Foreigners scratch their head when they see the name “Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.” ICT is a technical term that stands for information and communications technologies, and most people do not know what it means. Besides, it is also quite unusual to use an abbreviation in an official title of a government agency. The term “future planning” then adds further confusion -- what is a ministry that plans the future? Again, “future” is a word that few people would expect in the official title of a governmental agency.

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance is in charge of financial affairs and economic policies of the nation. Long explanations are needed about what the term “strategy” in the official name means. Here again, the concept that a ministry is in charge of national strategy is not commonly seen in official names of ministries of other countries. If anything, it is a term that better suits a think tank. Calling it simply the Ministry of Finance would deliver the identity of the ministry more effectively and perhaps accurately. In fact, many people introduce the ministry just as the Ministry of Finance when they meet foreign counterparts.

The English name of Ministry of Personnel Management, which was founded in November, also tends to overstate the agency’s identity. Those who see the English translation would regard it as being in charge of all sorts of personnel issues inside the government including promotion, transfer, compensation, disciplinary action and the like. All these personnel issues, unsurprisingly, are under the jurisdiction of respective ministries. In essence, the new ministry only covers hiring and training of officials. Personnel management thus does not accurately describe the role and identity of the ministry.

A plan has just been announced to review the English names of ministries and agencies, and propose changes as deemed appropriate. The focus of the proposed review is to assign names that can be easily understood by foreigners by accurately conveying the identity and function of the agencies from their own names. Hopefully, awkward literal translations and misplaced expressions can be identified and corrected. Indeed, this is a positive development that can remove unnecessary confusion.

In light of this endeavor, the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs is now simply becoming Ministry of the Interior, which is commonly used in other countries. Other ministries will also consider changing their names so that non-Koreans can easily understand their role and function. A new intra-government regulation is going to be adopted as a unified style guide on the English names of governmental agencies.

The basic objective that should be borne in mind in the course of reviewing and changing English names of governmental agencies should be simple: Officials handing over their business cards to their foreign counterparts should not have to explain the role of their ministries. Should extra explanations be required, then something else should be considered. Sometimes, the literal translation of the Korean words is not the best title for an agency.

As a matter of fact, the more important thing is to refrain from changing the identities and names of ministries so frequently: every five years, with the advent of a new administration, ministries are created, closed and merged -- a situation that is not often observed in other countries. Foreign government officials and companies are forced to learn the names and respective roles of the new ministries again. And at meetings, officials have to explain new changes and roles all the time. The hidden cost from these frequent changes should not be forgotten.

By Lee Jae-min

Lee Jae-min is an associate professor of law at Seoul National University. -- Ed.