북한 or ì¡°ì„ ? South Korea debates what to call North Korea

For Seoul, what to call the North is difficult when you view it as a rebel-held region awaiting reunification On a mild spring morning in central Seoul this week, a room of academics and lawyers gathered to debate a question: what should South Korea call North Korea? The task sounds deceptively simple but the answer is far from straightforward, and has provided fodder for columnists in recent years. The answer could even have repercussions for South Korea’s constitutional position. This linguistic gap stems from South Korea’s view that the entire peninsula is its territory, and that the North is a rebel-held region awaiting reunification, rather than a separate state. It means South Korea calls its northern neighbour Bukhan (북한), or “north Han”, a variation of how the South refers to itself: Hanguk (한국), meaning “Han nation”, a shortening of Daehan Minguk (대한민국), the Republic of Korea. However, North Korea calls itself Joseon (ì¡°ì„ ), a shortened version of Joseon Minjujuui Inmin Gonghwaguk (ì¡°ì„ ë¯¼ì£¼ì£¼ì˜ì¸ë¯¼ê³µí™”êµ­), or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It has traditionally referred to the South as Namjoseon (ë‚¨ì¡°ì„ ), or “south