With the global popularity of Korean culture, evidenced by the 150 million fans of Hallyu (Korean Wave), international interest in Korean pop culture has surged. VANK believes that this increased attention will naturally lead to greater global curiosity about Korea itself.
In response to this, VANK conducted an investigation into how the word “Korea” is defined across 15 major English dictionaries. The results revealed concerning distortions in the information provided about Korea, particularly regarding the East Sea, which is often referred to as the Sea of Japan in many of these dictionaries, and significant inaccuracies in the portrayal of Korean history.
The study found that in 11 out of the 15 dictionaries, including American Heritage Dictionary, Dictionary.com, and YourDictionary.com, the East Sea was incorrectly labeled as the Sea of Japan, a distortion that persists despite increasing international efforts to promote the dual-name usage of the sea. In fact, data from global map publishers, history textbooks, and online map services show that while the dual-name usage has grown from 3% two decades ago to 40% in 2022, many renowned dictionaries still exclusively use the Sea of Japan.
Moreover, the investigation revealed a troubling trend of minimizing the origins and scope of Korean history. Several leading dictionaries, such as American Heritage and YourDictionary.com, trace the origins of Korean history to the 12th century BCE, an oversimplification that distorts the rich history of the Korean people. In particular, Collins English Dictionary inaccurately describes Korea as a tributary of China until the opening of trade with Japan in 1876, a claim that reflects a reductive and misleading view of Korean sovereignty.
Furthermore, most English dictionaries and encyclopedias, including Collins, focus the narrative of Korean history predominantly on the colonial period under Japanese rule, emphasizing war and division while neglecting Korea’s vibrant history and cultural achievements. This narrative could potentially lead to a skewed perception that Korea’s history is primarily defined by invasions, war, and colonization.
In addition to these issues, certain dictionaries, such as Lookwayup.com and Limezone.com, even incorrectly describe “Korea” as “Choson” (Joseon) in Korean, further propagating misinformation. The correct terms should be Daehanminguk (Republic of Korea) or Hanguk (Korea).
Through this investigation, VANK has found that the distortion of Korean history in English-language dictionaries and encyclopedias is significant, with more negative portrayals than positive ones. The repeated errors across multiple dictionaries highlight the lack of a rigorous verification process in publishing these definitions, allowing for the perpetuation of inaccurate information.
The rise of K-pop groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, and the international success of athletes such as Son Heung-min have fueled the global Hallyu phenomenon. With the increase in foreign interest in Korea, online searches related to the country have also surged. However, the availability of distorted information in widely used English dictionaries and encyclopedias presents a risk that foreigners may develop a skewed understanding of Korea.
VANK believes that correcting these inaccuracies on the most widely used platforms is a crucial task. To address this, the organization is committed to providing accurate information to foreign websites and dictionary publishers, working to ensure that content related to Korea is corrected and properly represented.