고둑한: The Lonely Chat
In Korean, the word 고독한 means lonely, but that is far from the truth in these chats. A 고독한 chat is a themed chat where people can send their favorite images and videos that surround that topic. These are commonly found on the KakaoTalk platform as open chats surrounding everything from cats to favorite celebrities. For many Korean idol fans, this is the easiest place to cultivate photos of your favorite members.
How do 고독한 chats work?
There are a few rules that surround 고독한 rooms. The first rule is anonymity is key; in most rooms members are all using anonymous accounts. These are common when joining an opening chat on Kakao. Another rule is to stay on topic—the theme of the room is the one you should stick with. The last rule is that there is no chatting whatsoever—you cannot send text, emojis, or emoticons. You can only send images, videos, or gifs. If the need arises for a conversation, you must type it into the message bar and then send a screenshot. However, it is encouraged to only used photos that have to do with the theme of the room to have a conversation. For example, if the room is TWICE themed, you can only speak with TWICE images, gifs and photos. Another way to think about it is that you can only talk using memes.
These rooms often have hundreds or even thousands of people, and are monitored by a small group who will ensure the rules are upheld.
How to Join 고독한 Chats
Joining chats can be a bit tricky. First of all, you will find these chatrooms on Kakao Open Chat. They are often password protected to ensure that the people joining are fans of the particular theme. For example, 고독한 Idol chat rooms often have debut dates or first wins as the password. Other things could be song titles and even fandom nicknames. The passwords are usually 6-10 characters long, and hints are included in the hashtags of the chatroom. Something to keep in mind is that there will be little or no English used, so keep your favorite translator handy and you will be able to navigate things quickly.
Example of the password hint in the hashtags
When Idols Break The Rules
Due to the anonymity the rooms bring, they often play host to a celebrity from time to time. You never know who is there. BTS, SHINee, and most recently Stray Kids members have entered their own chat rooms. People never believe that they are who they say they are, causing true chaos to unfold. A common thing that happens is that they get kicked out of their own rooms by chat admins for breaking the rules.
SHINee’s Taemin
Taemin’s journey into the 고둑한 rooms is one that is well known, as he was kicked out before he was able to reveal his identity. Once he reentered the room he shared this photo.
Actually I am Taemin please let me back in (The words in the green picture)
Fans preceded to troll him with memes of his own face because they didn’t believe it was really him.
He then shared some previously unreleased photos including baby Taemin.
The last thing he did was send a goodbye message promising to eventually open an Instagram account. He joined the chat early 2018 and did eventually make good on his promise; his Instagram opened on July 18th.
BTS’s V
Early 2019, Taehyung joined his own themed 고독한 chat, he even commented on how hard it was to get into the chat, saying “I barely got in.”
Stray Kids Woojin
Most recently, former Stray Kids member Kim Woojin made an appearance in his own chat, leaving a long letter, a new selfie and briefly chatting before disappearing once again.
Final Thoughts
If you manage to crack the passwords and enter the chat rooms, you may have the rare opportunity to encounter your favorite idol in the wild. However, these group chats are used to share your favorite images and gifs anonymously and not to hunt idols down. Instead, simply join to enjoy having the personally curated collection of your favorites’ images and gifs.