Korean slang profile
깨진 철밥통
kkaejin cheolbaptong
Shaken civil-service job security
A metaphor for civil servants’ secure employment being shaken by shorter retirement ages and staffing cuts.
- Expanded form
- Not documented
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Dec 30, 1998
- 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
깨진 철밥통이라는 제목의 글이 당시 공직사회의 불안을 전했다.
A piece titled 깨진 철밥통 conveyed anxiety in the civil service at the time.
02Documented history
No history documented.
03Origin & word formation
A 1998 서울신문 article introduces it as a popular expression while explaining changes in job security. The first user and time have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The definition and social context presented in the contemporary article were compared. First coinage, current range of use, and the extent of spread remain unverified.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 공직사회 유행한 말…말…말… (서울신문)Published Dec 30, 1998Original source checked Nov 15, 2026