Youngtag Cho

Biography 

I am a journalist with over two decades of experience at major Korean media outlets, including JoongAng Ilbo, Economist, Newsweek, Forbes and Fortune Korea. My reporting has primarily focused on economic policy and major corporations. I also have a deep interest in the evolution of the Korean language. Over the past 20 years, I have observed significant linguistic changes in Seoul influenced by social media, the internet, and English. My interest in North and South Korean language differences is rooted in personal history—both of my parents are from Pyongan Province in North Korea, and I grew up in Seoul speaking a northern dialect at home. 

Current Projects 

K-Unity Language Map: A Vital Tool for Bridging Linguistic Gaps for Unification

Research Interests

Over the past seven decades, the Korean language has evolved along increasingly divergent paths in North and South Korea. The K-Unity Language Map project seeks to trace these changes, examine the linguistic phenomena that have emerged, and explore how the two varieties of Korean may evolve in the future