“Everyone out to the Han River!”다들 한강으로 나와

The meme started as a four-line rallying cry posted on X (Twitter) on September 7: 이럴 때가 아니야 / 다들 공원으로 나와 / 이 날씨가 얼마나 갈 것 같아 / 한두 달만 지나면 빙하기 찾아와 — “This is no time to sit around / Everyone, get out to the park / How long do you think this weather will last? / In a month or two, the ice age is coming.”

People swap 공원 (park) for other places, and 한강 (the Han River, lined with Seoul’s riverside parks) is the most popular choice. Others use picnics, festivals or 야장 (drinking at outdoor tables).

It caught on fast after Seoul turned suddenly cold in early September and people realized fall might be short. According to Trend A Word, one Instagram Reel using the meme passed 1 million views, and 빙하기 찾아와 (“the ice age is coming”) appeared on Naver as a related search tagged “trending now.”

이럴 때가 아니야, 다들 한강으로 나와! Ireol ttaega aniya, dadeul Hangang-euro nawa! “No time to waste — everyone, out to the Han River!” (casual)

한두 달만 지나면 빙하기 찾아와. Handu dalman jinamyeon binghagi chajawa. “In a month or two, the ice age is coming.” (casual)

이번 주말에 한강으로 나들이 가요. Ibeon jumare Hangang-euro nadeuri gayo. “Let’s go on an outing to the Han River this weekend.” (polite)

나와 is a casual command (“come out”), fine for friends and group chats. With people you aren’t close to, try 한강에 같이 가요 or 나오세요 instead. Similar words: 나들이 (nadeuri), which the Basic Korean Dictionary defines as “the act of visiting briefly a place not far from home,” and the sister meme “○○을 떨어도 밖에서 떨 날씨” — even if you’re going to shiver, it’s weather for shivering outside.