South Korea’s president says grammatically wrong words in official language should be corrected
In short
President Lee Jae-myung said at an Oct. 6 cabinet meeting that many words used in Korea do not fit Korean grammar and that broadcast speech and government documents need attention. He cited “저희 나라” and “대인배” as examples of demeaning or incorrect usage, said he was not proposing to control abbreviations, and raised adding a Hangul sign below the Chinese-character Gwanghwamun sign, saying he wants a decision within a year.
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President Lee Jae-myung said on Oct. 6 that many words used in Korea do not conform to Korean grammar and that official language, including broadcast remarks and government documents, needs attention. Speaking at a cabinet meeting he presided over at the Blue House, Lee called for wrong word choices in news reports to be pointed out, saying that is how the language develops normally, according to Yonhap and SBS News. [ 1 , 2 ]
Lee gave “저희 나라” as an example of usage that insults the public through self-deprecation and said it is not widely recognized as such, and said “대인배” is a worse form of disparagement that appears in media reports as if it were correct. He also said some countries, reportedly France, require approval before a new word is used on broadcasts, and that Korea reportedly has such a function too. He added that he was not talking about controlling the use of abbreviations, and asked whether the “great language” Hangul should be treated more preciously. [ 1 , 2 ]
The comments followed Fair Trade Commission Chairman Joo Byung-ki’s explanation that standard contract terms had been revised so that funeral homes cannot dispose of wreaths without the consent of the bereaved family. Lee picked up on the wording, saying the usual term is “조화” for funeral flowers while “화환” refers to flowers used for celebratory occasions, Chosun Ilbo reported in a shorter summary that focused on his call to correct grammatically wrong words. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Lee also raised writing a Hangul sign below the Chinese-character sign at Gwanghwamun, noting that discussion continues and that opinions are reportedly split half and half. He said adding the Hangul sign was his own view but that he should not decide on his own, and that a conclusion should be reached by next year. He proposed an impromptu poll in the YouTube live stream of the cabinet meeting; after the head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Lim Ki-keun, reported that nearly 90% of comments favored the Hangul sign, Lee said it was strange and asked whether his own stated view had introduced bias, saying he would take note, and laughed. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The remarks come from the president in a cabinet meeting, so they signal possible attention to official language standards and to the long-running debate over the Gwanghwamun sign. The documents do not describe any decision, regulation or budget attached to the comments, and the president himself questioned the reliability of the live poll he suggested.
Key facts
- President Lee Jae-myung said on Oct. 6 that many words used in Korea do not fit Korean grammar and that official language in broadcast remarks and government documents needs attention. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He cited “저희 나라” as a self-demeaning usage and “대인배” as a worse form of disparagement that appears in media reports as if it were correct. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Lee said some countries, reportedly France, require approval to use a new word on broadcasts, and that Korea reportedly has such a function as well. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He said he was not talking about controlling the use of abbreviations. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He raised writing a Hangul sign alongside the Chinese-character Gwanghwamun sign, said opinion is split about half and half, and said a conclusion should be reached by next year. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Lee proposed an impromptu poll in the YouTube live stream of the cabinet meeting; the head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination reported nearly 90% of comments favored the Hangul sign, and Lee said there may be bias and that he would take note. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The remarks followed Fair Trade Commission Chairman Joo Byung-ki’s explanation that standard contract terms were revised so funeral homes cannot dispose of wreaths without the family’s consent. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the government will take any measure on language use following the president’s remarks. The documents record only the president’s comments; no policy step, instruction or follow-up is reported.
- What the “function” in Korea for approving new broadcast words is. The president says such a function reportedly exists, but no outlet identifies it or gives details.
- Whether the reported near-90% support for the Hangul sign in YouTube comments reflects public opinion. The figure comes from a single official account of live-stream comments, and the president himself said it may be biased.
- Whether a Hangul sign will be added at Gwanghwamun and on what schedule. Lee said a conclusion should be reached by next year but gave no decision.