Every culture has its folklore – tales passed down to explain why things are the way they are. The internet has its own mythology, filled with legendary figures whose actions send ripples through the waters of time, shaping how millions communicate online today.
Welcome to "Legends of the Korean Internet," an exploration of the cultural references, rules, and historical context that shapes how native Korean speakers interact online.
Legends of the Korean Internet Vol. I
3대 유저: The Three Legendary Users of DC Inside Who Changed the Internet
#1: 씨벌교황
In the early 2000s, the Korean-speaking side of the internet was still young - and remarkably formal. In this primordial peace, three figures emerged whose influence would permanently alter the landscape of Korean digital communication. Far from the polished celebrities and carefully managed influencers of today, these users rose through chaos, conflict, and controversy.
Our first volume of stories focuses on "The Three Legendary Users" (삼대유저) - infamous names who wielded influence so immense they're considered to have transformed Korean internet culture. These characters rose to prominence through their... distinctive personalities and behavior, leaving lasting legacies that continue to shape online interactions decades later.
What makes these "Three Legendary Users" essential knowledge for Korean language learners? Well, when Korean learners first enter online spaces, they're often shocked to find that completely different rules are in effect. Formality is mocked, Korean social norms are blatantly ignored, and anonymity is the standard.
For Korean language learners, understanding these figures provides crucial context for navigating modern Korean online spaces. The informal speech, meme references, and communication patterns you encounter daily were shaped by these three influential users.
In a way, they (or at least their legends) are the founding fathers of modern Korean internet culture. As you navigate Korean online spaces, you're walking through a world these three helped create, often without realizing it. Their (probably very grubby) digital fingerprints remain on everything from how strangers address each other to how communities organize themselves.
Let's embark on a journey to uncover the stories behind Korean internet's most influential figures on our quest for true cultural fluency in the digital age.
Internet Supervillain
With Pope Francis's recent passing at the time of writing, it feels somewhat fitting to write about arguably Korea's most famous papal figure in recent memory—though one who is in no way wholesome. In fact, almost the exact opposite: this agent of chaos who self-styled as what can probably be best translated as "The Mothaf**king Pope" may have single-handedly changed how Koreans communicate online.
"그는 김유식과 함께 현재 디시의 구도를 완성해낸 인물이며, 악플러의 단계를 넘어선 신화와 같은 인터넷계의 거성이다. 또한 디시 역사에 획을 그은 최고이자 최악의 유저로 손꼽힌다."
"He, alongside Kim Yusik (founder of DCInside), helped shape the current structure of DCInside. He’s a legendary figure in the internet world, a giant who surpassed even the realm of ordinary trolls. He is often cited as both the greatest and the worst user in DCInside’s history, a figure who left an indelible mark."
Another user puts it even more starkly:
"씨-벌교황을 모르고 디시 역사를 논할 수는 없다. 그는 사실 독보적인 존재였다. 일반 유저만을 꼽는다면 싱하의 단순한 유명세도 다빈치코드의 실속과 능력도 실상 씨-벌교황의 능력에 절반에도 미치지 못한다고 보는 것이 옳다. 그는 디시 역사상 최고이자 최악의 유저였으며 독보적인 The One이었다. 그것이 부정적이든 긍정적이든."
"You cannot talk about DCInside’s history without 씨-벌교황. He was, quite simply, a singular existence. If we’re talking only about regular users, it’s fair to say that even 싱하’s fame and 다빈치코드’s skill and substance didn’t come close to half of 씨-벌교황’s capabilities. He was the greatest - and the worst - user in DCInside’s history. 'The One,' whether for better or worse."
The Transformation of Korean Online Communication
What makes 씨벌교황's story particularly significant is how dramatically he changed Korean internet culture. According to both 조중혁's analysis and the 더쿠 documentation, DC Inside was originally a remarkably civil community:
"그때 당시의 디씨는 지금과는 전혀 다르게 아햏햏과 하오체를 쓰고 존댓말을 사용하는 등 매우 순수한 싸이트였다.""Back then, DCInside was an entirely different place — a much more innocent site where people used 아햏햏 memes, spoke in 하오체, and stuck to polite speech." \
This reflected broader online culture at the time, as one 더쿠 commenter recalls:
"예전엔 최소한 상대방에 대한 존중은 있었음. PC통신 시절에도 그랬었고...""At least back then, people still showed basic respect for each other — same as the old dial-up days..."
