The method of English name spelling for Korean athletes will be unified to make them more familiar to foreign fans, a ranking government official said Friday.
The new system will soon be prepared and implemented ahead of the London Olympics, the official said, as the government is determined to address foreign fans' difficulty in identifying Korean players by name.
In 2000, Korea revised a system for the Romanization of Korean words, under which Koreans should use their family names first before their first names, according to the National Institute of the Korean Language.
Still, some Korean athletes used initials of their first names before their family names during international competitions. The lack of a uniform system caused confusion among foreigners.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Kim Hyun-soo, a baseball player, wore a uniform with "H S KIM" printed while swimmer Park Tae-hwan's name was spelled "Park T.H." on his uniform.
The new spelling method is set to be implemented before the London Olympics kick off in July, the official noted.
In the case of Park, Korea will require the Olympic champion to spell his name either "Park Taehwan" or "Park Tae-hwan." His name can also be spelled "Park T." in case of initialization.
Korea will also take steps to ensure its civil servants follow the new government system.
Still, the rules have not been properly enforced as some South Koreans prefer to spell their names their own way, a practice that created confusion among foreigners. (Yonhap)