The controversy over Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae's "oppa" remark has extended to an official inquiry at the National Institute of Korean Language. After Jung told an elementary school student to call a politician decades her senior "oppa," a question appeared on the institute's website asking whether it is appropriate to call a man more than 40 years older "oppa."
According to the National Institute of Korean Language on Monday, a citizen posted an inquiry titled "Question on the dictionary meaning and usage scope of the term 'oppa'" on the institute's "Online Ganada" bulletin board the previous day.
The writer first cited the definition of "oppa" from the Standard Korean Language Dictionary. The dictionary defines it as "a word used by a younger sister to refer to or address an older brother born to the same parents," and also as "a word used affectionately by a younger woman to refer to or address an older man among unrelated people."
The questioner paid particular attention to the expression "affectionately." "If 'affectionate' means 'having warm affection,' I wonder whether it is a concept that includes not just tone but also the relationship and situation," the writer asked.
The writer continued, "I am curious whether it falls within the general scope of usage for a younger woman to call an older man with a very large age gap 'oppa' upon first meeting him." The writer added, "For example, please confirm whether this remains a natural and appropriate expression even when the age difference exceeds 40 years."
In response, the National Institute of Korean Language answered, "Considering social norms and language etiquette, it is not appropriate."
"At a first meeting, there is insufficient emotional rapport to form 'warm affection,' making the term 'oppa' unnatural," the institute explained. "An age gap of about 40 years exceeds the general range of an older sibling and is closer to the gap of a parental generation."
Online, interpretations emerged that the inquiry was aimed at the recent controversy surrounding Jung.
Earlier, during a campaign stop on Friday for the Busan Buk-gu A by-election, Jung pointed to Democratic Party candidate Ha Jung-woo in front of a first-grade girl and told her to "call him oppa," sparking controversy. Criticism followed online, with comments such as "It was an inappropriate request for the situation" and "It violates language etiquette."
