This page will go into some of the history, issues, and reasons behind spelling Corea with a C, a topic I have found very interesting.

The C spelling represents a pre-20th century connotation. A more romantic traditional time with a single unified Corea, before it became occupied by outside forces, almost erased, and later split in half in the 20th century.

Primarily English speaking countries use the “Korea” spelling. Many of the Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian) and countries in Europe use the C spelling exclusively.

According to one English teacher in Corea:

“Korea wasn’t always spelled with a “K”. In fact, if you ask any of the students, they always spell it with a “C”. Teacher, it’s Corea, not Korea. Apparently Japan didn’t feel important enough when they conquered “Corea”. C is before J, you see. That just wouldn’t do. They were the ones that changed it to Korea with a “K”.” — (March 6, 2003)

Personally, I don’t believe the explanation is quite that simple, but it is one of the more popular reasons passed down. The name “Corea” actually originated from the Goryo dynasty (10th to 14th Century, pronounced “Gor-yuh”). That name was actually a shortened version of Gogoryu, which was an even earlier dynasty representing Corea. Through Mongolian and Western contact, the Corean peninsula gradually became known as Goryo which was pronounced as “Goryuh” which was eventually written down in Latin and French as “Corea” or “Coree” (because that’s what it sounded like).

The K-spelling was adopted by English and Japanese translators by the early twentieth century, and solidified during the Japanese Occupation of Corea (1910 to 1945). During this occupation, the goal of Imperial Japan (which is a well documented protocol of the era) was to erase all signs of Corean culture (names, language, costume, tradition, temples, historic landmarks, and lineages were all outlawed and/or destroyed) and assimilate Coreans into Japanese citizens. This cultural annihilation was nearly complete until the Japanese left at the end of World War II. Most if not all of what was destroyed was rebuilt and remembered, proudly and stubbornly as usual in Corea history. (This is a large part of why there is still much political Corean-Japanese rivalry and why Coreans are so protective of their traditions.)

Exactly why this C-to-K spelling changed has been a point of controversy. Was it standard for the Anglicized spelling at the time? Was it a petty attempt to have Japan rank higher than one of its colonies on the international listings which were in English?

The fact remains that it was spelled with a “C” prior to this period of unwelcome occupation, and still is by much of the world, other than the Americas. (In the Corean language, Corea is called Hanguk. In Japanese, Japan is Nippon or Nihon.)

A search for “Corea” will reveal several sites with that spelling – including some rare Japanese sites. Native Coreans themselves will often use either Anglicized spelling depending on which country is being addressed, or what they were taught or believe in.

The Seoul Olympics of 1988 used the K-spelling, primarily because Corea wanted to show the world (and especially their trade-partner, The United States) that they were rebuilt, modern, and American-friendly.

Increased awareness of the “mythical” pre-Japanese Occupation C-spelling began during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics since Spain, Italy, and France have always used that spelling.

During the 2002 World Cup there was an even greater resurgence of signs and apparel denoting the Corea spelling.

This was partially because the World Cup audience was primarily an international one (that tends to use the C over the K). But it also had a nationalistic intent by a few dedicated supporters to promote the vision a someday pre-Occupation pre-divided Corea. One cannot overestimate Corean pride.

Older generations would often tell their children that the Japanese changed the spelling from Corea to Korea so that they would be always be ahead of Corea on international listings, alphabetically at least. This is partially myth, but loosely based on relevant facts of international meeting order at the time (see article at end of this page).

Apparently a Corean author wrote a book about the historical C-spelling and it caught on in some groups – mostly fervent college scholars of Corean history. In English transactions prior to the Japanese Occupation of 1910, Corea was mostly spelled with a C. There are occasional stamps circulating on the net from pre-1910 where they spell it with a K, but this was by no means exclusive nor the norm prior to 1910.

Counter arguments have brought up that more appropriate names for Corea would be “Tae Han Min Guk” or “Hanguk” or “Choson” (these names will be explained in the paragraph below) but such major changes are realistically impossible as far as English is concerned. The K to C spelling works within the English system, as it is already used by much of the world. Coreans in support of the C-spelling may be idealists but they are also pragmatic.

Corea has had several names throughout its history, below (info provided by Seonsaeng Jay Han):

1. Before 1919, Coreans referred to their country as CHOSON, named after the last dynasty prior to The Japanese Occupation.

2. Another nationalistic name, “Tae Han Min Guk” was invented around 1919 after the March 1st Movement, but it didn’t catch on until 1945 or so. It translates to “People’s Republic of the Great Han.” The actual word HANGUK (the name for Corea in Corean language) came from that THMG phrase. Surprisingly, the word HANGUK didn’t even exist in the Corean language before 1919. “Han-guk” breaks down into HAN = “one” and GUK = “people”. (Tangent: Mi-guk is the word for “American.” It translates into “beautiful people.”)

