It's 'Hangang River,' not 'Han River,' says Seoul gov't

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday recommended that people and organizations call the river that divides Seoul the Hangang River rather than the Han River.

The Seouldal, a moon-shaped tethered balloon, floats above the Han River in an undated photo. [SEOUL TOURISM ORGANIZATION]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday recommended that people and organizations call the river that divides Seoul the "Hangang River" rather than the "Han River," a move confusing the English-speaking community because of its perceived redundancy.

The city government argues that media outlets and online platforms' inconsistent use of the river's English name confuses the general public and foreign tourists. A city official noted, however, that no formal complaints had been received regarding the proper use of the name.

In 2010, the Seoul city government designated the river's official name as the Hangang River to unify its English-language name in promotional materials.

The gang in Hangang translates to "river" in Korean, making the term redundant when paired with the English word “river.”

In July 2020, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established guidelines for writing the names of natural landmarks in English. The rule specifies that Korean terms should first be Romanized, followed by an English descriptor of the geographic feature.

For example, Mount Halla on Jeju Island should be written as Hallasan Mountain and Yongdam Falls in Jecheon, North Chungcheong, as Yongdampokpo Falls. The Korean terms san and pokpo translate to "mountain" and "falls," respectively.

An exception to this rule is Dokdo islets in the East Sea, written simply as Dokdo based on an official gazette issued in 2005. The guidelines also prohibit abbreviated forms such as "Riv." for river or "Mtn." for mountain, except in cases where space is limited, such as on traffic signs or maps.

Tuesday's announcement sparked mixed reactions from Korean readers, with some questioning the practicality of the rule.

"Wouldn’t it translate to 'Han River River' or 'Halla Mountain Mountain'?" one Instagram user commented on a post on Hey.News, a social news platform operated by local broadcaster JTBC, about the river's official name.

While such literal translations are possible, the city government clarified that the rule aims to reduce foreigners' confusion by promoting the river's accurate English name.

According to a city official, the official reminder of the name comes as the river is a popular tourist attraction, with many events related to the site.

“It is time for the public and private sectors to collaborate to provide higher-quality travel services in response to the growing number of foreign tourists and to promote the Hangang River consistently,” said Joo Yong-tae, head of the city government’s Future Hangang Project Headquarters.

“The city government will make various efforts to ensure the correct English version of the Hangang River is widely adopted.”

The Korea JoongAng Daily editorial board has decided to maintain the use of the Han River terminology according to our style guide.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]