What is Korean for Frappuccino? A bewildered North Korean defector cowering beneath the menu at a Starbucks in Seoul epitomises a growing linguistic schism that is forcing North and South Koreans apart and could complicate any eventual reunification.
“Words like Americano and other foreign words on the menu make life tough for us,” says Park Sang-hak, who now works for a human rights group after fleeing Kim Jong-il’s dictatorship. “South Koreans do not understand what we say and ask us to repeat ourselves. Then we clam up and become shy.”
The thorny issue of reunification was sparked again recently with the leak of US diplomatic cables that quoted Chinese diplomats questioning the long-term future of China’s alliance with North Korea and hinting that Beijing could accept reunification.