How can a foreigner tell if a Korean is from the South or North? Do they speak a common Korean language?

Question

There are many young Koreans studying or working, and living with their families in their communities around the major cities in the Philippines now. YOBOSEYO!

Answer 1

As someone pointed out earlier, yoboseyo is actually the hello you would say while on the phone. "Ahn-nyoung-ha-seh-yo" is the word you would say when greeting people normally.

Most Koreans you will meet will be South Korean. North Koreans, as of a couple months ago, could not defect to the United States. However, the law changed and they can legally defect to the United States, but only a few will take that long road. Most defect to South Korea or even China, which borders North Korea. I'm not sure about the Philippines, but again, I doubt that you'll meet a lot of North Koreans there.

I don't know if you know, but I'll write this anyways, due to the Korean war, the entire Korean peninsula was split in half. Essentially, the same Koreans live in the North as in the South. However, since we've been kept apart for so long (the North is strict on travel and visitors), North Koreans now have their own dialect.

Though it will be hard for a foreigner to tell whether someone is South or North Korean, here's an example, (roughly translated), oh really? in South Korean form would be "geuh-ruh-shim-nih-ggah?" but in North Korean dialect would be "geuh-ruh-sim-neh-ggah?"

Anyway, hope that helps!

Answer 2

Yoboseyo is hello, but only when speaking on the phone, or when trying to get somebodies attention (but not in a nice way)... sort of like 'Is anyone inside your head listening to me?'

The chances of a North Korean studying and living in the Philipines are very slim, as not many North Koreans are able to leave the country. However I have seen documentaries of them in Russia, but they were all wearing North Korean flag teeshirts. They were a special group.

They do still speak Korean, but as they have been separated from the south for so long, some words have changed, and they have a very noticeable different dialect. However its not unusual for Seoul people to sound a lot different to those living in Busan (further south of Seoul).
They would be able to communciate together, as they still recognise the writing style, and are speaking a dialect of Korean.

For a foreigner to notice the difference, I think they would have to have lived a long time in many different cities in Korea to be able to distinguish that they are not just from the country side in South Korea instead of a North Korean.

If I am aware that someone is North Korean (when watching a documentary) then I can notice the difference, but it's difficult without knowing initially.

Answer 3

They speak a common language but they have been seperated for such a long time that the language is just a little different in the South and in the North. There is no way for a foriegner to know where a Korean is from.

Answer 4

Most Koreans are from the South. North Koreans usually dont leave their country. And yes, they do speak the same language, but the dialects are different. Yoboseyo means "Hello?" when you answer a phone call.

Answer 5

North Koreans will be wearing a small pin of the N Korean flag or Kim Il Sung on their shirt or Jacket. You can also just ask, but it's possible they may get offended, either because there is "only one Korea" or because some Southerner think the North is backward and wouldn't want to be looked at like that. Look for the pin.

Answer 6

Yes they speak the same language but in different form (dialect). (No s krn teenagers will understand it.) I dont really think foreigner can distinguish betweeen n and s koreans. but one thing for sure is that north koreans are not that common (rare to see, out of their country). The officers doesnt like n koreans running away (that will make the land less populated and less sourceful). So many would tempt to run away but when you get caught, you will be severely punished or killed (often in public to encourage others to stop their actions) .

and from what i see n krns cover up, and are not showy from what i see.
(from tv, i see a lot of people with the hanbok (korean traditional clothes))

Answer 7

They're all from the South. North Koreans can't afford education in their own country, much less in a foreign one. Secondly, North Koreans would be refugees.

Answer 8

Well, easy answer for you.

If you ever seeing Korean, you can think they are South Korean.



And North Korean... they are dying from starvation.

North Korea and South Korea are totally under differnt circumstance.

Answer 9

a foreigner can't. it's like white folks trying to figure out the difference between the asian races. everyone assume, asian, they must be chinese. people always ask asians, how can you tell the difference between the races? similar along those lines.