Romanization of Korean (North Korean system)

Romanization of Korean is the official Korean-language romanization system in North Korea. Announced by the Sahoe Kwahagwŏn, it is an adaptation of the older McCune–Reischauer system,^[1] which it replaced in 1992,^[2]^[3] and it was updated in 2002^[3]^[4] and 2012.^[5]

Transcription rules

Vowels^[5]^: 3
Hangul	ㅏ	ㅑ	ㅓ	ㅕ	ㅗ	ㅛ	ㅜ	ㅠ	ㅡ	ㅣ	ㅐ	ㅒ	ㅔ	ㅖ	ㅚ	ㅟ	ㅢ	ㅘ	ㅝ	ㅙ	ㅞ
Romanization	a	ya	ŏ	yŏ	o	yo	u	yu	ŭ	i	ae	yae	e	ye	oi^[a]	wi	ŭi	wa	wŏ	wae	we

Consonants^[5]^: 3–4
Hangul		ㄱ	ㄴ	ㄷ	ㄹ	ㅁ	ㅂ	ㅅ	ㅈ	ㅊ	ㅋ	ㅌ	ㅍ	ㅎ	ㄲ	ㄸ	ㅃ	ㅆ	ㅉ	ㅇ
Romanization	Initial	k	n	t	r	m	p	s	j	ch	kh	th	ph	h	kk	tt	pp	ss	jj	–
Romanization	Final	k	n	t	l	m	p	t	t	t	k	t	p	t	k	–	–	t	–	ng

In double consonants in the end of a word or before a consonant, only one of them is written:^[5]^: 5

닭섬 → Taksŏm
물곬 → Mulkol

However, in the case before a vowel, both consonants are written:^[5]^: 5

붉은바위 → Pulgŭnbawi
앉은바위 → Anjŭnbawi

The soft voiceless consonants between vowels ㄱ, ㄷ, and ㅂ and those between resonant sounds and vowels are transcribed as g, d, and b.^[5]^: 4
Final consonants may undergo assimilation before resonants.^[5]^: 5–6

백마산 → Paengmasan
꽃마을 → KKonmaŭl
압록강 → Amrokgang

When lax consonants become tense in compound words, they are transcribed as tense consonants if they are preceded by a vowel. Also, if the next element begins with a resonant, then n is added before it.^[5]^: 6

기대산 → Kittaesan
새별읍 → Saeppyŏl-ŭp
뒤문 → Twinmun

The consonant clusters ㄴㄹ and ㄴㄴ are only transcribed as ll if they correspond with longstanding usage; ㄹㄹ does not have a special transcription.^[5]^: 6, 8

천리마 → Chŏllima
한나산 → Hallasan
찔레골 → JJilregol

Double consonants may be capitalized as a single unit: kk → KK.^[5]^: 5–6

Guide

A personal name is written by family name first, followed by a space and the given name with the first letter capitalized. Also, each letter of a name of Chinese character origin is written separately. The given name's first initial is transcribed in a voiceless letter, even when it becomes resonant in pronunciation.^[5]^: 7–8

김꽃분이 → Kim KKotpuni
박동구 → Pak Tong Gu
안복철 → An Pok Chŏl

However, it is not really possible to follow this rule^{[original research]} because a certain name written in hangul can be a native Korean name, or a Sino-Korean name, or even both. For example, 보람 can not only be a native Korean name,^[7] but can also be a Sino-Korean name (e.g. 寶濫).^[8] In some cases, parents intend a dual meaning: both the meaning from a native Korean word and the meaning from hanja.

A name for administrative units is hyphenated from the placename proper:^[5]^: 7

도 → -do
시 → -si
군 → -gun
면 → -myŏn

리 → -ri
동 → -dong
구 → -gu
구역 → -guyŏk

However, a name for geographic features and artificial structures is not hyphenated:^[5]^: 7

산 → san
거리 → gŏri
고개 → gogae
대 → dae

봉 → bong
교 → gyo
골 → gol
각 → gak

벌 → bŏl
관 → gwan
곶 → got
강 → gang

Sound changes are not transcribed in the suffixes above:^[5]^: 4–5

삿갓봉 → Satkatbong
압록강 → Amrokgang

Transcription of geographical names may be simplified by removing breves and by reducing initial double consonants to single consonants:^[5]^: 8

서포 → Sŏpho → Sopho
찔레골 → JJilregol → Jilregol

Notes

^ The 1992 version used oe instead;^[2] Rodong Sinmun still uses oe as of 2022.^[6]

References

^ The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff (2024). The Chicago Manual of Style (18th ed.). University of Chicago Press. 11.95. ISBN 9780226817972.
^ ^a ^b "Working Paper No. 46" (PDF). UNGEGN. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
^ ^a ^b "Updates to the report on the current status of United Nations romanization systems for geographical names" (PDF). UNGEGN. Retrieved 2018-03-17. In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea there is a national system adopted in 1992 and presented to the 17th session of UNGEGN in 1994, updated version was published in 2002²⁰.
^ "E/CONF.94/INF.72 - Guideline for the Romanization of Korean" (PDF). UNGEGN. 2002-08-26. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o "E/CONF.101/CRP15 - The Rules of Latin Alphabetic Transcription of Korean Language" (PDF). UNGEGN. 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
^ "Choe Ryong Hae Inspects Different Units of South Phyongan Province". Rodong Sinmun. 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
^ 김보람(金보람). 한국법조인대관 [List of Legal Professionals in Korea] (in Korean). 법률신문 (The Law Times). Retrieved 2023-08-15.
^ 강보람(姜寶濫). 한국법조인대관 [List of Legal Professionals in Korea] (in Korean). 법률신문 (The Law Times). Retrieved 2023-08-15.

[7] The 1992 version used oe instead;^[2] Rodong Sinmun still uses oe as of 2022.^[6]

[1] The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff (2024). The Chicago Manual of Style (18th ed.). University of Chicago Press. 11.95. ISBN 9780226817972.

[1992version-2] "Working Paper No. 46" (PDF). UNGEGN. Retrieved 2018-03-17.

[UNGEGN2004-3] "Updates to the report on the current status of United Nations romanization systems for geographical names" (PDF). UNGEGN. Retrieved 2018-03-17. In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea there is a national system adopted in 1992 and presented to the 17th session of UNGEGN in 1994, updated version was published in 2002²⁰.

[2002version-4] "E/CONF.94/INF.72 - Guideline for the Romanization of Korean" (PDF). UNGEGN. 2002-08-26. Retrieved 2022-07-13.

[2012version-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o "E/CONF.101/CRP15 - The Rules of Latin Alphabetic Transcription of Korean Language" (PDF). UNGEGN. 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2022-07-13.

[6] "Choe Ryong Hae Inspects Different Units of South Phyongan Province". Rodong Sinmun. 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-07-13.

[8] 김보람(金보람). 한국법조인대관 [List of Legal Professionals in Korea] (in Korean). 법률신문 (The Law Times). Retrieved 2023-08-15.

[9] 강보람(姜寶濫). 한국법조인대관 [List of Legal Professionals in Korea] (in Korean). 법률신문 (The Law Times). Retrieved 2023-08-15.

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