In 2018, Kim Yojong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, visited South Korea as a special envoy of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jongun. During a luncheon with the President, when former Chief Presidential Secretary Im Jongseok remarked, "The terms for squid and octopus are used in reverse in South and North Korea," she laughed and replied, "We should unify that first."

Yonhap News Agency

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The language gap between the two Koreas has continued to widen over the more than 70 years since division. In 2016, the National Unification Korean Dictionary Joint Compilation Project compared South Korea's Standard Korean Dictionary with North Korea's Chosunmal Dictionary and found that 38% of everyday vocabulary was used differently between the two sides.

These differences have caused confusion in Korean language education abroad. In particular, in socialist countries, the challenges are compounded by not only the differences in spelling between South and North Korea, but also the mixing in of the Korean language as spoken in China's three northeastern provinces, making both teaching and learning more difficult.

Modern Korean language education in China began in 1946 with the establishment of the Department of Korean Language at Peking University. Later, institutions such as the University of International Business and Economics (1951), Luoyang Foreign Language University (1956), Yanbian University (1972), and Beijing International Studies University (1972) became centers for Korean language education. As of December 2025, according to the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC), 123 four-year universities in China operate departments for Korean (Chosun) language, producing 4,500 to 5,000 graduates each year.

The National Unification Korean Dictionary Joint Compilation Project found in 2016 that 38% of everyday words differed between South Korea's Standard Korean Dictionary and North Korea's Chosunmal Dictionary. Graphic by Lee Jihyun

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There is a growing assessment that the popularity of Korean language, which once saw a sharp rise, is now not what it used to be. Although Korean language education in China has a history of about 80 years, experts consider the period before the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China in 1992 as a preparatory phase, and believe that formal education only began in earnest in the early 1990s.

In June 2023, the Department of Korean Language at Peking University, China's top university, held an additional recruitment for undergraduate freshmen. The department, which selects 15 students each year to maintain a total of 60, was unable to fill its quota. A Chinese college entrance information company analyzed, "This was either due to a lack of applicants or insufficient scores," adding, "It shows that the status of Korean language in China is wavering."

However, Chinese interest in the Korean language has not disappeared entirely. According to the Korean Educational Development Institute, as of 2024, there are 76,541 Chinese students studying at higher education institutions in South Korea, accounting for 30.2% of all international students (253,434).

Zhao Yufei, a Chinese international student majoring in media and communication studies in Korea, said, "The deterioration of Korea-China relations and the intensifying youth job crisis are the reasons for the decline in Korean language majors." He explained, "It is difficult to find a job with only a Korean language major, so double majors in law, business, finance, journalism, or pursuing a master's degree are often necessary. However, the time and financial burden is significant, so students tend to avoid it."

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Professor Yun Haeyeon of Nanjing University stated, "The decrease in the number of four-year universities in China with Korean language departments from 125 in December 2020 to 123 this year reflects the trend of university restructuring," emphasizing, "To enhance the competitiveness of Korean language departments, diversification and upgrading of the curriculum are necessary."

In fact, Korean language majors in China point out problems such as a uniform curriculum, the mixing of Chosunmal and Korean, inconsistent textbook organization, and a lack of advanced-level textbooks. Above all, there is a strong sense of anxiety that language-focused education alone makes it difficult to survive in the job market after graduation.

Professor Kim Seongran of the Department of Korean Language at Beijing Language and Culture University pointed out, "Currently, Korean language education in China is excessively focused on language, making it difficult for graduates to be competitive in the job market." She further advised, "A national certification system for Korean language teachers as a foreign language should be introduced so that only those who have completed a certain level of teacher training can teach in classrooms."