Geoje Yaho

Origin

"Geoje yaho" is a meme that comes from "Geoje! Yaho~!" shouted in a YouTube video by Minami, a Japanese member of the girl group RESCENE. "Yaho" (やっほー) is a casual greeting used by young women in Japan, and it sounds the same as the Korean exclamation of joy "yaho," which adds a funny double meaning. The nuance is close to "Hi, Geoje~."

The scene came from the personal YouTube channel of RESCENE member Woni, "Hello I'm Woni Nice to Meet You." Minami appeared in a Japanese gyaru style, and according to YTN, when Woni said, "If you go to Geoje looking like this, the people of Geoje will scold you," Minami shot back, "Geoje! Yaho~!" Geoje is Woni's hometown. The quirky, cheerful greeting in response to a half-scolding joke got laughs.

Spread

The scene spread quickly in May 2026 across short-form platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. People copied it by swapping other place names or targets in for Geoje and shouting "___ yaho~!" The meme's popularity carried straight over to RESCENE: a song released about two years earlier climbed the charts again, and the group's profile rose sharply.

Geoje City seized the moment too. It appointed RESCENE as Geoje's promotional ambassadors and on May 22 released digital content showing the appointment. On May 29 the city said the content had passed a combined 2.68 million views on YouTube and Instagram, including 860,000 views on Instagram within a single day, along with 124,000 likes and 51,000 shares. Woni said, "I'm so grateful to be able to promote the place where I was born and raised." The city called it a case confirming new possibilities for municipal promotion and announced plans to promote local festivals and tourist spots with RESCENE. Other local governments also jumped in with "___ yaho" promotions, hoping to ride the so-called "RESCENE effect."

Usage

• A greeting that plugs in a travel destination or a place you want to go: "___! Yaho~!"
• A carefree reaction in a situation where you might get scolded: "Geoje yaho~"
• Promotional copy from local governments or brands inserting a place or product name

Sources

• YTN, "'Geoje yaho' meme's popularity has idols and local government beaming" (June 8, 2026) — the context of the exchange between Woni and Minami, the chart return of a song from about two years earlier, the ambassador appointment and Woni's comment, Geoje's plans to promote festivals and tourist spots
• Kuki News, "'Geoje yaho'... idol group RESCENE's Geoje ambassador content gets a thumbs-up from 2.68 million" (May 29, 2026) — the ambassador content released May 22 and its 2.68 million cumulative views, 860,000 Instagram views in a day with like and share counts, Geoje as Woni's hometown, the city's promotion strategy
• Joongboo Ilbo, "Suwon, Goyang, Geoje, Gyeongju 'yaho'... local governments chasing the 'RESCENE effect'" — several local governments using "yaho" in promotions