Say "Shared Work Space" Instead of "Co-working Space"

'Impact Business' Alternative Term Recommended as 'Social Value Parallel Enterprise'

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language recommended on the 16th that the term 'coworking space' be replaced with the Korean term 'gong-yu eobmu gonggan' (shared work space). They also suggested Korean alternatives for 'impact business,' 'zero corona,' and 'safety call' as 'sahoe gachi byeonghaeng saeop' (social value parallel business), 'gogangdo bangyeok' (high-intensity quarantine), and 'jageop jungji yocheong' (work stop request), respectively.

A coworking space refers to a collaborative area designed for individuals working independently in various fields to gather and share ideas. At the new word meeting held on the 3rd, the Ministry and the Institute reviewed the appropriateness and usability of the terms and selected 'gong-yu eobmu gonggan' as the replacement. The selection also reflected survey results. In a public acceptance survey conducted from the 4th to the 10th with about 2,000 participants, 88.9% of respondents found the term appropriate. Additionally, 78.8% agreed on the necessity of Korean alternatives.

Impact business refers to enterprises that create social influence while generating economic added value. Zero corona denotes policies that prevent the spread of COVID-19 through stringent regulations, mainly implemented in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and China. Safety call means the act of on-site workers recognizing danger and immediately requesting a work stoppage. In this discussion, the respective Korean alternatives were decided as 'sahoe gachi byeonghaeng saeop,' 'gogangdo bangyeok,' and 'jageop jungji yocheong.'

The new word meeting is a committee that provides Korean alternatives easily understood by the general public before difficult foreign neologisms spread. Experts from various fields including Korean language, foreign languages, education, publicity and publishing, information and communication, and media participate. The Ministry and the Institute plan to continuously promote the proactive use of these alternatives by government departments and media outlets.