Korean slang profile
고고익선
gogoikseon
“The higher, the better”
Literally “the higher, the better,” a worried play on “the more, the better” about the spread of high-rise buildings.
- 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
도시의 고층화 문제를 다룬 글에 고고익선이라는 표현이 나왔다.
An article about cities growing taller used the expression 고고익선.
02Documented history
- 2005-12This source introduced “고고익선” 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 55 (printed page 31) 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