Korean is the native language of the Korean people, who make up the majority of the language’s 81 million speakers.[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). Since the turn of the 21st century, Korean popular culture has spread around the world through globalization and cultural exports. Korean uses the Hangul alphabet.
