Korean is an East Asian language spoken by about 77 million people, mainly Korean, as of 2010. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea, with different standardized official forms used in each country.

What does the word Korea mean?

The English words “Corea” and then “Korea” came from this transliteration. South Korea refers to the whole, undivided peninsula as “Han-guk.” North Korea calls it “Choson.” One term for the region roughly translates into English as “The Land of the Morning Calm.” Let's hope that name rings true soon.

How did Korea get its name?

The name Korea derives from the name Goryeo. The name Goryeo itself was first used by the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo, which was considered a great power of East Asia during its time, in the 5th century as a shortened form of its name.