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Movement for regaining English name of country

KCNA

    Pyongyang, June 2 (KCNA) -- A movement for regaining the English name of the country is going on in the north and south of Korea. Originally, the name of the country had been spelt "Corea" in western languages for hundreds of years from the mid-13th century. During the years, "Corea" had been the formal name of the country recognized by the European powers.
    The feudal government of the Ri dynasty (1392-1910) put the name of Corea in official documents concluded with diplomatic envoys of western powers. The government also dispatched its delegations to international functions under the name of Corea.
    The maps made in Europe from the latter half of the 16th century name the East Sea of Korea "Sea of Corea".
    After their occupation of the country, however, the Japanese imperialists changed Corea with Korea in a mean way. Since then, the country has been called "Korea".
    Now Korean people are campaigning to regain "Corea", while fully disclosing the Japanese imperialists' deliberate and intentional change of the country's name.
    Philologists and historians of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea held a joint symposium in Pyongyang in December Juche 91 (2002) and called for having the English spelling of the country's name corrected.
    A north-south joint academic symposium was held in Seoul in March to probe the truth behind Japan's distortion of the Korean history. The participants in the symposium said that Japan changed the first letter "C" with "K", with the result that "Corea" disappeared in the early 20th century. They were unanimous in calling for retaking the original name of the nation.
    The South Korean newspaper Hankuk Ilbo on May 3 said that "Corea" should be retaken to eliminate another leftover of Japan's colonial rule.
    This movement is joined by South Korean academic, civic and social organizations, too.
    The South Korean Council of Youth Organizations sponsored a "youth seminar for eliminating leftovers of Japanese imperialism and regaining Corea". Speaking at the seminar, Song Hyon Sok, chairman of the Eastern Seoul Youth Society, revealed that the Japanese imperialists issued a royal ordinance in 1910 urging world powers to spell the English name of the country "Korea".
    Prof. So Kyong Il of Hansin University said that the English spelling of the country's name was Corea in the light of historical records and surrounding situation ranging from the 1200s to the 1800s.