My Korean Language Learning History
2026-02-01
Why I Call It “Korean” (Chosŏnŏ)
I deliberately use the term Chosŏnŏ (Korean language). My reasoning is based on Ueda Kōji (2025), “On the Naming Issue of ‘the Korean language’ in Japanese.” If we refer to the region as the Korean Peninsula and the people as the Korean people, then it seems natural to refer to the language as Korean (Chosŏnŏ).
Using “South Korean” too casually may give the impression that one is only interested in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), while ignoring the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and overseas Korean communities, including ethnic Koreans in China.
I have been to South Korea four times (six including transit), but except for one high school trip, all were business trips. I have no Korean relatives and very few Korean friends in Japan. In short, it is not exactly the ideal environment for learning Korean.
How I Began Studying Korean
When I was a high school student struggling deeply with English, my father once mentioned that it was possible to travel to North Korea. The idea that I could visit that “near yet distant country” fascinated me.
I immediately borrowed books from my school library. Most were labeled “Korean (South Korean).” However, I wanted to learn the Pyongyang variety rather than the Seoul variety. The only book that did not explicitly say “South Korean” was the following:
- Standard Hangul Course for Beginners, Vol. 1
At the time, I did not yet know that the writing system is called “Hangul” in the South and “Chosŏn’gŭl” (Korean script) in the North.
I read the first volume little by little every day. Whether I fully understood or not, I memorized every sentence in each lesson. I would mentally translate conversations I overheard in daily life or announcements at train stations into Korean. That is how I slowly built my foundation.
A Pendulum of Motivation
Throughout university, my motivation to study Korean swung like a pendulum. When I took a Korean class, I found that I could barely understand the weather forecast from KBS, while my classmates could. I concluded that perhaps I lacked aptitude for the language.
I did pass Level 3 of the Hangul Proficiency Test, but I have not passed Pre-Level 2.
An Unexpected Connection to Pyongyang Speech
Eventually, I gave up the idea of making a career through Korean and went to graduate school to study the Pacific region. To my surprise, there was a course focused on the Pyongyang standard language.
For two years, I studied Pyongyang Cultural Language—learning its orthography and style—and read works such as With the Century, Kim Il-sung’s memoirs. Those classes were genuinely enjoyable.
I have never had the opportunity to visit North Korea, and since COVID tourism has been closed. However, I have visited Korean autonomous regions in China, looked across the river toward North Korea from Yanji, and seen propaganda for mass games in front of DPRK embassies in Beijing and Bangkok. In my own quiet way, I indulge my interest in socialist culture.
I even visited several Air Koryo offices. In Beijing I managed to obtain a timetable. The Taipei office had already closed. The Bangkok office required a long bus trip, only to find it inactive. I once considered visiting the embassy in Tehran, but my Persian was not strong enough.
Discovering North Korean Novels
After starting my professional career, I read somewhere (possibly in a book by Satō Masaru) that novels reflect the spirit of their time. I had an idea: collecting and analyzing North Korean novels by era might reveal shifts in ideology and leadership imagery.
In North Korean novels, leaders such as Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un occasionally appear. Naturally, works mentioning the supreme leader pass state censorship. Precisely because they pass censorship, analyzing them may reveal the ideal leadership image promoted in each era.
In Japan, only Toyama University is said to have a substantial collection of North Korean novels. (If there are others, please let me know.) I began collecting them myself. My collection is modest—only dozens of volumes—but I own several titles that may be unique in Japan.
I have not yet read them all. Perhaps after retirement, I will devote time to them.
That said, I am not overly attached to this as a life mission. If someone with greater passion wishes to pursue it, I would gladly pass the books along. Apparently, only about five people nationwide actively collect North Korean novels.
Looking Ahead
Since I once worked so hard to acquire this skill, I hope to maintain connections with people from both Koreas. During business trips to China, I would occasionally slip out at night to visit North Korean state-run restaurants. During my one-year assignment in Beijing, I became a regular at one near my apartment.
Within a month, I had even found a source for Taedonggang Beer. Being able to speak Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean, I was jokingly nicknamed an “industrial spy” by one of the waitresses. It was all in good humor.
I plan to continue studying Korean at a moderate pace and, eventually, work through the stack of novels I have accumulated.
Books Mentioned
- Standard Hangul Course for Beginners, Vol. 1 (part of a five-volume series)
- Shogakukan Korean–Japanese Dictionary (successor to the dictionary I originally used)
- The Frog That Cannot Jump: The Reality of North Korean “Brainwashing Literature”