The subscription economy has become a significant part of modern commerce globally, and Korea is no exception. This guide introduces the essential Korean term for “subscription economy” and related vocabulary and phrases, enabling you to discuss and navigate various subscription services in Korean contexts.
Table Of Content
Core Term
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Expression: 구독경제
Pronunciation: gu-dok-gyeong-je
Meaning: Subscription Economy (Literally: subscription + economy)
Basic Vocabulary
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Expression: 구독
Pronunciation: gu-dok
Meaning: Subscription -
Expression: 구독자
Pronunciation: gu-dok-ja
Meaning: Subscriber -
Expression: 구독 서비스
Pronunciation: gu-dok seo-bi-seu
Meaning: Subscription service -
Expression: 월 구독료
Pronunciation: wol gu-dok-ryo
Meaning: Monthly subscription fee -
Expression: 연 구독료
Pronunciation: yeon gu-dok-ryo
Meaning: Annual subscription fee -
Expression: 정기 구독
Pronunciation: jeong-gi gu-dok
Meaning: Regular subscription -
Expression: 구독 신청
Pronunciation: gu-dok sin-cheong
Meaning: Subscription application/sign-up -
Expression: 구독 해지
Pronunciation: gu-dok hae-ji
Meaning: Subscription cancellation -
Expression: 무료 체험
Pronunciation: mu-ryo che-heom
Meaning: Free trial -
Expression: 자동 결제
Pronunciation: ja-dong gyeol-je
Meaning: Automatic payment -
Expression: 콘텐츠
Pronunciation: kon-ten-cheu
Meaning: Content -
Expression: 플랫폼
Pronunciation: peul-laet-pom
Meaning: Platform
Useful Phrases for Subscription Services
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Expression: 이 서비스 구독하고 싶어요.
Pronunciation: i seo-bi-seu gu-dok-ha-go si-peo-yo.
Meaning: I want to subscribe to this service. -
Expression: 구독 신청은 어떻게 하나요?
Pronunciation: gu-dok sin-cheong-eun eo-tteo-ke ha-na-yo?
Meaning: How do I sign up for a subscription? -
Expression: 월 구독료는 얼마인가요?
Pronunciation: wol gu-dok-ryo-neun eol-ma-in-ga-yo?
Meaning: How much is the monthly subscription fee? -
Expression: 무료 체험 기간이 있나요?
Pronunciation: mu-ryo che-heom gi-gan-i it-na-yo?
Meaning: Is there a free trial period? -
Expression: 구독을 해지하고 싶습니다.
Pronunciation: gu-dok-eul hae-ji-ha-go sip-seum-ni-da.
Meaning: I would like to cancel my subscription. -
Expression: 자동 결제를 취소해 주세요.
Pronunciation: ja-dong gyeol-je-reul chwi-so-hae ju-se-yo.
Meaning: Please cancel the automatic payment. -
Expression: 어떤 구독 플랜이 있나요?
Pronunciation: eo-tteon gu-dok peul-laen-i it-na-yo?
Meaning: What kind of subscription plans are there? -
Expression: 이 구독 서비스는 정말 편리해요.
Pronunciation: i gu-dok seo-bi-seu-neun jeong-mal pyeol-li-hae-yo.
Meaning: This subscription service is really convenient. -
Expression: 구독 혜택이 무엇인가요?
Pronunciation: gu-dok hye-taeg-i mu-eot-in-ga-yo?
Meaning: What are the subscription benefits? -
Expression: 다음 달부터 구독료가 인상됩니다.
Pronunciation: da-eum dal-bu-teo gu-dok-ryo-ga in-sang-doem-ni-da.
Meaning: The subscription fee will increase starting next month. -
Expression: 구독 기간이 언제까지인가요?
Pronunciation: gu-dok gi-gan-i eon-je-kka-ji-in-ga-yo?
Meaning: Until when is my subscription period? -
Expression: 다른 서비스로 변경할 수 있나요?
Pronunciation: da-reun seo-bi-seu-ro byeon-gyeong-hal su it-na-yo?
Meaning: Can I change to a different service/plan?
Discussing the Subscription Economy
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Expression: 요즘 구독경제가 대세인 것 같아요.
