The Newsletter 101 Winter 2025

News from Australia and the Pacific

Edwin JurriënsCathy Harper

The Nature and Impact of Language Policies and Conventions in Korea

For News from Australia and the Pacific, we ask contributors to reflect on their own research and the broader academic field in Australia and the Pacific of which it is a part. Our contributions aim to give a select overview of Asia-related studies in Australia and beyond, and to highlight exciting intellectual debates on and with Asia. 

In this edition on ‘The Nature and Impact of Language Policies and Conventions in Korea’, our authors focus on the variety and complexity of intersections between language, ideology, and identity in North and South Korea. Daniel Pieper discusses the linguistic divide between North and South Korea, due to the diverging language policies of post-World War II regimes in both countries. Adam Zulawnik analyses the ideological differences in the various references to the very notions of ‘Korea’ and ‘Korean’. Lucien Brown addresses the linguistic, social, and cultural challenges experienced by foreign learners of Korean during their study programs in South Korea.