Korean slang profile

서방

seobang

Changing a person’s name or similar text to an alias or other spelling so it does not readily appear in internet searches.

This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.

01Examples, with English translations

Example by Julimmal
후기 제목에는 이름을 조금 바꿔서 서방했어.
I slightly changed the name in the review title to keep it out of searches.

August 2021주간동아 explained 서방, altering specific names, as short for ‘서치 방지’ (preventing search discovery).[1]
September 2021코스모폴리탄 used the spelling 써방 and introduced changing names to aliases or inserting symbols between syllables.[2]

Short for ‘서치 방지’ (preventing search discovery). A 2021 source from 주간동아 gives this explanation. Who first used it and when could not be established.

Evidence for the origin explanationMedium

One source explicitly gives this explanation. When it was first used is unknown.

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