In Korea, 'riding' doesn't mean riding

In this undated photo, roads around the private academy district in Daechi-dong in southern Seoul are packed with cars. Korea Times File

This week, the New York Times chronicled the relentless grind of South Korea’s private education industry. What it did not explore is the small, borrowed English word that quietly powers much of that world and occasionally irritates English speakers.

In standard English, “riding” usually involves bicycles, horses or amusement park attractions. In Korea, it means something far more mundane: Parents use the word to describe shuttling children from one hagwon, or private cram schools, to another, often late into the evening.

The expression may be linguistically incorrect, but it has quietly joined the long list of "Konglish" — English words that take on new meanings and become everyday Korean vocabulary.

In everyday English, what Korean parents call “riding” would usually be phrased as “giving someone a ride,” “picking up” or “dropping off” a child. Using “riding” by itself to mean driving someone is uncommon, which is why the Korean version often puzzles native English speakers.

The word has become part of the daily dictionary of mothers with school-aged children in recent years, helped along by celebrity parents who talk about “riding” as just another part of life.

Actresses Han Ga-in and Lee Min-jung have used the term repeatedly in YouTube videos about their own parenting routines. Han in particular has become known as a hands-on “Daechi mom,” stirring debate after detailing a day that can stretch to 14 hours of “riding.”

The term went fully mainstream last year when a television drama titled “Riding Life,” released in English as “Mother and Mom,” followed mothers trying to stay afloat in the fiercely competitive education world of Daechi-dong.

As the word has spread, so has the chatter around it.

On parenting forums, community boards and social media, especially spaces frequented by Korean mothers in the United States, “riding” regularly sparks long threads that veer between teasing, irritation and a collective shrug.

Some users argue that the word simply makes sense. “Everyone knows what it means,” one parent wrote. “When I say I’m riding, people immediately understand I’m in the car with my kid going somewhere.”

Others say the convenience outweighs any concern about correct English. “It’s faster than saying pick up and drop off every time,” another commenter posted. “We’re not native English speakers. We don’t need perfect grammar.”

But not everyone agrees. Some parents say the word feels awkward, especially for those living in English-speaking countries. “We’re in the U.S. Why are we using ‘riding’ when it doesn’t mean that in English?” one user asked. “It sounds strange when you say it out loud.”

Others were unfazed. “Konglish is already full of words like this,” someone replied. “We’ve been using them for decades. If it works, it works.”