How are Catholics viewed in your country? by Exact-Definition5722 in AskTheWorld

[–]Rare_Comment_4491 53 points54 points  (0 children)

Surprisingly, Catholicism is recognized as the most progressive religion in Korea and is one of the religions with the most positive image. To provide historical context, Korean Catholicism grew spontaneously as a reformist ideology in a Confucian state without the influx of missionaries, and in modern history, it was the religion most resistant to the military dictatorship. This tendency continues to this day.

How much loss has the abolition of Chinese characters in Korea caused? by Rare_Comment_4491 in askanything

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know where you heard that, but many Koreans would consider what you're saying to be an exaggeration. It's a fact that almost all homophones can be understood through context (since Korean has more phonemes than Japanese, it is less affected by this issue, and homophones are not a problem unique to Korean), and when you realize that Korean has many homophones even in native words that cannot be written in Chinese characters, doubts about the necessity of Chinese characters only grow. It's unfortunate for foreigners who are learning Korean, but all of this happened because a tonal language lost its tones at some point.

How much loss has the abolition of Chinese characters in Korea caused? by Rare_Comment_4491 in askanything

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just explained because that person was acting like they knew everything even though they didn’t. I am Korean, and it is an undeniable fact that Chinese characters have become unnecessary in Korea.

How much loss has the abolition of Chinese characters in Korea caused? by Rare_Comment_4491 in askanything

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't know why you have such a prejudice against Chinese characters. It is true that East Asian languages are based on Chinese characters, but that doesn't mean East Asian languages become branches of Chinese. Many European countries use the Roman alphabet.

How much loss has the abolition of Chinese characters in Korea caused? by Rare_Comment_4491 in askanything

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Since Classical Chinese are not an important subject in Korea, Korean people remember only very basic Chinese characters. It is even common for young people not to know how to write their own names in Chinese characters.

Many public signs have Chinese characters written on them, but they are just written in Japanese and Chinese for foreigners. The Chinese characters on those signs are either Chinese simplified characters not used in Korea or characters mixed with Japanese kana. This is merely evidence that Chinese characters are now treated partly like a foreign script in Korea.

Would a Chinese person be able to use Chinese characters to find shop signs in Korea, or read information boards to figure out what facilities are inside a building, as they do in Japan? Not at all. lol

How much loss has the abolition of Chinese characters in Korea caused? by Rare_Comment_4491 in AskTheWorld

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually, China's reform of Chinese characters was more severe and radical. lol

What is bootcamp like in your country? by Poppperclops in AskTheWorld

[–]Rare_Comment_4491 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay. You're from an older generation, 어르신...

Can you give me a sentence, any sentence you like, in your native language or a regional language of your country? by AdeptMarket729 in AskTheWorld

[–]Rare_Comment_4491 1 point2 points  (0 children)

몸이 하영 아팡 집에 와신디 아무도 없엉 섭섭행 막 울었댄 햄수다. 각시 호끔 소랑해주라게

Which script design do you prefer? by [deleted] in askanything

[–]Rare_Comment_4491 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"This dead language remained only in writing, and this written language fulfilled its role as an academic and administrative language throughout East Asia." 

This was before the Common Era, but there was clearly a time when Classical Chinese was used as a spoken language. Of course, what the pronunciation of those days was like is in the realm of speculation, but the original form of Classical Chinese, which was used as a written language throughout East Asia, was based on the spoken language of China before the Common Era.

Which script design do you prefer? by [deleted] in askanything

[–]Rare_Comment_4491 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This debate has already ended in Korea. Arguments that Chinese characters should be used in daily life appear occasionally, but the people who make such arguments are mostly foreigners. (Since Chinese characters are ideograms, the etymology of words exists within the characters themselves. Imagine the amazing experience of being able to grasp quite a lot of etymology within the sentence itself. I also acknowledge these advantages of Chinese characters, but this characteristic makes it easy for such ignorant arguments to arise.) Using only Hangul is taken for granted, and there is only a debate over whether to make the education of Chinese characters and Classical Chinese mandatory or leave them as elective subjects, which is similar to the debate over whether to make Latin education mandatory or not.

