Ban on Traditional Units

People Complain About Metric System Only Policy

Traditional units for weights and lengths have been banned in South Korea since the start of this month. The ban is designed to strictly enforce the international standard metric system as people live in a more globalized society. The country introduced the metric system in 1961. However, traditional measurement units have been widely used, making it difficult for the government to outlaw them.

It appears to be quite late for authorities to allow only metric units of mass, length, electrical units and others. Common metric units are the meter and the gram. However, the nation’s failure to eliminate the use of traditional units proves how hard it has been to fully introduce the international standards not only in government offices and companies but also in the daily lives of people. This reminds us that old habits die hard. The old saying goes that what's learned in the cradle is carried to the grave.

So, many individuals and businesses complain that they are suffering from confusion and inconvenience over the draconian policy. They have long been accustomed to such units as ``pyeong,’’ ``geun’’ and ``don.’’ They often do not know how to measure their houses or apartments without using pyeong. Newspapers now publish their apartment price tables by only using meters, forcing readers to convert metric units into the traditional pyeong. (One

pyeong equals 3.3058 square meters.)

Housing construction companies and real estate agents are having difficulty helping their customers calculate the size of homes and apartments that are for sale or rent. Houses and apartments have so far been measured in sizes such as 18 pyeong, 24 pyeong or 32 pyeong. Therefore, it is difficult for customers to imagine what size apartments with a floor space of 59.5 square meters, 79.3 square meters, or 105.7 square meters actually are. Even some long-term foreign residents familiar with pyeong have become baffled with the metric measurement.

In supermarkets, beef and pork are now sold in grams and kilograms instead of geun. One geun is 600 grams. Jewelers have used don (one don equals 3.75 grams) to measure the weight of gold and silver. Owners and clerks in jewelry shops are busy explaining to customers the new measurements. The customers usually complain: why do we have to give up our traditional units?

The meter and the gram are well known to South Koreans. But the metric units are hard to understand when they are compared with traditional measurements. Policymakers claimed that the use of the metric system would help consumers save about 2.7 trillion won ($2.9 billion). They pointed out that traditional units are very difficult to use in measuring the exact mass and length of products, as they have to be calculated down to three or four decimal places.

However, policymakers must remember that the government tried in vain to impose a similar ban on traditional units in 2000 and 2001. In addition, they are under criticism for not making strenuous efforts to publicize the use of metric units in order to get public support. From now on, those violating the ban may face up to 500,000 won ($540) in fines although first-time violators would be given a warning.

Imperial units such as the yard, foot and pound are called ``human measurements.’’ Traditional Korean units can be called the same. Is it actually possible and is it really necessary to force such human measurements out of use despite a public backlash? We will have to think about this.