Whereas the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the north officially abandoned hanja in 1949 (Chinese characters) as “foreign influences” (never mind China has always been the closest ally of the DPRK), the South kept the use of Chinese characters to this day.

Train stations in South Korea have signs in Korean alphabet (Hangul), Chinese letters (note: This is not to be confused with the Chinese language, but rather Korean words written with Chinese characters. For instance the sign above is Dorasan Yeog 도라산역, whereas the word Yeog is Korean, while the Chinese for the same is Zhan 都罗山站.) and English (Dorasan Station, in the English language).

Recently there was a student rally in South Korea to promote hanmun gyoyuk 汉文教育 한문교육, teaching of Chinese characters and classic literature in schools.

Teaching Chinese characters in Korean schools have numerous benefits. First it helps students understand etymology of their own languages better. Second, it is a gateway to both learning Japanese and Chinese, the languages of their two neighbours and major business partners. As the exchanges between Korea and China grows South Korean businesses are increasingly expanding also to the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan alike, and knowing the letters is an important help in learning the Chinese language proper.