‘Unfamiliar Korean words’ contained in Kim Jong-un’s speech

On March 23, Chairman Kim Jong-un of the State Affairs Commission gave a speech at the first meeting of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea. In this speech, he defined Korea as 'the most hostile country' and declared that he would completely reject it. However, if you look at this speech, there is something that stands out as much as the political message. The North Korean language is quite different from the Korean we use.

Same meaning, different expression

In the speech, the expression "to 'crush' all kinds of anti-DPRK provocations" appears. In Korea, 'smashing' or 'smashing' is used with the same meaning. The word 'dazzle' used in North Korea is a word used in a completely different context, like 'dazzle' or 'dazzle (wash dishes cleanly)' in Korean. It is not semantically suitable to be combined with the prefix 'jit-', which means 'harshly', 'abusively', or 'carelessly'.

The same goes for the expression, “We will continue the struggle offensively.” In Korea, it would be correct to say, ‘We will move forward.’ ‘Spread’ is used to widen body parts such as arms or legs, and ‘beolda’ is used to start or proceed with a task or action. This is a similar phenomenon to the use of ‘increase’ and ‘increase’ interchangeably between North and South Korea.

Gap between foreign language notation and saishiot

Differences are also noticeable in the transcription of foreign words. According to Korea's foreign language spelling system, the word 'state terrorism' that appeared in the speech should be written as 'state terrorism.' In North Korea, it is written as 'terrorist network' and 'terrorist,' but in South Korea, it is written as 'terrorist network' and 'terrorist.'

Even in the Saishiot regulations, the languages ​​of the North and South are divided. Saishiot, which is notorious for its complicated application rules in the Korean Grammar Code, is not used at all in North Korea. So the word used as ‘standard’ in South Korea becomes ‘self-esteem’ in North Korea. The expression “diplomatic practices tailored to the old standards and old self-concepts of the past” was also used in the speech.

80 years of division, language is also divided

Since division in 1945, North and South Korea have pursued different language policies. Through the 'Cultural Language Movement' in 1966, North Korea promoted a policy of setting the Pyongyang language as the standard and replacing Chinese characters and foreign words with pure Korean. On the other hand, Korea has actively accepted foreign languages ​​while maintaining a standard language based on Seoul dialect.

According to the Ministry of Unification's North Korea Information Portal, the current heterogeneity rate between North and South Korean languages ​​is approximately 30%. There is a greater difference in technical terms and new words than in everyday terms. Computers are called 'electronic calculators' in North Korea, and ice cream is called 'ice cream.'

Language wall created by hostile tone [AI analysis]

Chairman Kim Jong-un's speech, in which he defined South Korea as 'the most hostile country', also casts a dark shadow on the future of linguistic integration between North and South Korea. At the time of the 2018 inter-Korean summit, language integration efforts continued, including the resumption of the joint compilation project for the 'Korean Language Dictionary', but if the current hostile atmosphere continues, such cooperation is highly unlikely to be expected.

Linguists warn that if the heterogeneity of the languages ​​of North and South Korea deepens, communication barriers between generations and regions may emerge as a serious social problem even after unification. The phenomenon of political division becoming entrenched into linguistic division has the potential to eventually widen the psychological distance between people of the same ethnic group. The unfamiliar Korean language in North Korea's speech may be a mirror that shows the depth of division beyond simple language differences.