3. North Coreans on the other hand, still use the “Choson” in their name, as they call themselves “Chosun In Min Gong Wha Guk” or in English, “Josun People’s (Democratic) Republic”.

The KOREA spelling is the official English spelling and is indeed spelled that way by the vast majority of Coreans in America. In Corea, the K is more common as well with English usage although the C-spelling is also used when dealing with countries other than the USA that spell it that way. It’s not a big deal to most Coreans, because as mentioned above, there are plenty of words in the Corean language for their country. But there are some Coreans who do care about the C-spelling and it’s history.

On a global scale, such a change is not very practical in a lot of established titles. Would we have to change the name R.O.K. (Republic of Korea, a.k.a. South Korea) to R.O.C. (to be confused with the Republic of China)? Would K-pop (Korean pop music) change to C-pop (Canto-pop, or Chinese pop music is already called that). Admittedly, it is most unlikely to happen.

Subjectively, many feel the K-spelling is just a little cooler and stronger sounding. The C-spelling, in contrast, is a little softer, more traditional, and historic.

I feel that honoring this history with the C-spelling on my site is the least I can do. To myself, it represents the lost memories and nearly-forgotten history of a pre-occupation pre-war unified Corea, without North and South, without a communism versus freedom connotation. At the very least, it gets people to ask why some people (like myself) spell it like that and they learn a little about Corean history, even if they disagree or do not care.

–

Side Note: In the Corean sci-fi movie 2009: Lost Memories, the plot centers on the question of what if Japan never left Corea and Corea became a true “Japanese colony.” The Resistance is a bunch of hard-core Coreans (hard-Corean?) who refer to themselves as “Choson,” just like pre-1910. Which was also kind of neat.

PART II

WHY I SPELL “COREA” WITH A “C”

[The following is an original article written by Dr. Jung Ha Lee, PhD from igoo.com.]

The current official usage is Korea as in the Republic of Korea. But, the name Korea originates from the French description of this peninsula “Coree” when it was first discovered by the Westerners, such as Dutch navigators centuries earlier (perhaps, around 1600s when the “new discovery” was active.) Korean history broadly spans from the “Three Kingdoms Period (BC52-AD938),” “Koryo Kingdom (938-1392),” “Chosun Kingdom (1392-1910)” “Japanese Colonial Occupation (1910-1945)” and “Republic of Korea (1948-present).” The name Korea or “Coree” comes from the name “Koryo.”

Now, it used to be “Coree” (in French) or “Corea (in other Latin countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal, etc). So, prior to Japanese colonial rule, all foreigners called us Cor’ee or Corea, and the land was also known abroad as such.

As you may know, French is the diplomatic language along with English. Until the 18th century, French was dominant diplomatic language. Prior to and during the Congress of Vienna (1815), there was quite a controversy over the diplomatic hierarchy as to who should enter the conference room (banquet hall, etc) first among kings, queens, ambassadors, etc, because they were all co-equals as head of a land (large or small) – the so-called sovereignty factor. So, at the end of the Congress, it was agreed that the diplomatic (or international) hierarchy (or precedence – not ranking but the order of seating, so to speak) would follow the initial of each country in order of the French language. This practice is still in use at UN and other occasions to eliminate possible displeasure among the participants.

When the Japanese occupied Korea in 1910 (in fact, decades before, since Japan was active internationally and Korea was a “Hermit Kingdom” clinging to isolationism against the West), Japan changed it into Korea, because C would come before J, but J would come before K, and they did not want ever to follow behind Koreans in any international stage. Not only at meetings, but in any international order, publications, index, flags displays, etc. etc. Subsequently, Japan occupied Korea for 35 years, and of course, the name “Korea” stuck with us ever since.

In my opinion, the reason(s) the Red Devils tried to use “Corea” instead of “Korea” has this dual purpose: “Korea” is limited to English-speaking countries only, whereas “Corea” is readable and understandable to all the countries and peoples, including French-, Spanish-, English- and other-language speaking peoples that came to Korea or watched on TV. The Red Devils also chanted “Oh, Pilsung, CoREEAA!!,” instead of “Oh, Pilsung, CoRiiA (Korea)!!,” to indicate their preference of Corea to Korea.” All their red headbands and banners were also spelled “Corea,” (a tinge of nationalism there, get it?) Aesthetically, I prefer Coree and Corea better than Korea. Whether we will “officially” change it, I don’t know, and I don’t think so for now.

Maybe after or upon unification?

PART III

[The following is an article by the LA Times, September 2003. It's a bit sarcastic but interesting.]

Korea or Corea? Debate is historical, political
By Barbara Demick
Los Angeles Times

SEOUL, South Korea – Is alphabetical order destiny?