This peaceful online environment changed completely with 씨벌교황's arrival. 조중혁 explains further:
"이런 문화가 바뀐 것은 디시인사이드와 딴지일보에서 활동했던 우리나라 최초의 악질 악플러인 '씨벌교황'의 등장 때문이다. 그는 딴지일보에 1천500페이지에 달하는 욕을 올렸고, 이후 디시인사이드에 수 천 페이지에 욕을 올렸다. 그의 글은 묘하게도 흡입력이 있었다. 다른 사용자들이 처음에는 정중하게 그를 비난하다가 나중에는 더 이상 참지 못하고 함께 욕을 하면서 싸우기 시작했다."
"This culture change (to speaking 반말 and shirking social norms) was due to the appearance of '씨벌교황', an active user of DC Inside and 딴지일보 - Korea's first 악플러. He posted 1,500 pages of profanity on 딴지일보, followed by thousands more on DC Inside. Strangely, his posts had a certain alluring quality to them. At first, other users tried to criticize him politely, but eventually, unable to hold back any longer, they ended up trading curses and fighting with him."
From 두루넷 to 딴지일보 - a Supervillain Origin Story
씨벌교황's digital reign of terror began even before DC Inside, during the early Korean internet, back when people were still using dial-up services like 하이텔 (Hi-Tel) and 두루넷 (thrunet). From the beginning, he was notorious for his aggressive behavior, which stood in stark juxtaposition to the polite speech being used by Korean speakers online, mirroring real life.
a 하이텔 단말기 (HiTEL Terminal)
When he was eventually expelled from 두루넷, he left behind what has become an infamous message that reads like a supervillain's manifesto, as documented in the DC Inside historical archives:
"이런 작은 곳에서는 나의 뜻을 펼칠수가 없다. 나는 이런 쓰레기 같은 x xx xxxx 같은 곳을 떠나 내 뜻을 좀 더 펼칠 수 있는 곳으로 가겠다. 나를 추종하는 수많은 이들과 나를 사랑하고 아끼는 수많은 사람들이여 나를 따르라. 이제는 너희들의 힘이 필요한 시기니."
"I cannot fulfill my purpose in such a small place. I will leave this f&#king sh%^hole for a place I can truly make my mark. To my countless supporters, who have loved and cherished me - follow me. The time has come to lend me your strength."
His next target was 딴지일보, at the time, a large and influential progressive online newspaper. Interestingly enough, the owner who went to battle with 씨벌교황, 김어준, recently had to go into hiding as his name was on the list of influential figures to be swept up during 윤석열's attempt at implementing martial law. Small world.
After first appearing on the 딴지일보 message boards, he eventually used his... "unique" writing - and hacking - abilities to flood the site with over 1,500 pages of unprecedented profanity. He also deleted or arbitrarily edited multiple news articles.
The attack was so severe that 딴지 actually had to shut down their site for three whole days. What happened next became one of the great mysteries of the Korean internet.
딴지일보 apparently filed charges against 씨벌교황, then suddenly withdrew them shortly after. 딴지일보 even began directly deleting posts criticizing 씨벌교황 on their message boards following the withdrawal.
This led to wild speculation about 씨벌교황's real identity and influence, ranging from 씨벌교황 holding assets worth millions of dollars, to having gang connections, to even being a Freemason. I personally like the third one.
The DC Inside Takeover
After conquering 딴지일보, 씨벌교황 set his sights on DC Inside. What made DC Inside's response different from Ddanzi's was how the community reacted, as documented in the 더쿠 user's historical analysis:
"딴지와 디씨는 씨벌교황에 맞서는 접근방법과 해결방법에서 큰 차이점이 있었다. 딴지일보 운영자 김어준과 수뇌부들이 협상과 대처방법으로 씨벌교황에게 대체적으로 끌려가는 인상이 짙었다면 디씨는 사이트 구성원들이 먼저 앞장서서 씨벌교황과 맞선 것이다."