Pronunciation: yo-jeum gu-dok-gyeong-je-ga dae-se-in geot ga-ta-yo.
Meaning: It seems like the subscription economy is the trend these days. -
Expression: 구독 서비스의 장점은 편리함이죠.
Pronunciation: gu-dok seo-bi-seu-ui jang-jeom-eun pyeol-li-ham-i-jyo.
Meaning: The advantage of subscription services is convenience. -
Expression: 너무 많은 구독 서비스 때문에 비용이 부담돼요.
Pronunciation: neo-mu ma-neun gu-dok seo-bi-seu ttae-mu-ne bi-yong-i bu-dam-dwae-yo.
Meaning: The cost is burdensome because of too many subscription services. -
Expression: 구독경제는 소비 습관을 바꾸고 있어요.
Pronunciation: gu-dok-gyeong-je-neun so-bi seup-gwan-eul ba-kku-go i-sseo-yo.
Meaning: The subscription economy is changing consumption habits. -
Expression: 어떤 종류의 구독 서비스를 이용하세요?
Pronunciation: eo-tteon jong-ryu-ui gu-dok seo-bi-seu-reul i-yong-ha-se-yo?
Meaning: What kinds of subscription services do you use? -
Expression: 저는 음악 스트리밍 서비스를 구독하고 있어요.
Pronunciation: jeo-neun eu-mak seu-teu-ri-ming seo-bi-seu-reul gu-dok-ha-go i-sseo-yo.
Meaning: I subscribe to a music streaming service. -
Expression: 구독 해지가 너무 어려운 서비스도 있어요.
Pronunciation: gu-dok hae-ji-ga neo-mu eo-ryeo-un seo-bi-seu-do i-sseo-yo.
Meaning: There are also services where subscription cancellation is too difficult. -
Expression: 구독경제의 미래는 어떻게 될까요?
Pronunciation: gu-dok-gyeong-je-ui mi-rae-neun eo-tteo-ke doel-kka-yo?
Meaning: What will the future of the subscription economy be like? -
Expression: 기업들은 안정적인 수익을 위해 구독 모델을 선호해요.
Pronunciation: gi-eop-deul-eun an-jeong-jeog-in su-ig-eul wi-hae gu-dok mo-del-eul seon-ho-hae-yo.
Meaning: Companies prefer the subscription model for stable revenue. -
Expression: 개인 맞춤형 구독 서비스가 늘어나고 있어요.
Pronunciation: gae-in mat-chum-hyeong gu-dok seo-bi-seu-ga neul-eo-na-go i-sseo-yo.
Meaning: Personalized subscription services are increasing. -
Expression: 구독 피로감을 느끼는 사람들도 많아요.
Pronunciation: gu-dok pi-ro-gam-eul neu-kki-neun sa-ram-deul-do ma-na-yo.
Meaning: Many people also feel subscription fatigue. -
Expression: 소유보다 경험을 중시하는 트렌드가 구독경제를 키웠어요.
Pronunciation: so-yu-bo-da gyeong-heom-eul jung-si-ha-neun teu-ren-deu-ga gu-dok-gyeong-je-reul ki-wo-sseo-yo.
Meaning: The trend of valuing experiences over ownership has grown the subscription economy.
Korean Culture Notes
Wide Variety of Subscriptions: Korea has a highly developed subscription market. Beyond typical services like streaming (Netflix, Wavve, Tving, Watcha) and music (Melon, Genie), subscriptions exist for coffee beans, traditional liquors, side dishes (banchan), flowers, books, webtoons, vitamins, and even car maintenance.
Mobile-Centric Services: Most subscription services in Korea are heavily optimized for mobile use. Signing up, managing accounts, and canceling are often done easily through smartphone apps. Automatic payments linked to mobile carriers or popular payment apps like KakaoPay are common.
“Jeonggi-gudok” (정기구독): The concept of regular subscription (정기구독 – jeong-gi-gu-dok) is well-established, historically associated with newspapers and magazines. This term is now widely applied to newer digital and physical product subscriptions.
Subscription Fatigue Awareness: While popular, there’s growing awareness and discussion about “subscription fatigue” (구독 피로감 – gu-dok pi-ro-gam) in Korea, as consumers manage multiple monthly payments. This leads to more careful selection and occasional “subscription detoxes.”
