Korean language becoming increasingly different between North, South Korea | NK News
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October 04, 2026Oct 04, 2026

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Korean language becoming increasingly different between North, South Korea

Of the 213,771 words that were in North and South Korean dictionaries in 2007, 8.8% of them are now spelled differently.

The number of new words added to North Korean dictionaries have risen sharply under leader Kim Jong Un’s rule as the language differences between the two Koreas continue to widen, according to a South Korean lawmaker Thursday.

The expanded 2017 edition of the DPRK’s “Great Dictionary of the Korean Language” added 45,354 new words, according to a press release from the People Power Party lawmaker Song Seok-jun’s office.

Of the 213,771 words that were listed in both North and South Korean dictionaries in 2007, 8.8% of them are now spelled differently, the release said, citing data compiled from