McCune–Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune–Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. Another variant of McCune–Reischauer is used as the official system in North Korea.

The system was created in 1937 by two Americans, George M. McCune and Edwin O. Reischauer. With a few exceptions, it does not attempt to transliterate hangul but rather to represent the phonetic pronunciation. McCune–Reischauer is widely used outside of Korea. A variant of it was used as the official romanization system in South Korea from 1984 to 2000. A third system — the Yale Romanization system, which is a transliteration system — exists, but is used only in academic literature, especially in linguistics. During the period of Russian interest in Korea at the beginning of the 20th century, attempts were also made at representing Korean in Cyrillic.

Characteristics and criticism[link]

The McCune–Reischauer system is friendly to Westerners.^{[citation needed]} For example, Korean has phonologically no distinction between voiced and voiceless consonants, but it phonetically distinguishes them. Aspirated consonants like "p' ", "k' ", and "t' " are distinguished by apostrophe from unaspirated ones, which may be falsely understood as a separator between syllables (as in 뒤차기 → twich'agi, which consists of the syllables twi, ch'a and gi). The apostrophe is also used to mark transcriptions of ㄴㄱ as opposed to ㅇㅇ: 잔금 → chan'gŭm vs. 장음 → changŭm).

Critics^[who?] of the McCune–Reischauer system claim that casual users of the system omit the breves ( ˘ ) over the o for 어 and the u for 으, because typing o or u without the breves is often easier than adding them. This, in turn, can lead to confusion over whether the o being Romanized is 오 or 어 or the u being Romanized is 우 or 으. Casual users also often omit the apostrophe that differentiates aspirated consonants (ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, and ㅊ) from their unaspirated counterparts (ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, and ㅈ), which can also lead to confusion. Defenders^[who?] of the McCune–Reischauer system, however, respond that a casual user unfamiliar with Korean can easily approximate the actual pronunciation of Korean names or words even when breves and apostrophes are omitted, although it is still best to include them.

Such common omissions were the primary reason the South Korean government adopted a revised system of romanization in 2000. Critics of the revised system claim it fails to represent 어 and 으 in an easily recognizable way, and that it misrepresents the unaspirated consonants as they are actually pronounced.

Meanwhile, despite official adoption of the new system in South Korea, many in the Korean Studies community – both in and out of South Korea – and international geographic and cartographic conventions generally continue to use either the McCune–Reischauer or Yale system, and North Korea uses a version of McCune–Reischauer. Even within South Korea, usage of the new system is less than universal, as was the case with the variant of McCune–Reischauer that was the official Romanization system between 1984/1988 and 2000.

Guide[link]

This is a simplified guide for the McCune–Reischauer system. It is very useful for the transliteration of names but will not convert every word properly, as several Korean letters are pronounced differently depending on their position.

Vowels[link]

* e – written as ë after ㅏ and ㅗ

Consonants[link]

† An initial consonant before a vowel to indicate absence of sound.

Basically, when deciding whether g or k, b or p, d or t and j or ch is used, use g, b, d or j if it is voiced, and k, p, t or ch if it is not. Pronunciations such as these take precedence over the rules in the table above.

Double Consonants

• ㄲ kk
• ㄸ tt
• ㅃ pp
• ㅆ ss
• ㅉ tch

• ㄳ ks(h)
• ㄵ nj
• ㄶ n
• ㄺ lg
• ㄻ lm
• ㄼ lb
• ㄽ ls(h)
• ㄾ lt
• ㄿ lp'
• ㅀ l
• ㅄ bs(h)

Examples[link]

Simple examples:

• 부산 Pusan
• 못하다 mothada
• 먹다 mŏkta
• 먹었다 mŏgŏtta

Examples with assimilation:

• 연락 yŏllak
• 한국말 Han'gungmal
• 먹는군요 mŏngnŭn'gunyo
• 역량 yŏngnyang
• 십리 simni
• 같이 kach'i
• 않다 ant'a

Examples where pronunciation takes precedence:

• 漢字 (한자) hancha (pronunciation: 한짜 hantcha), Sino-Korean character (cf. 한 字 (한 자) han ja, "one letter (one character)")
• 外科 (외과) oekwa (pronunciation: 외꽈 oekkwa), surgery (cf. 外踝 (외과) oegwa, "outer anklebone")
• 안다 anta (pronunciation: 안따 antta) and its conjugation 안고 anko (pronunciation: 안꼬 ankko) (as a rule, all verbs ending in -ㄴ다 (pronunciation: -ㄴ따 ntta) and -ㅁ다 (pronunciation: -ㅁ따 mtta) are nta and mta except for the present progressive verb ending -ㄴ다/-는다, which is nda or nŭnda)
• 올해 서른여덟입니다. Orhae sŏrŭnnyŏdŏrimnida.
• 좋은 choŭn, good

For an example of a short text transcribed in the McCune–Reischauer system, see Aegukka, the national anthem of North Korea.

North Korean variant[link]

In North Korea's variant of McCune–Reischauer, aspirated consonants are not represented by an apostrophe, but instead by adding an "h". For example, 평안 is written as Phyŏngan. With the original system this would be written as P'yŏngan.^{[citation needed]}

South Korean variant[link]

In South Korea's variant of McCune–Reischauer, in official use from 1984 to 2000, 시 is written as shi instead of the original system's si, and others like 샤, 셔 and so on, where the pronunciation is deemed closer to a /ʃ/ sound than a /s/ sound, are romanised with sh instead of s. The original system deploys sh only in the combination 쉬, as shwi.