Importance of Free Trials and Benefits: Korean consumers often look for attractive free trial periods (무료 체험 – mu-ryo che-heom) and clear subscriber benefits (구독 혜택 – gu-dok hye-taek) before committing to a paid subscription.
Real Conversation Example
Situation: Two friends, Minjun (A) and Sora (B), are talking about their monthly expenses and subscription services.
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Expression: A: 요즘 월 고정 지출이 너무 많은 것 같아. 구독 서비스 때문인가?
Pronunciation: A: yo-jeum wol go-jeong ji-chul-i neo-mu ma-neun geot ga-ta. gu-dok seo-bi-seu ttae-mun-in-ga?
Meaning: A: I feel like my fixed monthly expenses are too high lately. Is it because of subscription services? -
Expression: B: 나도 그래. 넷플릭스, 멜론, 쿠팡 와우… 생각보다 구독하는 게 많더라고. 이게 바로 구독경제의 함정인가 봐.
Pronunciation: B: na-do geu-rae. net-peul-lik-seu, mel-lon, ku-pang wa-u… saeng-gak-bo-da gu-dok-ha-neun ge man-teo-ra-go. i-ge ba-ro gu-dok-gyeong-je-ui ham-jeong-in-ga bwa.
Meaning: B: Me too. Netflix, Melon, Coupang Wow… I realized I subscribe to more things than I thought. I guess this is the trap of the subscription economy. -
Expression: A: 맞아. 편리하긴 한데, 안 쓰는 서비스도 자동 결제되고 있을까 봐 걱정이야. 한번 정리해야겠어.
Pronunciation: A: ma-ja. pyeol-li-ha-gin han-de, an sseu-neun seo-bi-seu-do ja-dong gyeol-je-doe-go i-sseul-kka bwa geok-jeong-i-ya. han-beon jeong-ri-hae-ya-ge-sseo.
Meaning: A: Right. It’s convenient, but I worry that services I don’t even use might be getting automatically charged. I need to sort them out. -
Expression: B: 응, 나도 구독 해지할 거 몇 개 찾아봐야겠다. 혹시 새로 나온 OTT 서비스 구독해 봤어? 무료 체험 기간이래.
Pronunciation: B: eung, na-do gu-dok hae-ji-hal geo myeot gae cha-ja-bwa-ya-get-da. hok-si sae-ro na-on O-T-T seo-bi-seu gu-dok-hae bwa-sseo? mu-ryo che-heom gi-gan-i-rae.
Meaning: B: Yeah, I should look for a few to cancel too. By the way, have you tried subscribing to that new OTT service? They say it’s a free trial period. -
Expression: A: 아니, 아직. 무료 체험 끝나고 자동 결제될까 봐 망설여져.
Pronunciation: A: a-ni, a-jik. mu-ryo che-heom kkeun-na-go ja-dong gyeol-je-doel-kka bwa mang-seol-yeo-jyeo.
Meaning: A: No, not yet. I’m hesitant because I’m worried it will automatically charge after the free trial ends. -
Expression: B: 하하, 그럴 수 있지. 구독경제 시대에는 현명한 소비가 중요한 것 같아!
Pronunciation: B: ha-ha, geu-reol su it-ji. gu-dok-gyeong-je si-dae-e-neun hyeon-myeong-han so-bi-ga jung-yo-han geot ga-ta!
Meaning: B: Haha, that’s possible. It seems wise consumption is important in the age of the subscription economy!
Practice Tips
Understanding the term 구독경제 (gu-dok-gyeong-je) and related phrases is key to discussing modern consumer trends in Korea! Try identifying subscription services you use and practice saying their names in Korean along with phrases like “구독하고 있어요” (gu-dok-ha-go i-sseo-yo – I’m subscribing) or “해지하고 싶어요” (hae-ji-ha-go si-peo-yo – I want to cancel)~
Listen for these terms in Korean dramas, news reports, or conversations about lifestyle and spending. Discussing the pros and cons with Korean friends or language partners using the phrases learned here will greatly improve your fluency on this relevant topic. 화이팅! (hwa-i-ting! – Fighting!/You can do it!)
