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"OK everybody, I have to get to Star Wars."

President Barach Obama ended his White House press briefing with such statement on December 18 last year, ahead of a special screening of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' hinting that he was so-called Star Wars 'dukhoo' (It comes from Japanese word 'otaku', which refers to people with obsessive interests.) 

Not only President Obama, even Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was ready for Star Wars 'dukhoo.' Mark Zuckerberg dressed up his daughter as a Jedi to mark 'Star Wars'.

Elon Musk, billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, is known as a game 'dukhoo'. In an interview with news sharing site Reddit early last year, he revealed that he was a big fan of Bioshock, Fallout, Warcraft, and Civilization. 

There are many dukhoos that took their own path and ended up with success. For example, writer J.R.R. Tolkien was a dukhoo of history and myths and became famous for writing 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings.' Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno was originally an animation dukhoo. Quentin Tarantino, who was a B-movie dukhoo, created A-movies that go beyond B-movies. Military dukhoo Tom Clancy became a successful military fiction writer.

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[Intro.  What is 'dukhoo'?]

The term "dukhoo" originated from Japanese, 'otaku (オタク)' and is widely being used nowadays for meaning someone who is obsessed with something or someone, or specialized in something or someone in a good way.

Dukhoos are those who get delighted collecting cups that others think it is waste of time doing it so, and those who are obsessed with a particular scene of movie, and stay up all night to collect a perfect figure collection. They are also very fast at buying tickets.

What's interesting is that these days, many celebrities come out as a 'dukhoo' or do so-called 'duk-ming out'. Why did they show up all of a sudden?

Let's hear what dukhoos around us say.

Well. Ilco is over now. Please stand up and check your goods for duk-ming out. [The term "ilco", the shortened form of 'ilbanin cosplay' (ordinary person costume play), describes an otaku that is afraid of the eyes of society and instead opts to act like an ordinary person and not an otaku.] 

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*Dukho dictionary*

Dukhoo: Otaku, buff, someone who is overly obsessed with someone.
Dukjil: The overall activity that dukhoo does for something or someone obsessed with. For instance, if you are a movie dukhoo, watching movies can be described as doing 'dukjil'.
Muggle: The word comes from English novel 'Harry Potter'. It refers to a person who is now aware of culture of dukhoo.
Duk crash: The motive for becoming a dukhoo. It is a combination of 'dukhoo' and 'car crash'.
Ilco: It is the shortened form of 'ilbanin cosplay' (ordinary person costume play). It describes an otaku that is afraid of the eyes of society and instead opts to act like an ordinary person and not an otaku.
Hyooduk: Taking a break from doing duk-jil.
Talduk: Withdrawing from being a dukhoo.
Pae-in: The dictionary defines it as a person who spoils its body by being lazy and inefficient. The recent concept of a 'pae-in' is a person who spends its time on the internet for 24 hours a day, expressing their interest on the net.  

Here are some of confessions made by dukhoos.

△ The day I became a dukhoo…

Play & musical dukhoos have to buy more things than you expect. The missed ones will never come back to you.

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C, play & musical dukhoo in the IT industry - I've been in love with plays and musicals since the day I watched musical Jekyll and Hyde in 2011. I paid a whopping $110 for a ticket, it was worth it because I was so impressed with the musical. My heart gave a flutter after so long. Immediately after the musical, I joined a fan café of actor Hong Kwang-ho, who played Jekyll in the musical, as well as the official café of Jekyll and Hyde. After two weeks, I watched the musical again and again. Since then, I've been doing musical dukjil.

A, comics dukhoo in the clothing industry - I've been a dukhoo since the 8th grade. When I bought a set of comic books for the first time with money I earned from working for a couple of months, I realized that I became a comic book dukhoo. The comic book set that I bought for the first time was a complete set of 23 books - Hoshin Engi by Ryu Fujisaki!

B, INFINITE dukhoo and university student - I believe I was born with dukhoo DNA. When I was in elementary school, I liked Sechs Kies so much that I used to buy their photos in the stationery stores. When I was in the middle school and high school, I was always a fan of one of the hottest idols at that time. I realized that I was a dukhoo when I found out that I spend most of my time watching my favorite idols and that I feel very happy by doing it. I don't do 'ilco' so people around me think of me as dukhoo. That's when I realize I am a dukhoo. 