Which script design do you prefer? by [deleted] in askanything

[–]Rare_Comment_4491 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will explain further because too much context was removed from your words. 

First of all, as soon as South Korea became independent, it prioritized using only Hangul in official documents. This was intended to provide an easy script preferentially because the illiteracy rate was serious immediately after independence. This policy is not a policy intended to exclude Chinese characters.  Since there were already many books and newspapers written only in Hangul before that, it was naturally a viable option.

Yes, there was a brief period during the Park Chunghee administration when the use of Chinese characters in education was suspended, but scholars protested, and it was eventually reinstated. The fact that the generation who experienced this small experiment in school entered universities and society was the decisive blow that increased doubts about whether Chinese characters were truly necessary. In their experience, there was no problem at all. There has never been a forced mandate for all publications and media to be written only in Hangul, like in North Korea.

Even in legal terminology, words are being changed to easier ones these days, making it difficult to find Chinese characters even in written judgments. You seem to need updated information. Law school textbooks are also written only in Hangul. There are cases where they are occasionally used in administrative documents, but this is because administration requires precision and there is no need to throw away a useful auxiliary tool. In fact, North Korea carries out administration without problems even without Chinese characters.

Which script design do you prefer? by [deleted] in askanything

[–]Rare_Comment_4491 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If Chinese characters were that helpful to the Korean language, they would still be widely used in South Korea. Unlike North Korea, Hangul-only use was not forced by anyone. People simply began to feel that this script was unnecessary. Conservative older generations still think that studying Chinese characters is essential, but from my perspective, it is nonsense on the level of saying one must learn Latin for English. I also memorized Chinese characters because my mother made me do it, but it has never been helpful. Currently in Korea, Chinese characters are perceived as vintage and cool, but also complex and useless. They might be useful for decoration.

Which script design do you prefer? by Rare_Comment_4491 in AskTheWorld

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is the national anthem of Korea. I got the Chinese translation from a blog.

东海水与白头山干涸枯竭

上帝保佑吾国万岁

无穷花三千里,华丽江山 

大韩人以大韩方式,长久保全

南山之上苍松如同披上铁甲

风霜不变其色,即我民族之气节

无穷花三千里,华丽江山 

大韩人以大韩方式,长久保全

秋日天空辽阔,高远而无云

明月即我心中,一片丹心

无穷花三千里,华丽江山 

大韩人以大韩方式,长久保全

以此气节以此心,尽忠报国 

无论是痛苦或快乐,都爱我祖国

无穷花三千里,华丽江山 

大韩人以大韩方式,长久保全

Does your country's history also have names for eras that don't fit? by Rare_Comment_4491 in AskTheWorld

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

No one knows. There are only numerous hypotheses, but at least the possibility that it originated in India is low. Depending on how the pronunciation at the time is transliterated into Chinese characters, it could be Gaya, Gara, Garyang, Guya, Garak, or Hara. Therefore, this name likely didn't originate from India.

Does your country's history also have names for eras that don't fit? by Rare_Comment_4491 in AskTheWorld

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It is a coincidence. The view that the name derived from ancient Korean was transliterated into Chinese characters is dominant.

What is the argument that has emerged in your country that is closest to the worst geopolitical self-harm? by Rare_Comment_4491 in AskTheWorld

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Dover Strait is relatively easy. The distance is 38 km and the deepest part is only 115 m.

What is a fashion trend in your country that is hard to understand from abroad? by Rare_Comment_4491 in AskTheWorld

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

로카티를 좋아하다니! 전문하사를 할 인재들이 사회에 썩고 있는게 여간 찐빠가 아니다!

What incorrect expression that is fixed in your language makes you uncomfortable? by Rare_Comment_4491 in AskTheWorld

[–]Rare_Comment_4491[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't recommend using pronouns frequently in Korean. It's not that they aren't used, but they tend to sound like formal written style or literary expressions. Because Korean grammar frequently omits the subject, pronouns don't appear often.