Scholars look to reunification with Korean dictionary
Project aims to bridge gap in language brought by 60 years of division between North and South
Joo Yeon-ah did not realise how hard it would be to settle in South Korea. The 45-year-old defector says she was prepared for the dangerous journey out of North Korea, and the unfamiliarity of everyday devices such as mobile phones and cash machines.
But what she wasn't expecting was a communication barrier with people who spoke the same language.
"I didn't understand [what people were saying]," said Joo, who has lived in Seoul since 2009. "Everything is so different in South Korea, but I thought at least our language would be the same."
What she discovered is that after more than 60 years of division, different forms of the Korean language have evolved, with the South incorporating many words from English.
For example, North Koreans express anxiety by saying in Korean, "My head hurts", while South Koreans use the English word stress, which they pronounce suh-tu-reh-suh.
Now scholars from both sides of the peninsula are collaborating on a project funded by the South Korean government to create a unified Korean language dictionary. Known as Gyeoremal-kunsajeon (the Korean People's Comprehensive Dictionary), the initiative is intended to bridge the linguistic divide in a future where the two Koreas are reunified.