Korean slang profile

랜선집사

raenseonjipsa

Someone who enjoys viewing photos or videos of cats kept by other people online.

Expanded form: 랜선 + 집사랜선 + 집사 (online connection + cat caretaker)
Other spellings: —
Earliest source found: Feb 23, 2021
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
고양이는 못 키우지만 매일 영상으로 만나는 랜선집사야.
I can’t keep a cat, but I’m an online cat caretaker who visits them in videos every day.

02Documented history

Examined sourceA source introduced the culture of enjoying cat videos and calling oneself a cat caretaker.[1]
February 2021A source introduced the culture of enjoying cat videos and calling oneself a cat caretaker.[2]

03Origin & word formation

전자신문’s ICT terminology entry explains it as combining 랜선, referring to the internet, and 집사, a term for a cat’s caretaker. A 2021 씨네21 usage was also checked, but who first used it and when could not be established.

Evidence for the origin explanationMedium

An explanation or context showing the meaning was checked, but the available evidence does not establish the first user.

04Sources

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

ICT 시사용어: 랜선집사 (전자신문)Original source checked Nov 13, 2026
씨네21 추천도서: 콩고양이 9권 (씨네21)Published Feb 23, 2021Original source checked Nov 13, 2026