Malware to Malicious Program, Money Move to Fund Transfer... Use Simpler Terms

Difficult Foreign Terms Replaced With Simpler Korean Expressions
"Chilling Effect" Becomes "Shrinking Effect,"
"Solo Economy" Now "Single-Person Household Economy"

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language announced on January 11 that last year they refined 67 difficult foreign terms into easier Korean expressions.

According to a public survey on language acceptance, the term most frequently cited as needing to be replaced with a simpler Korean equivalent was "chilling effect," which refers to the phenomenon where speech and behavior are stifled due to excessive regulation or pressure. The institute replaced it with "wicheuk hyogwa," meaning "shrinking effect." Other terms identified as necessary to replace included "malware," "sanctuary," and "call phobia," which were changed to "akseong peurogeuraem" (malicious program), "dongmul boho guyeok" (animal protection zone), and "tonghwa gipi jeung" (call avoidance syndrome), respectively.

The Korean term considered the best replacement was "1-in gagu gyeongje" (single-person household economy), with 92.3% of respondents viewing it positively. This term refers to various economic activities targeting single-person households and had previously been referred to as "solo economy." Other terms receiving over 90% approval included "akseong peurogeuraem" (malicious program, 92.2%), "yesul pum tuja" (art investment, previously "art tech," 91.8%), "wicheuk hyogwa" (shrinking effect, 91.4%), "cheomdan nong-eop gisul" (advanced agricultural technology, previously "agtech," 91.1%), "jageum idong" (fund transfer, previously "money move," 91.1%), and "chodaehyeong georae" (mega deal, 90.0%).

More than 90% of respondents also said that they encounter foreign terms in articles, broadcasts, or official documents once or twice a month or once or twice a week. Nearly half of the respondents (an average of 48%) said that these terms hindered their understanding of the content. Meanwhile, terms that have become part of daily life, such as "kiosk," "table order," and "mulabel" (label-free), were considered less in need of replacement. An official from the institute stated, "It is necessary to replace difficult foreign terms with easier Korean expressions before they become entrenched in our language use."

The Ministry and the institute discuss and revise foreign terms with high public relevance or those closely related to daily life through the Saemal Meeting, which consists of experts from the media, academia, and university students. Every two weeks, they prepare two or three candidate terms, conduct public acceptance surveys, and then announce the results.

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