Say "Corona Uul" Instead of "Corona Blue"

'Open Access' Alternative Term Recommended as 'Gaebanghyeong Jeongbo Yeollam'

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language recommended on the 10th to replace the term ‘corona blue’ with the Korean expression ‘corona uul’ (corona depression). They also suggested the Korean alternatives ‘gaebanghyeong jeongbo yeollam (seobiseu)’ (open information viewing (service)) and ‘saenghwal gibanmang’ (life line) to replace ‘open access’ and ‘life line,’ respectively.

‘Corona blue’ refers to the anxiety, depression, and lethargy people feel as their daily lives change due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The selection of the alternative term ‘corona uul’ was based on survey results. In a public acceptance survey conducted on the 3rd and 4th with 600 participants, 93.4% of respondents answered that it was appropriate.

‘Open access’ means sharing academic information or services that allow users to access academic information online without financial, legal, or technical barriers, enabling them to reproduce, distribute, print, and search academic information. ‘Life line’ is a general term for social infrastructure that forms a network in the shape of lines, including communication, electricity, energy, water and sewage, and transportation, which are fundamental to urban functions. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language decided on the alternatives ‘gaebanghyeong jeongbo yeollam (seobiseu)’ and ‘saenghwal gibanmang’ at the Saemal Meeting held from July 31 to August 2.

The Saemal Meeting is a committee that provides Korean alternative words 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, publicity and publishing, information and communication, and media participate. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language 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.