pop music profile #13: SHINee - Nuna is so pretty (Replay) [english subs + romanization + hangul]

Let me tell you about incest in the Korean language. "Nuna" is the term this group calls their love-interest for the duration of this video; it means "older sister (from the perspective of a younger brother)". Younger brothers use this term to refer to their literal older sisters, but all men also use it for a slightly older (not old enough to be their mother) woman that they have a familiar relationship with (ex. a friend, a co-worker they are friendly with, or a girlfriend who is older than them - which is the aspect I find most fascinating). Generally, a Nuna is someone with at least a small amount of authority over "younger brother" - since authority comes with age in Korea.

"Unni" means "older sister (from the perspective of a younger sister)"; the same dynamics can probably be applied in the case of lesbian relationships, but I haven't been around enough Korean lesbians to know if this is the case. "Hyung" means "older brother (from the perspective of a younger brother)"; again, I haven't been around many Korean gay couples.

Last, "Oppa" is "older brother (from the perspective of a younger sister)". I hate this term, am so tired of it. Nearly all girlfriends and some wives call their boyfriends/husbands Oppa - it's all over the television and the streets of Seoul. And it's true that Nuna and Unni carry some authority, but Hyung and Oppa carry more. Because Korea is still a very sexist place. The thing I hate the most is the infantile, simpering, high-pitched tone that most girlfriends use to call "Oppa!"

So, "Oppa" is on my bad side. But I don't mean to say that I'm bothered by this system in which everyone becomes a member of your family. People old enough to be your parents become aunt/uncle (in Korean, of course), and people old enough to be your grandparents become grandmother/grandfather.

It's true that Nuna/Unni/Hyung/Oppa can be just another way to enforce gender roles. And they do enforce gender roles, people use them that way. But because of their gender-specificity, there's also the possibility to use these terms to fuck around with gender roles - I've seen it once or twice. There's a general assumption that two brothers will be closer to each other than a brother and a sister will be, and so an older woman can be called "Hyung" as an indication that she is closer to her "younger brother" than a Nuna would be.

In that case, the implied gender of the older woman is changed. I also find it interesting that gay men sometimes call older women "Unni" rather than "Nuna"; in this case, the implied gender of the younger sibling is changed.

It's all very fascinating. I expect this won't be the last time I'll write about it.