SEOUL: Several Korean terms rooted in daily life and social relationships have been formally entered into the Oxford English Dictionary, the latest sign of Korea’s widening cultural reach.
New entries include ramyeon (Korean-style instant noodles), haenyeo (Jeju’s female free divers) and sunbae (or seonbae — a senior in a hierarchical relationship), alongside bingsu (a shaved-ice dessert), jjimjilbang (a public bathhouse), ajumma (a middle-aged woman), Korean barbecue (tabletop grilled meat) and officetel (a combined office-residential building), according to Jieun Kiaer, a University of Oxford professor who serves as the publisher’s Korean language consultant on Wednesday (Jan 7).
