Friend Demands $73K, Calls $7.3K 'Paltry,' Gets Instantly Blocked by Korean Netizen
This post went viral in Korea because of the sheer audacity of the friend's request and their ungrateful reaction to a generous offer. It taps into a relatable frustration of dealing with entitled individuals and the difficult decisions people face when money strains friendships.
In Korea, lending large sums of money, even to close friends or family, is generally frowned upon due to the high risk of damaging relationships. The comments reflect a strong societal consensus that financial matters should be handled with banks, not personal connections, to avoid such dramatic fallouts.
A shocking tale of friendship and financial audacity has gone viral on Korean online communities, leaving netizens collectively stunned. The original poster (OP) shared a story about a high school friend, whom they met a few times a year, who recently reached out in distress. The friend's business was failing, making it impossible to secure a new loan due to existing debt, and they claimed to be so broke they couldn't even afford groceries.
The friend then dropped a bombshell: they asked the OP for 100 million KRW (approximately $73,000 USD) for business operating costs. The OP, not having that kind of cash readily available, offered a generous 10 million KRW (about $7,300 USD) to cover the friend's immediate living expenses for a few months, suggesting they explore other loan options. Instead of gratitude, the friend exploded in anger.
โThatโs why you have no friends!โ the friend reportedly fumed. โIf youโre going to give, give generously, and youโll at least get thanks. But if you just โkkajjak-kkajjakโ (a Korean onomatopoeia for giving something in small, insincere dribs and drabs) like that, youโll get cursed even after giving!โ Stunned by the outrageous response, the OP simply said, โOkay, Iโm sorry,โ grabbed their *a-a* (iced Americano) to go, and immediately blocked the friend the moment they got into their car. The OP reflected on the incident, lamenting that they thought their friend wasn't 'that kind of person' and musing that perhaps one truly lives alone in this world.
Korean Netizen Reactions
10This sounds like a story from another planet. Is 100 million KRW just pocket change? Even 10 million is hard to come by!
How did they even think of asking for 100 million KRW from a friend? Did they seriously think you just have that kind of cash lying around? Seriously, a different world.
They're insane. Good riddance! (์์ - 'cutting ties')
100 million KRW? Is that friend really complaining about not having 'just' 100 million KRW?
Did they think you were their personal bank? You did well.
Even 10 million KRW isn't easy money... You did well. Is there even a guarantee that 100 million KRW would fix anything?
???????????????????? I thought I misread that;;; Giving 10 million KRW on the spot just from a friend's word is 'paltry'....???? And if you give generously, you'll at least get thanks? So 10 million Kโฆ
OMG, I seriously thought I misread it too. You borrow money from the bank. Never lend money, not even to family.
As you get older, you pretty much cut ties with everyone around you. Life is ultimately lived alone.
100% they'll call back wanting that 10 million KRW, so it's a good thing you blocked them.