[New Word Dictionary] Pyeonrimium - An Era of Buying Convenience with Money

A sketch by Na Hye-seok depicting a naengmyeon delivery person during the Japanese colonial period (photo left) and a Chosun Ilbo cartoon by An Seok-young illustrating a delivery person carrying more than ten bowls of food (photo right).

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] When tracing back the origins of applications that deliver famous restaurant dishes today or the rapidly growing dawn delivery market, one encounters the cold noodle delivery system of the Joseon Dynasty. It would have been difficult for the yangban aristocrats of the Joseon era, who enjoyed the culture of seonju-humyeon (先酒後麵, "drink first, then noodles"), to visit restaurants located in areas where commoners lived just to eat a bowl of cold noodles. Thus, records show that the cold noodle delivery culture began to develop. During the Japanese colonial period, the popularity of cold noodles among Japanese people led to the opening of noodle houses and the hiring of delivery workers called 'jungmeori' to formalize the delivery system. The acrobatic deliveries by jungmeori, who carried about ten bowls of cold noodles on wooden trays while riding bicycles, were such a spectacle that they were even depicted in newspaper illustrations of the time. Delivery services, which provide efficiency and convenience, have become an irresistible consumer trend embraced by the 'Baedal Minjok' (Delivery Nation) that sprouted delivery culture centuries ago.

'Pyeonrimium' is a newly coined term combining 'pyeonri' (convenience) and the English word 'premium,' referring to the phenomenon where consumers readily open their wallets for convenient products or services that save their time and effort. As consumer selection criteria shift from brand to convenience and efficiency, new pyeonrimium services offering minimal time and maximum efficiency have become the phrase that explains the consumer trends of 'Baedal Minjok.'

Example usage

A: I just set up the '3 Shin (神) home appliances (dishwasher, dryer, robot vacuum)' at my parents' house, and it feels so refreshing.

B: I heard their joints aren't good, so that's great. Oh, by the way, how did you handle the kid’s lunchbox side dishes for tomorrow?

A: I ordered everything through OO delivery and prepared it. I also pre-ordered our drinks for the cafe we're going to.

B: This is true pyeonrimium!

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.