What Does Gaeddal Mean?

These days, I often browse news articles on my smartphone during my commute on the subway. Now that I am out in the working world, I find myself getting more interested in politics as well. So I occasionally look up articles, and yesterday I came across the term "gaeddal" in an article, which left me wondering why such an expression was being used.

1. Key Points

I used to know only one meaning of the word gaeddal, and when I tried reading the article with that meaning in mind, it did not fit the context at all, which left me quite puzzled. Those of you who watched the Reply drama series like I did will know it, but for those who have not seen it, I would like to share the origin of the word gaeddal and introduce you to another meaning that has been appearing quite frequently in newspapers and news reports lately. There is no political bias here, so please take it lightly as an interesting social phenomenon, and think of it as a chance to learn two meanings of gaeddal you may not have known. It will also help you better understand political news articles, so knowing this will definitely be useful.

2. Detailed Explanation

The term gaeddal comes from the TVN drama Reply 1997, which aired in 2012. It is a compound word combining "gae" (dog/puppy) and "ddal" (daughter). Hearing it like this might sound negative, but once you understand what it truly means, you will see it is quite different from how it appears on the surface. In Reply 1997, the word gaeddal was used by actor Sung Dong-il, who played the father, referring to Jung Eun-ji, who played his daughter. The expression conveys a parent's love for their child, similar to calling someone a precious little puppy that you would not want to hurt even if you put them in your eye. The "gae" in gaeddal should be understood as meaning "puppy," which helps you grasp the term much better. I also recall my grandmother calling me "ddong gangaji" (little poop puppy) when I was young, and it was used in exactly the same warm, affectionate context.

3. How It Is Used

Jung Eun-ji's character in the drama is unpredictable and free-spirited, with a tomboyish charm, which makes the puppy comparison very fitting. Combining that with "daughter" gave birth to the affectionate nickname gaeddal. It is a compact term that blends a father's love and concern for his daughter, and it is a uniquely expressive word coined by father character Sung Dong-il out of love for daughter character Jung Eun-ji. The expression gained popularity even during the drama's broadcast. Unlike its surface-level appearance, the implied meaning is positive and endearing, and in fact, my own father once called me gaeddal as well. Sung Dong-il played the father role consistently throughout the drama series, pairing with three different on-screen daughters, and his acting felt so genuinely fatherly that it greatly increased viewers immersion and enjoyment. I personally have fond memories of watching this drama.

4. Additional Information

Along with Jung Eun-ji, Go Ara and Hyeri also appeared as gaeddal characters and showed great chemistry with him. Even eight years later, in 2020, they appeared together on a variety program and mentioned that they still keep in touch and maintain a good relationship. The heartfelt and beautiful father-daughter bond resonated deeply with viewers, and the fact that they remained genuinely close in real life shows just how sincerely they approached their roles. This is the origin of the word gaeddal, but recently it has also taken on a new meaning and has been appearing in political news articles. This new meaning is completely different from the original: it refers to young women in their 20s and 30s who support Lee Jae-myung. So when you see a headline saying Lee Jae-myung gaeddal support continues, you can interpret it as young female supporters in their 20s and 30s continuing to rally behind him.

5. In-Depth Content

As Lee Jae-myung supporters began to be called gaeddal, the young female supporters in their 20s and 30s embraced the term with good humor and even started calling Lee Jae-myung gaeddaddy or Jae-myung daddy in return. It is also quite interesting to note that the term gaeddal became popular within the Lee Jae-myung fan cafe called Jae-myung Village. Additionally, the word gaeddal also carries the meaning of daughter of reform. According to media reports, one of the reasons the gaeddal supporters backed Lee Jae-myung was his women policy platform. Lee Jae-myung has frequently spoken about a gender-equal society and campaigned on the topic, reportedly stating directly that he would not say the strange things others say about there being no structural gender discrimination. As a result, he gained even more female supporters by targeting women issues, which helped boost his approval ratings.

6. Notes

He pledged to build a society where women feel safe and where both genders are equal, which attracted even more female supporters. Even after losing the presidential election, women continued to rally and support him, suggesting that these daughters of reform will keep up their backing going forward. Today I shared how the word gaeddal originally came about and what meaning it carries in current political news. I had also been puzzled when I came across gaeddal in a political article, wondering why it was there, but now that I have looked into it properly, I feel much clearer. I also feel confident that when gaeddal appears in political articles from now on, I will be able to interpret and understand it accurately, and it has made me want to keep looking up political terms like this more often.