'Pretty officer'? Defense ministry's glossary for multicultural soldiers plagued with translation errors
A page from the Ministry of National Defense's English-language military glossary lists noncommissioned officer ranks, misspelling "petty officer" as "pretty officer." Captured from glossary
Several translation errors were found in a Ministry of National Defense glossary meant to help soldiers unfamiliar with the Korean language, raising questions about the ministry's vetting process as the number of troops from multicultural backgrounds continues to grow.
In August, the ministry said it had compiled the glossary to explain 562 common military terms such as "salute" and "roll call" for soldiers with overseas permanent residency and those from multicultural backgrounds.
The words, compiled from observations of a soldier's daily routine, were translated into English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish and Japanese, posted on the Military Manpower Administration's website and distributed in print to new recruits.
But the glossary was plagued with translation errors.
A page from the Ministry of National Defense's English-language military glossary incorrectly defines "chamber check," above, as weather conditions that restrict activities, such as rain or strong winds. Captured from glossary
In the English version, the Korean word for "petty officer" was mistranslated as "pretty officer." The Korean word meaning "checking the chamber for rounds after firing" was rendered instead as "Weather conditions such as rain, snow, or strong winds that restrict activities," an unrelated sentence about the weather.
The term for cold-weather outerwear was mistranslated as "A watch equipped with smart features such as photography, music playback, and social media access." The term for a winter liner jacket was mistranslated as "A squad leader who teaches soldiers basic conduct and daily routines in the barracks." Errors were also reportedly found in the Chinese and Japanese versions.
The ministry said 10 soldiers who had lived abroad helped as a monitoring group, selecting terms and verifying translations. It spent 34 million won ($25,200) on the publication and had already distributed 3,000 copies of the glossary.
A page from the Ministry of National Defense's English-language military glossary mistakenly defines "cold-weather outer jacket," above, as a watch with smart features, and pairs "cold-weather inner layer," below, with an explanation about a squad leader. Captured from the glossary
"We acknowledge there were translation and editorial errors and apologize to service members and the public for failing to provide accurate information," the ministry said. "We will thoroughly review all five language versions, swiftly correct the errors and strengthen our translation and review procedures to prevent similar problems from recurring."
Since a 2009 revision to the Military Service Act, all Korean nationals have been subject to mandatory military service regardless of race or skin color, opening the door for people from multicultural families to serve.
The number of soldiers from multicultural backgrounds has steadily increased since then, from 51 in 2010 to more than 600 by 2016. The ministry stopped compiling such statistics after 2016, citing concerns that doing so could constitute discrimination.
But the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses projected that the number of soldiers from multicultural backgrounds will reach about 10,000 by 2030. The projection comes as the country's overall troop numbers are expected to shrink sharply due to the low birthrate.
Korea's total fertility rate stood at 0.8 in 2025, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, remaining low at 56 percent of the 2023 OECD average of 1.43.
The country's active-duty military, which numbered around 560,000 in 2019, had shrunk to about 450,000 last year and is projected to fall below 350,000 by 2040.