Korean language - Wikipedia Korean is the native language for about 81 million people, mostly of Korean descent [a] It is the national language of both North Korea and South Korea In the south, the language is known as Hangugeo (South Korean: 한국어) and in the north, it is known as Chosŏnŏ (North Korean: 조선어) [4] Since the turn of the 21st century, Korean popular culture have spread around the world