Seoul city officials announced that “Hangang River” is the correct English designation for the waterway commonly known as the Han River. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) – A seemingly straightforward directive from the Seoul city government about the English naming of its main waterway has sparked a broader debate about Korean place names in English, highlighting tensions between linguistic accuracy and cultural preservation.
On November 19, Seoul city officials announced that “Hangang River” is the correct English designation for the waterway commonly known as the Han River. Ten days later, the debate shows no signs of subsiding.
The Korea JoongAng Daily, an English-language newspaper, has publicly declined to follow the city’s guidance. Its editor, Jim Bulley, argued in a column that “Hangang River” is redundant since “gang” already means “river” in Korean. “I’ve never heard anyone refer to it as ‘Hangang River’ in English,” he wrote, noting that the directive essentially creates a “River River” situation.
The city’s stance is based on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s 2020 guidelines for foreign language translation of public terms. These guidelines mandate that natural landmarks should be romanized in their entirety, followed by their English classification. Under these rules, Hallasan becomes “Hallasan Mountain” and Seoraksan becomes “Seoraksan Mountain.”
Government officials defend this approach, saying it serves a dual purpose: helping foreigners who may not know that “gang” means river or “san” means mountain, while also promoting Korean place names globally. A ministry official pointed to the growing interest in learning Korean, noting how Korean terms like “unni” and “oppa” have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
However, major English-language media in Korea largely continue to use “Han River” and “Mount Halla,” arguing that the government-recommended versions are linguistically awkward and unnecessarily lengthy. One English newspaper journalist explained that their publication follows the Associated Press Stylebook, which advises against redundant terminology.
Tour guides, on the other hand, support the government’s guidelines. A 60-year-old licensed tour guide argued that since Koreans universally say “Hangang,” using “Han River” might confuse foreigners into thinking it refers to a different location. A representative from the Korea Tourism Guide Association added that including both the name and classification aids quick comprehension.
Academics offer varied perspectives. A professor at a Seoul metropolitan area graduate school of interpretation and translation noted that while “Han River” might be linguistically correct, “Hangang River” could be more functionally helpful. Another translation studies professor emphasized the importance of consistency in government guidelines over specific expressions.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
