What or who is a Koreaboo:
A non–South Korean person who has an unhealthy obsession with S.Korean culture so much they denounce their own culture and call themselves Korean or wishes they were Korean.
They usually are kpop fanatics (not fans) or fans of League of Legends or other competitive games popular in South Korea, about S.Korean stuff non-stop.
They will say stuff such as:
“I wish I was Korean.”
“I was korean in my past life.”
“I wanna have a Korean boyfriend/girlfriend.”
“I wanna have Korean children.”
“I think only Korean man are atrractive.”
“I’m korean on the inside.”
They may also think that they will some day marry their favourite idol (see also “delulu”*). They think Korea is the best country and despise other non-Korean cultures, even Asian ones
They could think that all Asians/Koreans are beautiful gods who are above the human race (see also "yellow fever:).
They may use small parts of Korean in their sentences (often in the wrong way) without caring about learning the language.
All this while disrespecting real Korean culture or glossing over those problematic aspects of it (such as the condition of women, the widespread racism etc) which would normally be uncomfortable to Western people. They pick and choose the elements of the culture they like.
“Jackie is such a Koreaboo. She’s American, she shouts ‘OPPA’ at random Asian men and tries to look Korean by glueing her eyelids down.”
“That boy over keeps calling himself Korean and all he talks about is Korean things, he’s such a koreaboo!”
What is NOT a Koreaboo
However there is a line; if someone just likes the music, language and culture they are not classed as a koreaboo. You are NOT a Koreaboo if you
- are interested in Korean culture
- listen to Kpop music or other Korean music genres
- watch Korean TV shows
- make cringey jokes about Korean celebrities
- are learning Korean so you can communicate with your idols, watch K-dramas without subtitles/not have to wait for subtitles or even to understand the music.
- enjoy going to a Korean restaurant once in a while or want to try Korean recipes at home
-want to live in Korea
etc …
Etymology
The word “Koreaboo” itself comes from the term “weeaboo” (a non-native Japanese person who is obsessed with Japanese culture), which came about by chance in 2003.
Why is it problematic?
Both of these are problematic because they insist on taking make-believe aspects of Japanese and Korean culture and making it real. Koreaboos idolize Korean life from K-Dramas and Weeaboos take from anime. Admiring only certain parts of a culture (which most of the time are completely fake) can be insulting to Korean and Japanese people.
Testimonial:
I’m Korean-American and more than half the time, I’m filled with mixed emotions. From the people around me, many Korean-Americans (including me) will most likely say it’s cringe and annoying. Learning to use chopsticks/eating kbbq/liking kimchi LOL is all cool. But it doesn’t stop there. I’ve had people come up to me and ask if there are any cute Korean boys and if they can come. I’ve even been told that I’m not a true Korean because I don’t know the lyrics to their favorite kpop song. Honestly, if you want to learn Korean and want to practice, I would ask the person. “Hey, I’m interested in/am learning Korean. Do you mind if I can practice with you?” Whenever people came up to me and said this, I felt a lot more comfortable and willing than when people just say “ahn-nyeong-ha-se-yo” or “saranghae” or even like “omona,” “aigoo,” etc. Basically, the way people are speaking the language is extremely cringe. Idk. Maybe it doesn’t make you a Koreaboo, but it do be cringey sometimes
Some video compilations:
Delulu:
Summary
(from the Urban Dictionary)
A delusional fan girl/boy who believes they can/will end up with their favourite idol or celebrity and invest an unhealthy amount of time and energy into said idol.
High levels of delulus are found in the following fandoms: One Direction, Justin Bieber and various K-pop fandoms.
As the vast majority of them are teenage girls, their emotional maturity is almost always below zero and thusly cannot conceive the sheer thought of their idol feeling real human emotions and not actually belonging to their fans (let alone dating somebody who is not them). Delulus often attack at the slightest hint of criticism towards their bias celebrity and are rather vicious. Note: They also have trouble separating fantasy from reality.
Delulu is short for “delusional,” and it is often used by fanboys and fangirls to mock other superfans’ beliefs.
For example, a K-pop stan who believes they will one day meet and start a relationship with their favorite idol may be called delulu by other stans. Shippers who ship different couples may also call each other delulu, as they argue the merits of their OTPs.
.
, especially not if that ancestor is a recent one (in this case, their grandma).