Korean slang profile
에스컬레이터족
eseukeolreiteojok
Students repeatedly transferring upward
Students who repeatedly transfer to try to attend a better school.
- Expanded form
- Not documented
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Dec 2005
- Documented trend period
- Not verified
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
대학 편입 현상을 다룬 기사에서 에스컬레이터족이라는 말을 봤다.
I saw 에스컬레이터족 in an article about college transfers.
02Documented history
- 2005-12This source introduced “에스컬레이터족” and explained its meaning.[1]
03Origin & word formation
The National Institute of Korean Language’s 『2005년 신어』 lists this headword and its meaning. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The headword, components, definition, and usage on PDF page 33 (printed page 9) were directly compared. This relies on one source; the older articles quoted by the report were not directly checked. Inclusion in this collection does not establish the year the expression arose or first became popular.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 2005년 신어 (국립국어원)Published Dec 2005Original source checked Nov 14, 2026