54% Koreans saying not knowing Hanja makes life uncomfortable: opinion poll

A child passes by a screen displaying Chinese and Korean characters in Seoul, Oct 9, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

More than half of South Koreans think that not knowing Hanja (Chinese characters) has made life uncomfortable, according to a recent Korean Gallup Opinion Poll on Hangul and Hanja.

The poll, to commemorate Hangul Day on Oct 9, 2014, was conducted from Sept 30 to Oct 2 and asked over 1,000 participants from various age, occupation, and regional backgrounds for opinions on Korean views on Hangul, which is Korean script, and Hanja and their role in Korean language and society.

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The poll results showed that 54 percent of Koreans answered "yes" when asked "whether not knowing Hanja has made life uncomfortable", but it’s a sharp decrease from a similar survey in 2002, in which about 70 percent of respondents gave a positive answer.

The poll also concluded that senior Koreans prefer Hanja. The older the person, the more likely he is to say that not knowing Hanja has made life uncomfortable.

In reply to the pollsters' second question on whether Hanja was "Korean" or "foreign", 47 percent responded it was "foreign", while 48 percent said "Korean", implying Hanjia has international characters.

The next question was whether Hangul-Hanja mixed script should be used or Hangul exclusive script should be used. In 2002, about 55 percent of Koreans believed that mixed script should be used, and this year's poll reveals that the percentage of Koreans in favor of the mixed script actually increased to 57 percent.

The advocates of mixed script think that only by knowing Hanja can one fully express the original meaning of the script and that will reduce misunderstandings.

Respondents were overwhelmingly in favor, with 67 percent for and 29 against the final question, which was about the plan to reintroduce mixed script textbooks to third graders in elementary school by 2018.

The Korean Ministry of Education made the announcement on Sept 24, but was still receiving strong objections from Korean Language Society and some civil groups.

The opponents said that to consolidate Hanja education will only "degrade Hangul as a tool to interpret Chinese characters".