The national and official language of South Korea is Korean, otherwise known as Hangul (한글), meaning "Korean letters." Han (한) means "Korean" and geul (글) means letter. Interestingly, the Korean alphabet has fewer letters than the English alphabet. Hangeul has 14 consonants and 10 vowels, equaling 24 letters that are formed using basic geometric shapes. King Sejong the Great and his scholars created the Korean alphabet in the 15th century to help common people learn to read. Hangul is celebrated for its simplicity, meaning it is generally regarded as an easier language to learn.
Although it is not an official language, Koreans learn English starting in elementary school and continue their English language education through university. There are many Koreans participating in my business classes at Yonsei University, which are taught completely in English. Can you imagine being in a class taught in a different language? Most Koreans can speak some degree of English, with some being fluent even though they have never traveled outside of South Korea.
Mandarin Chinese and Japanese are also widely spoken and understood in South Korea. Since South Korea is a popular tourist spot, you'll see signs written in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese in big cities like Seoul!
