Korean slang profile

지옥철

jiokcheol

A hellishly crowded subway

A figurative expression for a subway so crowded there is barely room to stand.

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

01Examples, with English translations

Example by Julimmal
출근길 지옥철에서 겨우 버텼어.
I barely survived the packed subway on the way to work.
Quoted from a source
지하철을 이용해 출퇴근하는 직장인들은 '지옥철'이라고 부른다.[1]
Office workers who commute by subway call it '지옥철'.
English translation by Julimmal.

April 2010Office workers who commute by subway call it '지옥철'.[1]
October 2014Dong-A Ilbo: “지옥철 refers to the expression used by netizens to compare a crowded subway with no space to move.”[2]

Where the expression originated has not been verified. The 2010 source from OhmyNews only explains the meaning.

Evidence for the origin explanationLow

The meaning is supported, but the sources do not explain how the expression was formed.

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