Which countries use Korean as an official language?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The Korean language is the official language of two countries:

  • South Korea (Republic of Korea)12
  • North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)32

While the language is spoken by millions of people in other nations—including China, the United States, and Japan—it holds official status only within the two Koreas. Although both countries utilize the same fundamental Hangul script, they maintain minor differences in spelling, vocabulary, and alphabetization.24