Korean slang profile
지파라치
jiparachi
Reward-seeking subway-violation reporter
Reporting illegal acts on the subway for a reward, or someone who does so.
- Expanded form
- 지하철 + paparazzi지하철 (subway) + paparazzi
- 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
당시 신고 포상 제도를 소개한 기사에 지파라치가 나왔다.
An article about reporting-reward schemes at the time mentioned 지파라치.
02Documented history
- 2005-12This source introduced “지파라치” and explained its meaning.[1]
03Origin & word formation
Formed by retaining parts of “지하철 (subway) + paparazzi”. 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 66 (printed page 42) 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