썰

• ssul (sseol)

Nativisation of the Sino-Korean term 설 (說, seol, “theory; rumour”).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [s͈ʌ̹ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [썰]

썰 • (sseol)

1. (colloquial) a story, episode, or anecdote, especially one told in a non-serious or humorous manner

   Synonyms: 이야기 (iyagi, “story”), (in general) 일화(逸話) (ilhwa, “anecdote”)

   썰을 풀다

   sseor-eul pulda

   to tell [one's] story

   썰을 듣다

   sseor-eul deutda

   to listen to [someone's] story

   • 2020 December 26, “지식 예능의 예견된 패착 ‘벌거벗은 세계사’ [jisik yeneung'ui yegyeondoen paechak ‘beolgeobeoseun segyesa’, The detriment of "info-entertainment"]”, in The Hankyoreh‎:

     이제 더 이상 이 사람이 해당 분야에 대한 조예가 얼마나 깊은지가 중요한 게 아니라, 각기 다른 분야의 지식들을 꿰어서 얼마나 흡인력 있게 ‘썰’을 풀어내느냐가 관건이 됐다.

     Ije deo isang i saram-i haedang bunya-e daehan joye-ga eolmana gip-eunji-ga jung'yo-han ge ani-ra, gakgi dareun bunya-ui jisik-deur-eul kkwe-eoseo eolmana heubillyeok itge ‘sseol’-eul pureonae-neunya-ga gwan'geon-i dwaetda.

     As it stands, it is no longer important how well-versed one is in a particular subject. Rather, it has become more important how well one can convey and present information from across different fields in this easy-to-understand “story” format [while not necessarily having the required expertise on the subject].

2. (colloquial, less common) rumour

   Synonyms: 소문(所聞) (somun), 루머 (rumeo)

   • 2020 April 22, “김정은 이상설 속 北(북)매체 침묵…2인자 김여정에 쏠린 눈”, in Edaily‎:

     건강상태가 그리 좋아 보이지 않는다는 것은 맞지만 […] 위독설은 ‘썰’일 가능성 높다고 분석했다.

     Geon'gangsangtae-ga geuri joa boi-ji an-neundaneun geos-eun mat-jiman [ … ] widokseor-eun ‘sseol’-il ganeungseong nop-da-go bunseok-haetda.

     [He] analyzed that while it is true that his [Kim Jong-un] health is not in good shape […] , any theory that claims he [Kim Jong-un] is in critical condition is probably a [false] rumour.

• 사연(事緣) (sayeon)