In the introduction to the blog’s Korean Language and Cultures series, I posed the question, “Why do male characters in Korean dramas argue over whether to call their friend’s wife ‘hyungsu-nim’ or ‘jesu-ssi,’ when in English, they both translate to ‘sister-in-law’?” This was a topic scheduled for much later on in the series, far after topics like “oppa” and “hyung” first get covered. But alas, as I was watching the premiere of City Hunter last week, I almost keeled over when I saw two characters engage in a playful argument over this very issue. I knew I’d encounter many such examples in other future dramas because this is a topic that comes up over and over again, but I just couldn’t pass up on using this perfect example. And thus, this topic just got bumped up a notch or two… or a hundred.

And for the spoilerphobes, no worries! This post is free of any drama spoilers.

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