i am신뢰에요

I am신뢰에요~

"I am" (pronounced like the English phrase) + "Shin-rweh-eh-yo" (with "Shin" like in "shine," "rweh" like "rway," and "eh-yo" like "eh-yoh").

The "I am신뢰에요~" meme rapidly spread across internet communities over the weekend, starting on Friday, October 27, 2023, when KakaoTalk conversations from the Jeon Cheong-jo marriage fraud case were revealed. Subsequently, it gained significant popularity in a short period, being utilized in various fields such as broadcasting, news, and corporate marketing.

"I am신뢰에요~" originated from a KakaoTalk message sent by Jeon Cheong-jo to YouTuber Roalnnam during the 2023 Jeon Cheong-jo marriage fraud case. It is characterized by Jeon Cheong-jo's awkward mix of Korean and English. Specifically, the use of the English 'be' verb as if it were a Korean predicative particle, creating grammatically awkward and contextually inappropriate expressions like "I am 신뢰 (trust)," drew widespread ridicule and established itself as a meme. This is a common mistake made by Koreans who are not fluent in English, and the sentence structure often identifies oneself with an abstract concept. Meanwhile, there is also speculation that "I am신뢰에요~" was a misspelling of "I am실례예요~" (I am rude/an inconvenience).

Starting from internet communities, this meme has been widely used across a broad range of areas including broadcasting, news, corporate marketing, YouTube, and idol fandoms. It has become known and used by all generations and both genders.

• "If it's IVE's song, I am trust~"
• "I am everyday this song listen~"
• "Life is beautiful galaxy~ As for genre, it's fantasy~"
• "With this quality.. I am trust~"

• "Ok.. I'm going to Suwon I am ready~"

• "I am serious. I have 300 trillion (won), anyone want to marry?"

• "...??? I am flustered~"

• "I am bladder~"

Since this meme originated from a fraud case, some have raised concerns that it could be perceived as secondary victimization of the fraud victims. In fact, comedian Um Ji-yoon posted a parody of this meme but later deleted it after receiving criticism. Furthermore, there is a possibility of it being misunderstood as disparaging Korean-Americans due to its association with Korean-American English, so caution is advised in its use. While the essence of the meme is to satirize Jeon Cheong-jo's awkward use of English, it is important to recognize that it can be interpreted differently by those unfamiliar with the context of the incident.