting students with "Peng-ha!" during a visit to an elementary school on the Ministry of Education's YouTube channel.
• Pengsoo saying "Peng-ha!" in a video about working at the Ministry of Unification's Inter-Korean Unification Culture Center.
• Pengsoo greeting users with "Peng-ha" in the AI PengTalk app.