There has been much debate over the use of Chinese characters (domestically known as Hanja (漢字) in Korea), in Korean orthography, otherwise known as Korean mixed script (hanja honyong, [Korean language|Korean]]: 한자혼용; Hanja: 漢字混用). The questions surrounding the use and relevance of the format over Hangŭl exclusivity (hangŭl jŏnyong, Korean: 한글전용; Hanja: 한글專用/韓글專用) are still hotly contested topics to this day in Korea and garners the attention of many, as it is an issue which concerns education from its earliest years to university.[1]
The debate itself is a question as to whether Korean should be written with Hanja mixed into the text, or purely in Hangŭl (e.g. 大韓民國을~ vs. 대한민국을~). The debate also oftentimes centres around the education of Hanja in schools, the effects of which are also debated. It is a controversial debate which concerns the orthography, vocabulary, and other aspects of the written language.
During the early years following its creation by Sejong the Great, Hangul only saw limited use by the Korean peasantry, or by scholars in mixed script, most notably in translations of Chinese text. Literary Chinese, known as hanmun (Korean: 한문; Hanja: 漢文) was used in most formal writing. In November 1894, King Gojong declared all texts in the Korean code of law to be written primarily in Hangul with a hanmun translation as reference, and optionally through mixed script.[2]
However, as literary Chinese declined in use, mixed script and Hangŭl exclusive writing started being used concurrently. Mixed script was commonly found in non-fiction writing and newspapers. In 1968, South Korean president Park Chung Hee announced the 5 Year Plan for Hangŭl Exclusivity (hangŭl jŏnyong ogaenyŏn gyehuik an, Korean: 한글전용 5개년 계획안; Hanja: 한글專用 5個年 計劃案)[3], which banned the use and teaching of Hanja in public schools, as well as forbade its use in the military. The plan aimed to eliminate hanja in writing by 1972 through legislative and executive means. However, in 1972, due to public backlash, Park's government allowed for the teaching of Hanja in special classes but maintained a ban on Hanja use in textbooks and other learning materials outside of the classes.
Park's Hanja ban was not formally lifted until 1992 under the government of Kim Young-Sam. In 1999, the Kim Dae-Jung administration actively promoted Hanja use by placing Hanja letters on signs on the road, at bus stops, and in subways. In 1999, hanmun was reintroduced as a school elective, and in 2001 the Hanja Proficiency Test (hanja nŭngryŏk gŏmjŏng sihŏm, Korean: 한자능력검정시험; Hanja: 漢字能力檢定試驗) was introduced. In 2005 an older law, the Law Concerning Hangul Exclusivity (hangŭl jŏnyonge gwahak pŏmnyul, Korean: 한글전용에 관한 법률; Hanja: 한글專用에 關한 法律) was repealed as well. In 2013 all elementary schools in Seoul started teaching hanja.
Nevertheless, due to a decline in Hanja use, most Koreans who were educated during this period were unable to read and write in hanmun script and the use of Hanja plummeted. In modern-day Korea, Hanja is now very rarely used and is almost only used for abbreviations in newspaper headlines(e.g. 中 for China, 韓 for Korea, 美 for the United States, 日 for Japan, etc.), for clarification of homophones(e.g. 이사장(李 社長) vs. 이사장(理事長)), or for stylistic use, such as the 辛 (Korean: 신라면; Hanja: 辛拉麵) used on Shin Ramyŏn packaging.