"My favorite idol group is holding a concert in Japan? Oh, I have no choice but to follow them.

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D, Super Junior dukhoo in the education industry - I became a complete dukhoo in 2006. When I watched Eunhyuk on TV for the first time, I thought he was cute. Then I started to watch all of Super Junior's performances on TV. When Super Junior made their comeback, I bought their CD. I cried together with them when they won #1 on a music show for the first time. While crying, I realized that I became a complete dukhoo. Since then, I've been Eunhyuk dukhoo for 8 years.

E, comics & indie band dukhoo in the visual design industry - When I got together with my friends and started to criticize dukhoos, I realized it. I was laughing but I was feeling guilty. My aunt was an animator, so I had hundreds of comic books in my house since I was little. I don't remember when I became a dukhoo. It's like I received early education.

F game pae-in in the gaming industry - Since I was in the elementary school I've been going to game rooms. My mom scolded me a lot because I skipped cram school classes a lot of times and used to go to game rooms instead. Starting with Street Fighter, I mastered PC games and even online games. When I was playing World of Warcraft (WoW) a lot, I even slept less to play the game more. I was very happy.

△ Hello? I got into a duk crash. And the criminal is…! 

For those play & musical dukhoos, it's important to collect tickets!

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C, play & musical dukhoo in the IT industry - The criminal that hit me was perhaps the charm of the performance, which makes the same performance completely different with different cast. Plays and musicals can be interpreted differently by actors. Things that impress me are different every day. Being able to give different vibes with the same story by using different directions or stage designs is very charming.

In particular, the concert that I see cannot ever be the same. Unlike movies or dramas, you can't watch the same thing over and over, making it even more charming.

A, comics dukhoo in the clothing industry - I basically like fantasy and illusions as well as made up stories. The criminal is the comical expression that are sometimes humorous and sometimes cool. I just love two-dimensional things are expressed represented by lines and contrast.

B, INFINITE dukhoo and university student - The criminal is my idol. My favorite part is watching them shine on the stage. They dance and sing to the song with both cuteness and charisma. They behave in such a pleasant manner in TVs. They care a lot of their fans, too. You can't help but fall in love with them when you look at them.

D, Super Junior dukhoo in the education industry - The biggest reason that I love the idol is he is trying to stick to his job and working hard. He is proud of what he does and he seems somehow desperate. Eunhyuk is gentle, kind, positive, and... (edited)

In fact, I tend to take a somewhat pessimistic view of life, but I learned how to think positively. Dukjil gives me emotional stability and pleasure. I think the ultimate reason for people doing dukjil is that they want to be happy and pleased looking at the ones they are obsessed with. Life is hell, but dukjil is flower-scented.  

△ Yes, you will be surprised to know about my dukryuk (dukhoo power).

F, game pae-in in the gaming industry - As the WoW Guild, where I was a Guild Master, became famous, a video clip of my game playing was posted on game community Inven. Then there was a growing number of people who recognized me, and there were more people who would choose the same character's job as mine. Especially after winning in a competition hosted by Inven, people even asked for my signature. This is why I happened to love playing games even more.

Photo: A screenshot of Naver Jisikin

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A, comics dukhoo in the clothing industry - I used to run a blog while doing dukjil between 2007 and 2012. There was even a day when the number of visitors exceeded 5,000 although I wasn't a power blogger and none of the posts were commercial but about personal things. The blog was about animation reviews. I also wrote diary and secondary novels as well. It was fun because many people would visit and communicate actively. Now that I'm working, I naturally stopped running the blog, but doing dukjil was one of the most joyful moments of my life.

The most exciting moment as a dukhoo was that I began to understand Japanese after repeating dozens of times listening to the web radio broadcast in which my favorite Japanese voice actor made appearance. When I was able to understand the language of my favorite voice actor, it was the most joyful moment as a dukhoo.

B, INFINITE dukhoo and university student - In the early days of my dukhoo life, I was very lucky because I was chosen to take pictures with the group in a waiting room. I didn't know what to do and it was the first time to see them very close. So I prepared seven set of letters, flower bouquets, and a cake all by myself and went to the concert.
 