Yes, say Korean scholars and politicians who have begun a drive to change the official English-language name of their country to “Corea.” The seemingly arcane campaign is based on an increasingly prevalent belief that the original “C” was switched to a “K” by the Japanese at the start of their 1910-45 occupation of the peninsula so that their lowly colonials would not precede them in the English alphabetical hierarchy.

The controversy used to be fodder only for linguists and historians, but lately the debate has seeped out of academia and into the realm of the political. Twenty-two South Korean legislators last month introduced a resolution in their parliament calling for the government to adopt the Corea spelling – the first time such a proposal has been made in official quarters in South Korea.

North and South Korean scholars, who rarely agree on much, also held an unusual joint conference last month in Pyongyang, the North’s capital, and resolved to work together for a spelling change. They hope it can be accomplished in time for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, when the estranged countries intend to field a joint team.

“Scholars who have studied this more deeply than I believe it was part of the legacy of Japanese imperialists to eradicate our culture,” said Kim Sung Ho, a South Korean legislator who was one of the sponsors of the new resolution.

Most evidence supporting the claim is circumstantial. English books and maps published through the 19th century generally spelled the country’s name as Corea, as did the British government in laying the cornerstone of its embassy in Seoul in 1890 with the name “Corea.”

But sometime in the early 20th century, “Korea” began to be seen more frequently than “Corea” – a change that coincided with Japan’s consolidation of its grip over the peninsula.

Chung Yong Wook, a historian at Seoul National University, believes the Japanese – who controlled the peninsula four years before officially colonizing it in 1910 – changed the name by the time of the 1908 Olympics in London so that Japan would come ahead in the ordering of athletes. But the closest thing he has found to a smoking gun is a 1912 memoir by a Japanese colonial official that complained of the Koreans’ tendency “to maintain they are an independent country by insisting on using a ‘C’ to write their country’s name.”

“I am sure, though, if the Japanese archives were opened you would find much more evidence to support the claim that the name was changed,” Chung said.

The North Koreans have embraced the movement to restore the “C” in Korea with much more enthusiasm than their Southern counterparts. Following the conference Aug. 21 at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung University, the North Korean news agency KCNA referred to the current spelling as “a never-to-be-condoned, state-sponsored crime.”

“The Japanese imperialists deliberately changed the English spelling of the country’s name in a bid to hurt the pride and dignity of the nation, while stretching their tentacles of aggression to it,” declared the official news agency.

Lee Sang Tae, a South Korean government historian who attended the Pyongyang conference, notes that North Korea, unlike South Korea, has not yet received reparations from Japan over the occupation and therefore might want to add the spelling manipulation to its claims for damages.

On the other hand, he said, the South Korean government is unlikely to opt for a spelling change simply because of the burden of changing so many official documents.

“A preliminary survey indicated that it would be extremely expensive,” said Lee, who helped campaign to get the South Korean government to officially recognize the Sea of Japan as the East Sea.

Momentum for the spelling change in South Korea has come mostly from the young. During last year’s World Cup soccer tournament, held jointly in Japan and South Korea, the South Korean fan club known as the Red Devils waved banners reading “COREA” – as well as “Allez Coree!” and “Forza Corea!” using French and Italian, respectively, since those languages use the preferred “C.”

And like many a campaign in this heavily wired nation, this one is being vigorously waged over the Internet. An online poll on one popular portal found that 69.4 percent of respondents favored a spelling change and 27.4 percent were opposed.

Those opposed have suggested sarcastically that Korea just pick a new name that begins with an “A” and thus would figure high in the alphabetical ranks. Or, conversely, that a rival country change its name to “Zapan.”

“Has it ever occurred to Koreans that they’ve been duped by an urban legend?” wrote one critic on an English-language site. “That Japan would change the spelling so that it comes after in English is laughable. This seems like an invented story by some who have too much time on their hands.”

The debate is moot in the Korean language, which has an entirely different alphabet.

Proponents of a spelling change concede that they are unlikely to make much progress – at least in South Korea – in the immediate future.

But they hope that if the estranged Koreas are eventually reunited, the nation will be known – and spelled – as Corea.

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company

PART IV

- This is a document from 1846 about Corean-Japanese-American commerce. The document spells Corea with a C, and is in “Olde English.” Brought to you by the Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS).

- A very Corean 2002 World Cup site made by Coreans who prefer the C-spelling. They even changed the official FIFA banner to the C-version. Even the URL is “corearo.com“.

- An old style Corean photo, 1871, whose original caption described a “Corean official.”

- Corea The Hermit Nation – a book published in 1882. Displayed in full on Google Books.

- Goldsea.com is notorious for spelling it with a C.

- Coreanism.org – ‘Nuff said.

- Corean 4 Life – Podcast and blog.

- Asian Nation acknowledges both spellings.

- Brown University’s “A Guide to Corean-American History on the Web”