[KS] Korean in North Korea

[J.Scott Burgeson]

When communicating with North Koreans in China and the DPRK itself, what struck me most is how much English has infiltrated and indeed colonized the South Korean language. Yes, I know that that is a provocative way to put it, but that's how I see it. In a South Korean restaurant, for example, it would be common to request a "냅킨" or "napkin," but most North Koreans would be unfamiliar with the term and use "입종이" (lit. "mouth paper") instead. Likewise, if you asked to see the "메뉴" or "menu" in a North Korean restaurant, or were curious if they had any "아이스크림" or "ice cream" for sale, you would be met with befuddled looks unless you requested the "차림표," and asked what kinds of "얼음 보송이" were on offer. These are just a few simple examples – the list goes on and on.

There are, in my opinion, at least three main reasons why English is far more dominant in the South than it is in the North. First, many scientific and technical English terms were imported to South Korea via the Japanese language, especially after 1945, since the Japanese were often ahead of the Koreans in economic and scientific development early on. Second, the US political, economic and military influence upon South Korea in the post-Liberation era has been huge, and this naturally has had an impact on the local language. Finally, the South Korean media and marketing industries are intensely competitive and are constantly importing and using new English terms in order to stay "fresh" or seem "cool," and thereby distinguish or differentiate themselves. I'm surprised at how often English words are used in advertising slogans here in the South these days when perfectly good Korean words already exist for the same thing, and usually I am told by Koreans
 that the Korean terms sound "countrified" and that the English sounds "cooler." Of course, they would probably roll their eyes when hearing words like "입종이" or "차림표." Must be from the Choson period, right?

There are other factors influencing the dominance of English in the South today, including the popularity of studying in English-speaking countries as well as the Internet, but these are also a function of US dominance, are they not? From the North Korean perspective, I can certainly see how they might feel that the South is a colony of the US simply going by how ordinary South Koreans speak these days and use their "own" language. 

Scott Bug



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On Sun, 11/24/13, Bill Streifer <photografr7 at yahoo.com> wrote:

 Subject: [KS] Korean in North Korea
 To: "koreanstudies at koreanstudies.com" <koreanstudies at koreanstudies.com>
 Date: Sunday, November 24, 2013, 1:22 PM
 
 I
 had the recent pleasure of taking part in the translation
 (from Korean to Japanese to English) of the lengthy
 interview of a female North Korean defector. That interview,
 which consisted of 13 questions and answers, was
 never-before published in English, or in South Korea for
 that matter. We are currently attempting to have her
 interview published in South Korea and in
 Russia. 
 My
 translator informed me that the translation was not easy for
 a number of reasons. First, places and geographic names have
 various spellings. And second, how the Korean language is
 used in North Korea is not the same as how it is used in
 South
  Korea.
 If
 true, one explanation might be that while both North and
 South Korea were under Japanese occupation-domination since
 the earth 20th Century, Russia has been a
 strong influence on North Korea and the U.S. has been a
 strong influence on South Korea since the end of
 WWII.
 Would anyone like to
  comment on this, and cite specific
 examples?
 Bill
 Streifer