NYCB Zoom

2022.06.06 18:59

33 Keys to Understanding the Korean Wave, Hallyu #3 Homo Nunchius Korean

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33 Keys to Understanding the Korean Wave

#3 The Masters of Nunchi

Homo Nunchius Korean

*Note to Readers

The columns published in the Zoom section of NYCultureBeat contain selected excerpts—typically the opening paragraphs—from each chapter of the book 33 Keys to Understanding the Korean Wave: Beyond BTS, Parasite, and Squid Game (2025). These previews are meant to introduce the book’s themes and tone.

The complete book—featuring 33 updated chapters and new cultural insights—is available in both paperback and hardcover editions:

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F7HYLVCL

Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F7HZ34Y3

“The Power of Nunchi” by Euny Hong, a second-generation Korean, published by Penguin in November 2019.

#The Power of Nunchi, by Euny Hong

“Measure Nunchi, give Nunchi, fast Nunchi, no Nunchi, aware Nunchi, see Nunchi, notice Nunchi, search Nunchi, keen Nunchi, eat Nunchi rice (walk on eggshells), Nunchi fight...”

What is the big deal about Nunchi? According to Wikipedia, Nunchi is “a Korean concept signifying the subtle art and ability to listen and gauge others’ moods.” Nunchi refers to the ability to grasp the situation in an organized society, insight, emotion, intuition, sense, and empathy. In English, it can be translated into wits, sense, tact, hint, understanding social cues, ability to read a situation, etc.

Can foreigners notice our “Nunchi”? Do second-generation Koreans have the same insight as us?

The Korean-American journalist Euny Hong wrote in “The Power of Nunchi: The Korean Secret to Happiness and Success” (2019, Penguin), that: “There is a Korean expression, ‘Half of social life is nunchi.’ You need nunchi to get along with people, to get what you want out of people in a purely pragmatic sense and to protect yourself from danger. Nunchi emphasizes speed - if you are a skilled nunchi practitioner, Koreans don’t say you have ‘good’ nunchi, they say you have ‘quick’ nunchi.”