In recent years, periodic updates of the Oxford English Dictionary have added many Korean-language words, albeit romanized, to fit the English language. The OED is the leading authority on the English language's vocabulary. Intended to trace the history of the English language, the dictionary was first published in 1884. A second full edition was published in 1989, comprising 20 volumes. The third edition is underway, which Oxford University Press has said will not be printed but will be available only electronically. More than 500,000 words are included, with information on etymology, archaic usage and current usage.

It's not my purpose to list all the Korean-sourced words added to the OED in recent years (a couple dozen). The globalization of K-culture has significantly affected English speakers' use of such vocabulary. We can be certain that English is not the only language affected by globalization. Languages evolve over time as outside cultural forces come into play. Such evolution is multidirectional.

When I first came to Korea in the 1970s, many borrowed Japanese expressions were still used in everyday Korean conversations. Of course, since the 1950-53 Korean War era, many English words have also come into common usage. More and more, with its decidedly Western and U.S. orientation, English words crop up constantly in daily conversation. Korea’s phonetic alphabet makes such a transformation easily........

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