South Korea

Summary

Official Name: Republic of Korea
Population: 51,611,000
Principal Languages: Korean
Literacy Rate: 98% (2019 World Factbook)
International Conventions: CPPDCE (2006), CSICH (2012), ICCPR (1966), UNCRPD (2006), UNDRIP (2007)
General References: Campbell and King 2011, Comrie 1987
Language Counts: The number of established languages listed for South Korea is 4. All are living languages. Of these, 3 are indigenous and 1 is non-indigenous. Furthermore, 3 are institutional and 1 is dying. Also listed are 4 unestablished languages.

Languages

Chinese, Mandarin cmn: Users: 198,000 in South Korea (2020 census). Status: Unestablished. Classification: Sino-Tibetan, Chinese
English eng: Users: 5,141,000 in South Korea, all users. L1 users: 141,000 in South Korea (2020). L2 users: 5,000,000 (2014 The Diplomat). Status: 4 (Educational). Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, English
Jejueo jje: Jeju province: Jeju island. Users: 5,000 in South Korea (2014 W. O’Grady). Status: 8a (Moribund). Alternate Names: Cheju, Chejumal, Cheycwu, Cheycwumal, Jeju, Jeju bang-eon, Jeju saturi, Jejumal Classification: Koreanic
Korean kor: Widespread. Users: 50,200,000 in South Korea (2020). Total users in all countries: 81,726,960. Status: 1 (National). De facto national language. Autonym: 한국말‎ (Hanguk-mal), 한국어‎ (Hanguk-eo) Classification: Koreanic
Korean Sign Language kvk: Scattered. Users: 180,000 in South Korea (2008 WFD). Approximately 0.4% of total population. Total users in all countries: 308,000. Status: 4 (Educational). Recognized language (2016, Korean Sign Language Act), Requires a KSL Development Plan every five years, promotion of standardization, use of KSL in education, promotion in other areas of life, competency testing, and interpreters. Alternate Names: Hanguk Sueo, Hanguk Suhwa Eoneo, KSL Classification: Sign language, Deaf community sign language
Mongolian, Halh khk: Users: 32,700 in South Korea (2020). Status: Unestablished. Classification: Mongolic, Eastern, Oirat-Khalkha, Khalkha-Buriat, Mongolian Proper
Nepali npi: Users: 27,200 in South Korea (International Organization for Migration (IOM) 2019), based on nationality. Status: Unestablished. Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Intermediate Divisions, Eastern, Eastern Pahari
Tagalog tgl: Users: 30,000 in South Korea (2020). Status: Unestablished. Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Greater Central Philippine, Central Philippine, Tagalog

Languages by Status

1 (National)

Korean

[kor] 1 (National). De facto national language. 50,200,000 in South Korea (2020). Total users in all countries: 81,726,960.

4 (Educational)

English

[eng] 4 (Educational). 5,141,000 in South Korea, all users. L1 users: 141,000 in South Korea (2020). L2 users: 5,000,000 (2014 The Diplomat).

Korean Sign Language

[kvk] 4 (Educational). Recognized language (2016, Korean Sign Language Act), Requires a KSL Development Plan every five years, promotion of standardization, use of KSL in education, promotion in other areas of life, competency testing, and interpreters. 180,000 in South Korea (2008 WFD). Approximately 0.4% of total population. Total users in all countries: 308,000.

8a (Moribund)

Jejueo

[jje] 8a (Moribund). 5,000 in South Korea (2014 W. O’Grady).

Unestablished

Chinese, Mandarin

[cmn] Unestablished. 198,000 in South Korea (2020 census).

Mongolian, Halh

[khk] Unestablished. 32,700 in South Korea (2020).

Nepali

[npi] Unestablished. 27,200 in South Korea (International Organization for Migration (IOM) 2019), based on nationality.

Tagalog

[tgl] Unestablished. 30,000 in South Korea (2020).

Maps

Graphs

Language Vitality Profile
Full explanation
This graph shows the profile of languages in South Korea with respect to their level of language vitality. Each individual language that has an entry for South Korea is included in the profile. The horizontal axis represents the estimated level of vitality. The height of each bar indicates the number of languages that are estimated to be at the given level.
The vitality levels and the color coding of the bars match the scheme used in the guide on How many languages are endangered? In this scheme, the levels and colors are as follows:
- Dark green = Institutional (EGIDS 0-4) — The language has been developed to the point that it is used and sustained by institutions beyond the home and community.
- Light green = Stable (EGIDS 5-6a) — The language is not being sustained by formal institutions, but It is still the norm in the home and community that all children learn and use the language.
- Red = Endangered (EGIDS 6b-9) — It is no longer the norm that children learn and use this language.
These three summary levels have been derived by grouping levels in the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (EGIDS), which is the more fine-grained scale that Ethnologue uses to assess the status of every language in terms of development versus endangerment; see the Language Status page for a description of the levels of that scale. See also the pages on Development and Endangerment for more discussion.
Language Status Profile
Full explanation
This graph shows the profile of languages in South Korea with respect to their status of language development versus language endangerment. Each individual language that has an entry for South Korea is included in the profile. The horizontal axis represents the estimated level of development or endangerment as measured on the EGIDS scale. (See the pages on Development and Endangerment for a fuller explanation.) The height of each bar indicates the number of languages that are estimated to be at the given level. Consult the Status listings for South Korea in order to see the specific languages for each level.
The color coding of the bars matches the color scheme used in the summary profile graphs on the navigation maps for the site. In this scheme, the EGIDS levels are grouped as follows:
- Purple = Institutional (EGIDS 0-4) — The language has been developed to the point that it is used and sustained by institutions beyond the home and community.
- Blue = Developing (EGIDS 5) — The language is in vigorous use, with literature in a standardized form being used by some though this is not yet widespread or sustainable.
- Green = Vigorous (EGIDS 6a) — The language is unstandardized and in vigorous use among all generations.
- Yellow = In trouble (EGIDS 6b-7) — Intergenerational transmission is in the process of being broken, but the child-bearing generation can still use the language so it is possible that revitalization efforts could restore transmission of the language in the home.
- Red = Dying (EGIDS 8a-9) — The only fluent users (if any) are older than child-bearing age, so it is too late to restore natural intergenerational transmission through the home; a mechanism outside the home would need to be developed.
- Black = Extinct (EGIDS 10) — The language has fallen completely out of use and no one retains a sense of ethnic identity associated with the language.

Resources

View Terms
Each Ethnologue country digest is a licensed product with restricted terms of use. Before downloading the product, you must agree to the following terms:
- This is a license for individual use. Just as with a conventionally published book, it is a violation of copyright to make a copy and give it to others.
- You may not redistribute this work in any form, including ingesting the contents into a database that is shared with others or posting it on a web site (whether public or private).
To inquire about permission for reuse or redistribution, please use the Contact Us form in the footer.
I agree to the digest terms of use.
Digest of the languages of South Korea ($149.95, PDF)

South Korea

Summary

Languages

Languages by Status

Maps

Graphs

Language Vitality Profile

Language Status Profile

Resources

Contributions

Editorial Action