Say "Turning to Decline" Instead of "Peak Out"

"Peak Out" to Be Replaced with "Turning to Decline"
"Self-Produced Work" Recommended as Korean Alternative to "Original Contents"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language recommended on November 30 that the term "peak out" be replaced with the Korean expression "harak jeonhwan," meaning "turning to decline." They also suggested "jache jegakmul," meaning "self-produced work," as a Korean alternative to "original contents."

"Peak out" refers to a situation in which the economy or stock market reaches its highest point and then enters a downward phase. The Ministry and the Institute reviewed the appropriateness and usability of the term at a neologism meeting held on November 16 and decided to adopt "turning to decline" as the replacement. The final selection reflected the results of a survey. In a public acceptance survey conducted from October 18 to 24 with about 2,000 participants, 83.3% of respondents said the replacement was appropriate. Additionally, 73.6% agreed on the need to replace foreign terms with Korean alternatives.

"Original contents" refers to content produced and released independently by platforms such as over-the-top (OTT) video services or e-book platforms. The Ministry and the Institute selected "self-produced work" as the most suitable Korean term.

The neologism meeting is a committee that provides easy-to-understand Korean alternatives for difficult foreign neologisms before they become widespread. Experts from various fields, including Korean language, foreign languages, education, public relations and publishing, information and communications, and media, participate in the committee. The Ministry and the Institute plan to continue promoting the use of these alternatives, encouraging government agencies and media outlets to take the lead in adopting them.

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