"There was a big difference in how 딴지 and DCInside approached solutions to the problem of 씨벌교황. While 딴지일보 operator Kim Eo-jun and the leadership team appeared to be dragged along by 씨벌교황 through negotiations and countermeasures, DC Inside's community members took the initiative to stand against him."
Initially, DC Inside users tried to maintain civility:
"처음에는 매너있게 좋게 좋게 설명으로 맞서던 디씨인들은 씨벌교황의 대책없는 악플에 적극적인 욕설로 맞서기 시작했고..."
"At first, DC Inside users met his posts with polite explanations, but eventually began to actively fight back with profanity against 씨벌교황's relentless trolling..."
This confrontational approach led to a profound transformation of DC Inside's culture, leaving the veneer of wholesomeness completely shattered. As DC transformed into a more chaotic atmosphere, it was also on its way to becoming Korea's top community site—filled to the brim with 악플 and comment wars.
The most concerning aspect of 씨벌교황's influence, as 조중혁 points out in his column, is how quickly his communication style spread:
"문제는 어느 순간 다른 사람들도 흡입력 있던 씨벌교황의 글을 따라 하며 상관없는 글에도 욕과 반말을 쓰는 문화가 생기기 시작했다. 악플과 욕 문화는 자연스럽게 다른 사이트로 퍼질 수밖에 없었다."
"The problem was that at some point, other people began to imitate 씨벌교황's captivating writing style, creating a culture of using profanity and informal speech even in unrelated posts. The culture of malicious comments and profanity naturally spread to other sites."
What Made 씨벌교황’s Speech So Different
씨벌교황 wasn't just using 반말 (informal speech). He weaponized it.
His language was explosively creative: crossing boundaries of class, age, and even basic human decency. It was the kind of profanity that didn’t just offend — it annihilated the entire social expectation of how Koreans were supposed to speak to each other.
"There were cases where people, after reading 씨벌교황’s posts, threw their mouse and smashed their monitor."
He didn't just hurt feelings. He made users physically lash out at their computers. Then, just as he came, one day, he left.
Parting Message and Legacy
Before disappearing from DC Inside, 씨벌교황 left a parting message. I dug deep to try and find it — including using the Wayback Machine, but the closest I could get was oral history from an internet elder.
A user named 서진희 corroborates on 가생이닷컴 that 씨벌교황’s early 악플 barrage against a 존댓말-using DC led users to abandon formal speech in favor of 반말 and profanity.
이 씨벌교황이라는 악플러가 초기에 온갖 악플을 쓰며 존댓말 주류였던 디시에 분탕을 엄청나게 쳤는데, 나중에는 씨벌교황이 글을 쓰면 거기에 맞대응으로 반말과 욕을 해서 분탕의지를 상실케 했다는게 기본 시각입니다. 여기서 씨벌교황은 악플러에서 물러나면서 디시의 문화를 자기가 바꿔놨다는 식의 의미심장한 말을 했고, 실제로 그 시점을 기준으로 디시의 반말문화는 거의 정착된 상태였습니다.전 반말 자체를 기본적으로 긍정적으로 보는 입장이라(뭐 여기에 대해선 여러 의견차가 있겠지만), 반말이 상대를 의도적으로 비하하기 위해 반말하는 것이 아니라 좀더 친근감을 가지고 서로간에 갖고 있는 사회적 지위(직업,나이)등을 없애고 평등하게 한 명의 인터넷 이용자로서 대하자는 의미도 있음을 알아두셨음 합니다."
