Catchword: kiabai

Filed Under: English-derived, Korean, South Korea

Part of Speech: n.

Quotation: To my embarrassment I have only now learned the native or in-group term for the wandering salespersons in the Seoul subway system, kiabai, even though I was staying in Korea on a long-term basis at the time when the phenomenon was common. A kiabai salesperson in the Ddanzi Ilbo article linked below explains that word is coined from the English “gear” and “buy”.

Article or Document Title:
“The kiabai, subway salespeople” (URL)

Author:
Antti Leppänen

Article, Document, Publication, Web Site:
Hunjangûi karûch’im

Date of Publication:
Mar. 11, 2005

This catchword has yet to be researched.