Seoul Language Legally Taken as Standard Korean
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
The Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that the law defining standard Korean as the language used in Seoul is constitutional.
Enacted in 1988, an article in Korean Language Law stipulates the standard Korean be the ``sole language widely used by educated people in Seoul,'' the legal grounds which mandates public documents and textbooks to be written in the standard language.
In 2006, 123 dialect speakers including 60 rural students filed a constitutional petition against the article.
They argued it had infringed upon people's right to pursue happiness and have equal treatment. In a public hearing last year, they complained that the article projects the image of rural citizens as uneducated and less civilized people.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, ``If public documents and textbooks are written in various dialects, those unfamiliar with them will not fully understand what they say, causing significant problems in administration and education.''