Hanguk mal, otherwise known as Korean, is the official language of South Korea. It is one of the oldest living languages in the world. It is also the official language of the Yanbian region of China. 

Many Korean words are of Chinese origin, while the use of honorific terms is influenced by the Japanese language. 

As for the script, it is based on Chinese characters. However, it has adopted its own alphabetic script, known as “Hangeul”, created by King Sejong the Great in the 15th century.

The originality of the Korean language lies in the fact that it does not use the conjugation of verbs nor the gender of nouns.

Note:

For our next newsletter in October 2024, we will introduce you to the other Korean language (DPRK).