I couldn't say a word because I was so nervous. As if they listened to my mind, my favorite member Woohyun came to me first and talked to me kindly. He read the letter, smiled at me saying that he is thankful. I vividly remember that until now. The memory stops me from 'talduk' and 'hyooduk'.

C, play & musical dukhoo in the IT industry - There is a play called M. Butterfly. I really enjoyed its premiere, and I thought to myself that actor Chon Seong-woo would fit very well to character Song Liling. And I wondered how would it feel if actor Lee Seok-joon plays the role of Renee.

But a few years later, when I heard that the two actors have been cast for encore performance, I was frenzied with joy! How great it would be watching the play with the cast that I've only imagined. Eventually, I watched Chon Seong-woo and Lee Seok-joon's performances and I was very happy because they were better than I had imagined.

Dukhoos communicating through wreaths

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△ Dukhoo identity? No, I'm not a dukhoo. Rather I'm a 'pae-in'!

F, game pae-in in the gaming industry - I'm not a dukhoo. Rather I'm a 'pae-in'. People tend to think of a game dukhoo as a man who plays 'miyeonsi' (dating simulation game). I love playing role playing games (RPG). I play almost every new game that is released. Since I work in the gaming industry, I get to play most of new games.

B, INFINITE dukhoo and university student - I'm that kind of dukhoo who works hard on several fields. I'm very interested in idol groups as well as songs and their performances. I'm also an indie band dukhoo. I love cute things, too. So I collect cute set of stationery and plush toys by color.

C, play & musical dukhoo in the IT industry - I get obsessed in one particular field. Since I'm interested in musicals and plays, I happened to get interested in the fields that are related. There are many plays that are based on original novels, so I read original novels and movies.

For example, after watching the play 'Red', I got interested in the art works of Mark Rothko. So I went to see his exhibition. After watching the musical "A Tale of Two Cities,", I read the original novel in two versions, the original text and the translation to the original text.

D, Super Junior dukhoo in the education industry - Eunhyuk has endless charms so it's hard to get interested in many other fields. My friends ask me if I still love him so much. But the strange thing of doing dukjil is that you happen to discover new things magically although you have already found many.

But I'm also interested in cosmetics. I'm coduk (cosmetic dukhoo). Of course, I can't afford buying many cosmetics like genuine coduks and I have no time to leave cosmetic reviews. If I can afford it, I could be obsessed with both fields. But fortunately, I'm not. 

△ So please respect my taste. I'm making a living with this.

F, game pae-in in the gaming industry - I used to be introverted before I met the 'Fortress' game. But you can play anonymously in games, so I made many friends while playing games. I still hang out with people who played WoW guild with me.

Games changed my personality and changed my life. Games allow introverted people like me to enjoy communicating with others. These days, I like communicating with others and I don't even remember the old days where I used to be introverted.

A doll that accompanies you when you travel.

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B, INFINITE dukhoo and university student - Thanks to dukjil, I made new good dukhoo friends and foreign friends. I'm the type of person who gets vital power meeting others. It's so fun to watch plays together and share your thoughts. I'm keeping in touch with fans in other countries including Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

In fact, I received help from my friends abroad. The memory that you gain when you do dukjil is really valuable and exciting. The biggest benefit you will get as a dukhoo is the strong bond that are created by sharing common interest. Besides you can feel refreshed by watching a short video so I think dukjil is a good thing to keep your life happy.

C, play & musical dukhoo in the IT industry - I used to be a person with dry personality. I'd never shed tears watching sad movies. But these days, I'm easily moved by little things and feel happy thanks to plays and musicals. I became very sensitive.

D, Super Junior dukhoo in the education industry - Dukjil enriched the emotional side of my life. Maybe my life would have been boring if I I did not do dukjil. When you do dukjil, you will naturally forget about boredom and stress. Dukjil is something new and exciting.

["I don't see any dukhoos around me..Is there a secret to find a dukhoo?]

There's an old saying. You can hide coughing and povety, but you can't hide dukjil. That's right. If you observe carefully, you will know.