Say "Periodic Outbreak" Instead of "Endemic"

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language recommended on the 1st to replace the term ‘endemic’ with the Korean phrase ‘(감염병) 주기적 유행’ (periodic outbreak of infectious disease). They also suggested ‘최종 구간’ (final section) as the Korean alternative for ‘last mile.’

‘Endemic’ refers to the phenomenon of a certain infectious disease occurring periodically in a specific region or to such a disease itself. In English-speaking countries, it is used to mean ‘풍토병’ (a native disease), but its meaning has expanded with the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). ‘Last mile’ refers to the final segment of movement before a product or item reaches its ultimate destination.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language decided on these alternatives at the New Words Meeting held from the 25th to the 27th of last month. The New Words Meeting is a committee that provides Korean alternatives that are easy for the general public to understand before difficult foreign neologisms spread. Experts from various fields such as Korean language, foreign languages, education, public relations and publishing, information and communication, and media participate. The Ministry and the Institute plan to continuously promote the use of these alternatives led by government ministries and media outlets.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.