Korean slang profile
밀당
mildang
Romantic push and pull
A subtle psychological back-and-forth in a romantic relationship, likened to pushing and pulling.
- Expanded form
- 밀고 당기기Romantic push and pull
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Nov 10, 2011
- 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
밀당 없이 솔직하게 말하는 게 좋아.
I prefer being honest without playing romantic push-and-pull games.
- Quoted from a source
밀고 당기기의 줄임말. 남녀 간의 관계에서 미묘한 심리 싸움을 뜻함.[2]
Abbreviation for push and pull. It refers to a subtle psychological battle in the relationship between a man and a woman.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- November 2011Newsen: “Man No. 2 and Woman No. 3 became a pair, but if they had not abandoned Operation 밀당, there is a high possibility that they would have failed.”[1]
- April 2012SBS: “‘밀당’ (short for push and pull. It refers to the subtle psychological battle in the relationship between men and women.)”[2]
- January 2013Maeil Shinmun: “A representative dating coach sport is ‘밀당’ (Push and Pull).”[3]
03Origin & word formation
Short for “밀고 당기기.” The 2012 source from SBS 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.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 짝 복잡미묘 현대판 연애지침서 ‘어설픈 밀당은 화를 부른다’ (뉴스엔)Published Nov 10, 2011Original source checked Nov 5, 2026
- '간기남', 밀당의 묘미가 아쉬운 에로틱 스릴러(리뷰) (SBS)Published Apr 6, 2012Original source checked Nov 5, 2026
- '설렘' 잃기 싫어 여러 이성과 '썸타기' 즐기는 썸남·썸녀 (매일신문)Published Jan 12, 2013Original source checked Nov 5, 2026