"This 악플러 (씨벌교황) flooded 디시, which at the time was dominated by 존댓말, with all kinds of malicious comments. Over time, users started responding to 씨벌교황’s posts not with polite speech, but with 반말 and profanity. This weakened his disruptive efforts.The mainstream view is that when 씨벌교황 eventually withdrew, he left behind a significant statement claiming he had changed 디시’s culture — and indeed, by that point, 반말 culture had essentially taken root across the site.Personally, I tend to view 반말 in a positive light (though of course opinions differ). I don’t see 반말 as something necessarily intended to belittle others, but rather as a way of building familiarity — a way to eliminate social hierarchies like age and job status, and to interact as equals, simply as fellow internet users."
So... Who Was He?
Despite his enormous influence, 씨벌교황's true identity remains unknown, adding to his mythical status in Korean internet lore, as 조중혁 puts it:
"그는 큰 악행을 행했지만 그의 정체는 소문만 무성할 뿐 끝내 알려지지 않았다."
("He committed great wrongs, but his true identity remained nothing more than rumor and was never revealed.")
In true internet legend fashion, 씨벌교황 vanished into the chaos he helped create.
The further you dig, the stranger it gets. According to archived reports and forum posts (see 오늘의유머 archive), 씨벌교황 ran a site called aeonblast.com, where he presented himself as a wealthy businessman, a U.S. military officer, and even a member of the Korean branch of the Freemasons.
Korean Freemasons 박영효, 서광범, 서재필, and 김옥균, who participated in the 갑신 coup
Internet sleuths soon uncovered glaring contradictions. Users on 오늘의유머 matched the “staff profiles” from 씨벌교황’s supposed "청년대박회" (Youth Jackpot Association) to employees of 딴지관광청, an affiliate of 딴지일보. This discovery led to a popular conspiracy theory that 씨벌교황 was actually not one person, but a manufactured character created as part of 딴지일보's early viral marketing efforts.
If this was all true, 씨벌교황 wasn't just an 악플러 — he was Korea's first viral character, blending satire, trolling, conspiracy, and viral marketing into one.
Social Context
While 씨벌교황 may have lit the initial flame, 조중혁 argues in his column that the widespread nature of internet conflict in Korea stems from deeper social issues—particularly the contradiction between democratic ideals of equality and the reality of capitalist inequality:
"씨벌교황이 불을 붙이긴 했지만 지금처럼 싸움이 늘어난 건 사회 변화 때문으로 봐야 할 것이다. 우리나라를 포함한 대부분의 선진국가들은 사회정치체제는 민주주의, 경제는자본주의를 기반으로 하고 있다. 하지만, 민주주의와 자본주의는 양립하기 힘든 매우 모순되는 이념이다."
"While 씨벌교황 was the spark that lit the flame, the widespread increase in conflicts should be viewed as a result of social changes. Most advanced countries, including Korea, have democratic socio-political systems based around capitalist economies. That being said, democracy and capitalism are often highly contradictory ideologies that are difficult to reconcile."
Didn't think this would end up being about democracy and capitalism, did you? 조중형's analysis provides crucial context for understanding 씨벌교황's legacy: he didn't just change how Koreans communicate online—he tapped into existing social tensions that were seeking an outlet. The internet, with its promise of anonymity and equal access, became the perfect venue for expressing frustrations with social inequality, with 씨벌교황 providing the template for how that expression would take form.
Cultural Impact for Korean Learners
For students of Korean language and culture, understanding 씨벌교황's influence provides essential context for navigating modern Korean online spaces:
Informal Speech Dominance: When you see Koreans using informal speech (반말/banmal) in online forums even with strangers, you're witnessing 씨벌교황's direct legacy. Before his "era", 존댓말 was the standard, even online.
Internet Vocabulary: Terms like "악플" gained more prominence following his influence, by putting a face to the name. Understanding their origin helps learners grasp the nuances of Korean internet language.
Closing Reflection
씨벌교황 was not just a troll. He was the spark that set the digital jungles of Korea ablaze.
He forced Korean netizens to grapple with anonymity, rage, equality, and chaos — all packed into short, brutal bursts of language.
So next time you're met with 반말 from a stranger online, or you feel the sharp edge of unexpected 악플, know that you're seeing 씨벌교황’s grubby little fingerprints — still smudged across the history of Korean digital culture.
