Analysis, through the press, of language policies and lexical and spelling discrepancies between the South and North Korean language

In this study we intend to analyse the main differences between the South Korean language and
the North Korean language through the North Korean press, or starting from the analysis of articles
in the Rodong sinmun (Workers' Journal). We have selected the articles published in April
and May 2021 on the uriminzokkiri.com platform, using the press as the subject of our study
because it allows us to examine the language currently in use. Even if it is a party newspaper
particularly loaded with socialist rhetoric, it allows us to have a confirmation of the vocabulary
and spelling currently used in North Korean publishing and, consequently, of the major differences
with the vocabulary of the southern spelling. In the light of this preliminary analysis, we
will try to consider the political and social repercussions that these differences could possibly
trigger both in the hypothesis of a reunification scenario, and with respect to the interaction of
North Korean refugees. Their number currently exceeds 35,000 and the flow, although significantly
lower, has not stopped even after the restrictions due to Covid-19. This community represents
a test bed of enormous value to verify the interaction of the two linguistic groups and to
have a confirmation of how the differences between the two Korean languages, which apparently
may seem marginal, can actually significantly affect the communication process.