Romanization of Korean (North Korean system) explained

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^[4] and 2012.^[5]

Transcription rules

Korean: ㅏ

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

Hangul

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

• Korean: 닭섬 → Taksŏm

• Korean: 물곬 → Mulkol
• However, in the case before a vowel, both consonants are written:

• Korean: 붉은바위 → Pulgŭnbawi

• Korean: 앉은바위 → Anjŭnbawi
• The soft voiceless consonants between vowels Korean: ㄱ, Korean: ㄷ, and Korean: ㅂ and those between resonant sounds and vowels are transcribed as g, d, and b.
• Final consonants may undergo assimilation before resonants.

• Korean: 백마산 → Paengmasan

• Korean: 꽃마을 → KKonmaŭl

• Korean: 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.

• Korean: 기대산 → Kittaesan

• Korean: 새별읍 → Saeppyŏl-ŭp

• Korean: 뒤문 → Twinmun
• The consonant clusters Korean: ㄴㄹ and Korean: ㄴㄴ are only transcribed as ll if they correspond with longstanding usage; Korean: ㄹㄹ does not have a special transcription.

• Korean: 천리마 → Chŏllima

• Korean: 한나산 → Hallasan

• Korean: 찔레골 → JJilregol
• Double consonants may be capitalized as a single unit: kk → KK.

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.

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

However, it is not really possible to follow this rule because a certain name written in hangul can be a native Korean name, or a Sino-Korean name, or even both. For example, Korean: [[Bo-ram (name)|보람]] can not only be a native Korean name,^[6] but can also be a Sino-Korean name (e.g. 寶濫).^[7] 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:

• Korean: 도 → -do
• Korean: 시 → -si
• Korean: 군 → -gun
• Korean: 면 → -myŏn

• Korean: 리 → -ri
• Korean: 동 → -dong
• Korean: 구 → -gu
• Korean: 구역 → -guyŏk

However, a name for geographic features and artificial structures is not hyphenated:

• Korean: 산 → san
• Korean: 거리 → gŏri
• Korean: 고개 → gogae
• Korean: 대 → dae

• Korean: 봉 → bong
• Korean: 교 → gyo
• Korean: 골 → gol
• Korean: 각 → gak

• Korean: 벌 → bŏl
• Korean: 관 → gwan
• Korean: 곶 → got
• Korean: 강 → gang

Sound changes are not transcribed in the suffixes above:

• Korean: 삿갓봉 → Satkatbong
• Korean: 압록강 → Amrokgang

Transcription of geographical names may be simplified by removing breves and by reducing initial double consonants to single consonants:

• Korean: 서포 → Sŏpho → Sopho
• Korean: 찔레골 → JJilregol → Jilregol

Notes and References

1. Book: The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff . The Chicago Manual of Style . . 2024 . 9780226817972 . 18th . 11.95 . en.
2. Web site: Working Paper No. 46 . . 2018-03-17.
3. Web site: Updates to the report on the current status of United Nations romanization systems for geographical names . . 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..
4. Web site: E/CONF.94/INF.72 - Guideline for the Romanization of Korean . . 2002-08-26 . 2022-07-13.
5. Web site: E/CONF.101/CRP15 - The Rules of Latin Alphabetic Transcription of Korean Language . . 2012-07-19 . 2022-07-13.
6. Web site: https://lawpeople.lawtimes.co.kr/lawman/10502/preview. ko:김보람(金보람). 한국법조인대관. List of Legal Professionals in Korea. 법률신문 (The Law Times). 2023-08-15. ko.
7. Web site: https://lawpeople.lawtimes.co.kr/lawman/21732/preview. ko:강보람(姜寶濫). 한국법조인대관. List of Legal Professionals in Korea. 법률신문 (The Law Times). 2023-08-15. ko.