What are the differences in speaking between North and South Korea? | Radio Free Asia (RFA)

North Koreans are secretly watching and listening to so many South Korean movies and songs smuggled into the country that they are becoming increasingly worried that they might let a banned word slip – and face prison time or even death for using “capitalist” lingo, sources in the country tell Radio Free Asia.

“Residents who are already accustomed to the South Korean way of speaking now feel like they have to practice the Pyongyang dialect,” said a resident in the northwestern province of North Pyongan, referring to the capital.

“They are worried that South Korean words will unintentionally or unknowingly come out of their mouths and that they will be punished,” he said. For example, North Korean women dare not call their husbands or boyfriends “jagiya” (which correlates to honey) or “oppa” (another term of endearment that literally means older brother). Instead, they must stick with “dongji,” (comrade), the source said.

People are also having to avoid using South Korean loan words from English such as “paesyeon” (fashion), “heeoseutail” (hairstyle) and “waipeu” (wife). “Even openly saying ‘I love you’ is evidence that they have seen South Korean movies and such language has become normalized,” the source said.

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[Libtober]

I love how North Korean use standard and traditional vocabulary instead of using pretty much amount of loan words, which is kinda poetic

[TheOz]

North Korea is slightly more "pure" Korean but also more Russian and Chinese loan words for certain things.

[FORREST_X]

Now I see why North Korean defector find it hard to live in South Korea

[jwc]

We can understand each other while talking, but South Korean can easily catch the north Korean because of the words we don't use it at all and the accent.

[WeedShaggy]

Its like how Brazilian Portuguese/Traditional Portuguese are spoken. Pretty interesting. They have a similar language with different dialects and phrases.

[theglobetrottersv]

In resume, North Korea still relies on its own language for every word, unlike South Korea they have added more English words. Some words even in the same language are different but that's normal everywhere among regions in the same country or language spoken.

[ekhmalzul]

The North Korean be looking more like southern than her counterparts 💀

[koulematon]

S. Korean: mobile phone
N. Korean: ?
S. Korean: ramyon (ramen)
N. Korean: ???

[MrEddeham]

So is the North Korea Korean the original Korean?

[someguy]

It'd make more sense for a nation that rejects everything and strictly keeps it's traditions to sound more Korean than one that embraces outside mostly western influence

[hanzimaster]

0:07 I haven’t seen this word, only 아이스크림 (same as the south) or 에스키모

[hanbyol]

"Miso" is used also in the north.

[xorandor]

Feels like the North Korean lady had training in being a presenter. After each phrase she nods her head to acknowledge the audience or shifts her body to face the other lady if it's part of a conversation. Captivating performance on camera.

[michaelkahn]

60년대 까지는 서울말의 거짓말은 평양말(육이오 때북한에서 내려온 난민들의 말)로 가짓말 혹은 거짓뿌렁이라고 했지요.

[chumeobuon]

Wow They are different much more than I thought. Even in basic sentences. I wonder if North Korean people and South Korean people understand each other if they are talking in their own dialects

[jebril]

Damn I would've flipped it around and would think the more dolled up one is from the rich South

[stevet]

anyone knows if the girl on the ride side has insta? im doing research for school work.

[joeyjojojrshabadoo]

It's hard to find content about the linguistical differences between now and south that isn't strictly through a geopolitical lens.

[RHQ_W]

Can the non-korean stop making assumptions which one is older or Which one has much pure Language? Both of them have loans word but only from different influence. These poeple not from both countries like to assume stuff is annoying.

[HKim]

Not a fan of the loan words: they have 2 versions for the word, "grape" (English version and Korean version). Not sure why.