By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter
The next government is poised to push for a revision of the current Romanization system for the alphabet ― when converting English into Korean words.
``It is difficult for Koreans to pronounce English words like native speakers as long as the Romanization remains unchanged,'' Chairwoman Lee Kyung-sook of the transition committee said Wednesday.
Lee was referring to the need for revising the system during a public hearing on the project to improve public English education.
She said that foreigners sometimes don't understand the pronunciation of Koreans because of what she believes is the current ``inaccurate'' Romanization, pointing out many Koreans' confusion between the sound of ``l'' and ``r'' or between ``f'' and ``p.''
Citing examples such as ``orange'' and ``press-friendly,'' she stressed the Romanization should be closer to the real pronunciation.
But the revision may involve trillions of won, casting doubt over efficacy ― whether the revision will be linked to better pronunciation of Koreans.
Linguists are of the view that there is no Korean letter to exactly replace the sound of ``th'' as well as ``l, r, f, p.''
Some say more importantly is the Romanization when converting Korean into English for foreigners in Korea.
For example, Jung-gu ward office's Web site introduces tourist attractions in the district. If you click ``Myungdong,'' you cannot find information about Myungdong but will find that of ``Myeongdong'' instead.