Due to ever-growing trade between China and Korea - as well as closer political ties, the distinctive Joseon form of Korean, largely spoken by China’s ethnic-Korean community and North Koreans, is under threat from calls for a standardization of Korean.

Should we adhere to North Korean culture, or should we follow standard Korean?On the 30th August it was reported in a Korean-oriented Chinese newspaper called the Gillim that over 40 ethnic Koreans including linguists, media figures, publishers, and translators, gathered in the city of Jillin (in the Chinese province of the same name bordering North Korea) to hold a discussion based on the regulation of modern Joseon-Korean – the object of criticism in ethnic-Korean circles for a long time.

At the 21st meeting of the Status of the Korean Language Commission (조선어사정위원회), held under the auspices of the Jillin Affairs Commission (지린성 민족사무위원회), participants discussed how ethnic-Korean society in China will respond to the linguistic changes facing Joseon-Korean in light of increasingly open Korea-China relations.

Against the backdrop of this discussion, the Korean Proficiency Test - implemented in March last year as part of the Visitor Worker Program in South Korea - has especially had a huge impact on the pre-existing Joseon-Korean, which, up until now, was largely influenced by North Korea. There are also growing calls in ethnic-Korean circles for an increased use of standard Korean.

The law regarding the standard use of language in North Korea (조선말규범집) played a guiding role in the lives of those who spoke the dialect until 1996, when it was last amended. Consequently, for over ten years the dialect has been unable to adequately reflect the social changes that have occurred. In light of this, there are strong calls for reform.

A chief-editor of a Joseon magazine said in an article entitled ‘The Standardization of Joseon-Korean in a New Age: The Present State of Business - and its Prospects’ that, “through the influence of the standard Pyongyang Korean and standard South Korean, the standardization of the Joseon dialect is placed in an unprecedented challenge with tradition, while each and every region, and each and every business is making its voice heard.” He also emphasized the need for an urgent standardization of Korean.

Kim Yong-ho, who heads the Korean Central Translation Office (중앙민족번역국) suggested that, “in this global age our Joseon language must keep pace with the times while simultaneously following tradition - and bring prosperity. In the same way, both Koreas should not abandon their principles, but nevertheless accept the idea of one Korean community, while also adjusting to international change.”

Accordingly, Ju Seong-il, the chief editor of a weekend newspaper called the Amur River (흑룡강신문) - which uses a standard writing system for Korean, argued that, “As a result of the confusion between standard North Korean and its southern counterpart, and while the debate continues over whether the use of foreign loan words is right or wrong, rather than ignoring the pressures to standardize Korean, a new target audience is emerging, and the newspapers will inevitably respond by accepting their demands. This is the reality.”

The head of the Status of Joseon-Korean Commission, Kim Seong-chun emphasized, “I hope that in the future Joseon-Korean will be the standard for reunification, but owing to the social aspect of language, the commission’s obligations will continue. Further, in the interests of a consistent language and environment, I hope that research will be carried out in the future too.”




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