"What Is 'Gongyujiyonmyeongbu'? Ministry Moves to Eliminate Japanese-Style Terminology"

31 Japanese-Style Terms Replaced with Korean Expressions,
Announced as Administrative Regulations
To Be Applied in Laws, National Technical Qualification Exams, and More

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on March 3 that it will revise 31 Japanese-style terms in the field of cadastral administration, which were introduced during the Japanese colonial period, into simpler Korean expressions and officially notify the changes as administrative regulations on March 4. The government explained that this initiative aims to make the terminology easier for the public to understand and to facilitate smoother communication in administrative affairs.

The cadastral system is a framework in which the government officially registers and discloses information about the location, shape, and area of land through surveying. It was introduced alongside the land survey project conducted during the Japanese colonial period from 1910 to 1924. As a result, Japanese-style terminology has continued to be used in this field.

The terms being revised were selected through discussions between the ministry, experts, academia, and the National Institute of the Korean Language. The final decision was made by the Language Deliberation Council of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on December 20 of last year.

For example, "Gongyujiyonmyeongbu (共有地連名簿)" will be changed to "Joint Owners Register." This term refers to a ledger that organizes the shares and information of multiple landowners, and a Japanese-style Sino-Korean expression has been used for nearly 100 years.

Sejong Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Building. Photo by Yonhap News

The government plans not only to revise administrative regulations but also to apply the new terms to laws, civil complaint forms, textbooks, and national technical qualification exams. In addition, to raise awareness about the terminology changes, the ministry will collaborate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Association of Korean Language Culture Centers to conduct promotional activities, focusing on university campuses.

Yoo Sangcheol, Director of the Spatial Information System Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "By replacing difficult terms introduced during the Japanese colonial period with Korean expressions, we have made it easier for the public to understand." He added, "We will continue to revise administrative terminology to better align with the public's perspective."