Korean slang profile
중꺾마
jungkkyeokma
A spirit that won't give up
A mindset of persisting through difficulties and seeing something through to the end.
- Expanded form
- 중요한 것은 꺾이지 않는 마음A spirit that won't give up
- Other spellings
- 중꺽마
- Earliest source found
- Dec 6, 2022
- Documented trend period
- 2022
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
중꺾마 정신으로 끝까지 해보자.
Let's see it through with a spirit that won't give up.
- Quoted from a source
‘중요한 것은 꺾이지 않는 마음’이 올해 최고의 유행어로 떠올랐다.[2]
‘The important thing is an unbreakable heart’ emerged as the best buzzword of the year.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- October 2022It started with a Cookie News reporter interviewing e-sports player Kim Hyuk-gyu (Deft) and writing in the title of the YouTube video, “The important thing is an unbreakable heart.” The day of the interview was right after the player's team, DRX, lost its first game at Worlds.[2]
- After winning the World CupAs DRX won Worlds by defeating T1 in the finals, it became a buzzword symbolizing the tournament.[2]
- December 2022The national soccer team became widely known after advancing to the round of 16 of the World Cup for the first time in 12 years. It was used not only in online communities and SNS, but also in the advertising industry and political circles, and was selected as the best buzzword of the year.[2]
03Origin & word formation
Kuki News, the interviewer's publication, explains that the expression began in the title of an esports-player interview video rather than at the World Cup. The journalist summarized the player's message in the title as 중요한 것은 꺾이지 않는 마음: what matters is a spirit that does not break.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The account comes from the publication where the interviewer works and specifically describes the expression starting in a headline.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 올 최고의 명언 ‘중꺾마’ 만든 문대찬 기자 (주간동아)Published Dec 6, 2022Original source checked Nov 5, 2026
- 당신이 ‘중꺾마’에 대해 몰랐던 것 (쿠키뉴스)Published Dec 11, 2022Original source checked Nov 5, 2026