About the Author
Won-Gi Jung
Won-Gi Jung is a reporter based in Seoul. He previously worked for the CSIS Korea Chair and East Asia Institute. Follow him on Twitter.
South Korean scholar Lim Boseon remembers sitting down with North Korean counterparts in Pyongyang and debating which words would make it into an inter-Korean dictionary — a testament to both Koreas’ shared culture and language despite an ongoing, 70-year-long war.
“There were some things neither side will ever give way,” Lim said. “With 20,000 words, it wasn’t an easy job.”