Using the North Korean and South Korean words for Korea, “Chosŏn” and “Hanguk” By Alek Sigley. Now that we’ve explained what the North and South Korean words for Korea are (“Chosŏn” and “Hanguk” respectively), and where they derive from, let’s look at the practical usage of the words in North and South Korea. As mentioned earlier, these different words for “Korea” also mean that by extension the words for concepts such as “Korean people”, “Korean peninsula”, the Korean language, traditional Korean clothing and housing, and words used to describe the other half of the peninsula are different across North and South Korean. Here are some of the major differences resulting from these different words for Korea in North and South Korean: Meaning North Korean South Korean Korea (as a whole) Chosŏn/조선/朝鮮 Han’guk/한국/韓國 Korean language Chosŏnŏ/조선어/朝鮮語 Han’gugŏ/한국어/韓國語 Korean language 2 (less formal) Chosŏnmal/조선말/朝鮮말 Han’gungmal/한국말/韓國말 Korean people Chosŏnin/조선인/朝鮮人 Han’gugin/한국인/韓國人 Korean people 2… [Read More]
Archives for April 2017
Recent Political Tensions and their Impact on our North Korea Tours
With North Korea and the US trading threats in the spreadsheets these past few weeks, we would like to chip in and clarify how this recent round of sabre-rattling is impacting on tours on the ground in North Korea. First and foremost we want to emphasise that much of the hysteria is simply due to media hype and sensationalism. We have been monitoring the situation closely, including regularly checking in with our partners and associates on the ground, and can assure you that things are still completely relaxed and business-as-usual. Many of the articles that have come out recently are completely unsubstantiated. You might have read the one claiming that Pyongyang evacuated a large portion of its citizens in preparation for a potential war. There is absolutely no evidence for this. We have been regularly communicating with Pyongyang-based expatriates and journalists (a large group was visiting just recently for the 105th… [Read More]
