Seoul publishes unified dictionary on literary terms used by both Koreas

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- While the two Koreas have drifted apart politically,
they may get to understand each other a little better in terms of literature via
a recently published encyclopedia containing over 700 literary terms used in
Seoul and Pyongyang.
Dozens of South Korean authors, literary critics and professors spent more than
two years preparing and revising the "Literary Dictionary of the Korean Century,"
which aims mainly to bridge the gap between the literary phraseology of the two
divided countries. It is the first compilation of terms used together and
separately in the two Koreas since the their division in 1948.
"The writers of the two Koreas have been using literary terms from the west they
translated separately for more than half a century," said South Korean author Kim
Hyung-soo who participated in the project. "As literary exchanges with North
Korea will become more frequent in the future, there was an urgent need for us to
have a unified literary dictionary."
"It is regretful, however, that we could not consult North Korean authors," he
added. "That would have made the book complete."
Seoul and Pyongyang have been using different literary terms for the past
century, not only due to the territorial split but the diplomatic circumstances,
Kim explained.
While the capitalist South adapted to the literary terms used by Britain and the
United States, its communist neighbor depended heavily on the Russian
phraseology.
For example, the term "modernism" refers to "an art trend based on contemporary
movement" in Seoul, while North Korea calls it "a decadent art trend by the
bourgeoisie."
The dictionary, compiled by Seoul's Arts Council Korea and published by Book
Asia, contains 705 terms that include common wordings such as "classicism,"
"allegory" and "expressionism." It also includes terms that will be unfamiliar to
South Koreans such as "Byeoksoseol (very short fictions based on pressing
issues)" and "Maldadeumgisaup (a decision by Pyongyang's former leader Kim
Il-sung in 1966 to ban the use of all foreign languages)."
South Korean literati has been growing more interested in North Korean literature
especially after "Hwang Jini," a novel by North Korean author Hong Seok-jung, was
awarded Seoul's prestigious Manhae Literature Award in 2005.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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