Difference between Korean: North and South Korea
Korean is a common language in South and North Korea on the Korean Peninsula. However, South Korea and North Korea have different linguistic characteristics due to historical, political and social factors. In this post, we will look at the history and examples of language differences between North and South Korea.
The language difference between South and North Korea stems from historical events related to the division of the Korean Peninsula. Next, let's take a look at the main historical background that influenced the Korean language difference. 
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Division of the Korean Peninsula: The Korean War (1950-1953) caused a national division between North and South Korea. After the war, South Korea, led by the US military, was influenced by the US as it pursued liberal democracy, and the so-called "South Korean" language was formed. Meanwhile, Soviet-backed North Korea introduced a socialist system, which was influenced by the development of a "North Korean style" language.
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Politicization of language: After the division of the Korean Peninsula, North and South Korea formed their respective political systems and political interventions were made on language. When South Korea declared the government of the Republic of Korea in 1948, it reformed the Korean writing system and promoted language education policies. When North Korea proclaimed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1949, it promoted language reform based on communist ideology.
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Language Standardization: Since the division, South and North Korea have each adopted different approaches to language standardization. South Korea took the Seoul dialect as the standard language and strengthened standard language education. On the other hand, since 1966, North Korea has focused on developing a standard language through a language standardization movement in which Joseon language scholars participated. This has resulted in differences in vocabulary, expressions, pronunciation, and grammar used in the two regions.
Next, let's take a look at some examples of how Korean is used differently.
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Pronunciation: There are also differences in pronunciation between North and South Korea. For example, the handling of the "ㅇ" sound is different. In South Korea, the "ㅇ" sound is sometimes not pronounced, but in North Korea, the "ㅇ" sound is pronounced. Because of these differences, even the same word can have different pronunciations.
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Vocabulary and expressions: There are also differences in vocabulary and expressions between North and South Korea. Not only are some common words used differently, but also unique expressions have emerged in North Korea due to the introduction of the socialist system. For example, South Koreans use the expression "pretty," but North Koreans tend to prefer the expression "beautiful."
word South Korea North Korea Subway 지하철 (ji-ha-cheol) 지하로 (ji-ha-ro) Hungry 배고프다 (bae-go-peu-da) 고프다 (go-peu-da) Friend 친구 (chin-gu) 동무 (dong-mu) -
Use of Chinese characters: There are also differences in the use of Chinese characters between North and South Korea. South Korea does not use most Chinese characters and uses Hangeul, while North Korea still uses some Chinese characters. Because of this difference, there are also linguistic differences in documents and newspapers used in the two regions.
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Accents and Expressions: There are also differences in accents and expressions between North and South Korea. For example, in South Korea, honorifics are often used, but in North Korea, honorifics are often not used to close the distance. These differences reflect social relationships and cultural characteristics among language speakers.
In this way, South Korea and North Korea have different linguistic characteristics due to historical, political, and social factors . There are differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and expression, use of Chinese characters, accent and expression, which reflect the historical and cultural backgrounds of the two regions. Understanding these language differences will help you gain a deeper understanding of the Korean language and Korean society.
