Korean slang profile
광탈
gwangtal
Getting eliminated immediately
Being rejected or eliminated almost instantly.
- Expanded form
- 광(光) + 탈락Getting eliminated immediately
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Jun 16, 2015
- 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
면접에서 광탈했어.
I was eliminated right away at the interview stage.
- Quoted from a source
괜히 ‘광탈’(광속 탈락) 리스트에 오르면 어쩌나요?[1]
What if I end up on the list of people eliminated at lightning speed for no good reason?
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- June 2015In an article in the Seoul Newspaper, the expression ‘광탈’ (eliminated at the speed of light) appears in the words of a job seeker.[1]
03Origin & word formation
Short for 광속 탈락, literally elimination at the speed of light. A 2015 Seoul Shinmun article gives that full form in parentheses. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The article explicitly expands it as 광속 탈락. When it began is unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- [현장 블로그] 말만 하면 채용 서류 반환?… 그 말 하다 찍힐 텐데요 (서울신문)Published Jun 16, 2015Original source checked Nov 5, 2026