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The Korean cultural wave swept through Oxford English Dictionary: Words like ‘K-Beauty’ and ‘Mukbang’ are added

The power of Hallyu has made its way into the latest edition of Oxford English dictionary.

On October 5th, The Guardian published an article titled ‘K-beauty, hallyu and mukbang: dozens of Korean words added to Oxford English Dictionary’. As reported, more than 20 words related to Hallyu have been listed in the revised edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The Korean cultural wave swept through Oxford English Dictionary: Words like 'K-Beauty' and 'Mukbang' are added

It is worth mentioning that the word ‘hallyu‘, which refers to the wave of Korean pop culture, is listed.

The dictionary defines the Korean Wave as “an increase in international interest in Korea and Korean popular culture, especially as represented by the global accomplishments of Korean music, films, TV shows, fashion, and cuisine.” Hallyu is also explained in the definition as follows, “Korean popular culture and entertainment itself. Frequently as a modifier, as in hallyu craze, hallyu fan, hallyu star

‘Skinship’, which is often used in Korea, is also included in the dictionary. “An emotional exchange formed by physical contact between a parent and child, or between friends or lovers“, the dictionary says in its meaning of ‘Skinship’.

The Korean cultural wave swept through Oxford English Dictionary: Words like 'K-Beauty' and 'Mukbang' are added

The Oxford English Dictionary explained, “The reason why many Korean words are included this time is because we recognized the change in language usage beyond the English-speaking world.”

The adoption and development of Korean words into English shows that lexical innovation is no longer limited to the traditional English centres in the UK and the US. These words show how Asians in different parts of the continent invent and exchange words within their own local contexts”, the dictionary added.

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