Korean slang profile

직구

jikgu

Buying directly from overseas

Buying foreign products directly from an overseas online store and receiving them through international shipping.

This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.

01Examples, with English translations

Example by Julimmal
해외 직구로 운동화를 샀어.
I bought sneakers directly from an overseas store.
Quoted from a source
해외 인터넷 쇼핑의 대표 형태인 해외 직구(직접구매), 배송대행, 구매대행 서비스의 장점을 융합한 서비스다.[1]
It is a service that combines the advantages of 해외 직구 (direct purchase), delivery agency, and purchasing agency service, which are representative forms of overseas Internet shopping.
English translation by Julimmal.

March 2013It is a service that combines the advantages of 해외 직구 (direct purchase), delivery agency, and purchasing agency service, which are representative forms of overseas Internet shopping.[1]
November 2014Newsis: “It is usually abbreviated as ‘직구’.”[2]

Short for “직접 구매.” The 2013 source from Electronic Times explicitly gives this explanation. Who first used it and when have not been verified.

Evidence for the origin explanationHigh

The explanation is explicit in the sources, and at least two sources use the same meaning. When it was first used is unknown.

Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.