ㅝ is written as wo instead of the original system's wŏ in this variant. Because the diphthong w (ㅗ or ㅜ as a semivowel) + o (ㅗ) does not exist in Korean phonology, the South Korean government omitted a breve in wŏ.

Hyphens are used to distinguish between ㄴㄱ and ㅇㅇ in this variant system, instead of the apostrophes in the original version. Therefore, apostrophes are used only for aspiration marks in the South Korean system.

Additionally, assimilation-induced aspiration by an initial ㅎ is indicated, e.g. 직할시 (直轄市; "a directly-governed city")^[1] is written as chik'alshi, which under the official system is chikhalsi.

See also[link]

• List of Korea-related topics
• Kontsevich system—Cyrillization of Korean

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

• Korean McCune–Reischauer Romanization Dictionary
• A Practical Guide to McCune–Reischauer Romanization: Rules, guidelines, and font
• Comparison table of different romanization systems from UN Working Group on Romanization Systems (PDF file)
• PDF files of the
  • 1939 paper, and the
  • 1961 paper
• Romanization System of Korean: McCune Reischauer (with minor modifications) BGN/PCGN 1945 Agreement
• Online tool for McCune–Reischauer romanization (with BGN modifications)

Nicole Jung
Background information
Birth name	Nicole Yong-Joo Jung
Born	(1991-10-07) October 7, 1991 (age 20) Los Angeles, California, US
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	K-pop, dance-pop
Occupations	Singer, dancer, rapper
Instruments	Vocals, violin
Years active	2007–present
Labels	DSP Entertainment
Associated acts	Kara

This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja.

Nicole Jung (Korean name: Jung Yong-Joo), better known mononymously as Nicole, born on October 7, 1991, is a Korean-American idol singer. She is best known as the member of the girl group Kara formed by DSP Entertainment in 2007.

Biography[link]

Nicole was born on October 7, 1991 in Los Angeles, California to Korean parents. She attended Mark Keppel Elementary School and Toll Middle School in Glendale, California; however, she lived in downtown Los Angeles. Nicole was into the visual and performing arts while in school. She participated in choir, drill team, played the violin for 4 years and took dance classes.^[1] She auditioned for DSP by sending a video of her singing an Ivy and Black Eyed Peas song. Her mom was very supportive and told her that it was her decision and whatever decision, she would fully support her. Nicole made the decision to go to Korea and experienced hardships such as adjusting to the culture and missing her friends terribly.^[2] She accepted DSP's offer, her mom moved with her to Korea and has opened up a successful Korean BBQ restaurant called "Aura The Grill"^[3] that is often frequented by Nicole and KARA fans alike.

She was on a show called "KAIST" (portrayed a celebrity's life as a college student) which was renamed to "Nicole The Entertainer's Introduction to Veterinary Science" in Konkuk University since Nicole would not be attending KAIST.^[4] The first episode aired on November 12, 2009. She "graduated" from college in January 2010.^[5]

She is known to be close to the '91 Line which contains people from popular groups such as 2AM's Jin Woon, FT Island's JaeJin, BEAST's Dong Woon, MBLAQ's Mir and Shinee's Key.

Career[link]

Kara[link]

Kara debuted on March 29, 2007 with "Break It" on M! Countdown as a 4 member group. Nicole was one of the four along with Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, and Kim Sunghee. Kara was often compared to Fin.K.L because of their concept and the fact that they are from the same company(DSP Entertainment). In March 2008, Sunghee left the group due to parental pressure. Sunghee had failed her college exams. On July 24, 2008, Kara came back with two new members, Goo Hara and Kang Jiyoung. Their new concept was "cute" and "playful".

On December 4, 2008, Kara released their 2nd mini-album "Pretty Girl" and had their comeback starting on M! Countdown with "Pretty Girl".In February 2009, Kara followed up with their album "Honey". "Honey" became the group's first #1 single when it topped the M! Countdown and The Music Trend.^[6]

In late July 2009, Kara revealed their second album named "Revolution".^[7] Due to the popularity of the songs, Wanna and Mister, Kara's overall popularity increased. Kara currently started promotions with their third mini-album "Lupin".^[8] Lupin was a success, it won KBS Music Bank K-Chart on March 12, March 19, and March 26, 2010.

In August 2010, Kara officially debuted in Japan with "Mister". After this, Kara released their fourth mini-album Jumping in November 2010.

On January 19, 2011, Kang Jiyoung, Han Seung-yeon, and Nicole Jung, announced that they were terminating their contract with DSP. On April 28, 2011, the dispute between DSP Entertainment and Kara's 3 members was officially announced as resolved.

Solo activities[link]

Nicole joined Star Golden Bell on December 20, 2008, hosting a segment called "Level With Me (Season 2)" in which the guests have to guess a term or title from her clues; the challenge comes due to her comparative lack of skill and experience with the Korean language. The segment ended on October 17, 2009.^[9]

In April 2009, she sang a duet with former Noel member Kang Kyun-seong called "Happy and".^[10]

In August 2009, she and 2PM ex member Jaebeom became part of historical culture variety show Nodaji, replacing Choi Min Yong and Kim Tae Hyun. But the show was cancelled due to low ratings on October 2009.

In November 2009, she joined Nicole The Entertainer's Introduction to Veterinary Science and Good Sunday - Yeongung Hogeol (영웅호걸, "Heroes") in July 2010.

Nicole received her first solo endorsement for the Vocamastar VM-100 in November 2010. The VM-100 is a very versatile device that can be used as a mp3 player, movie player, e-book reader, and more.^[11]

In August 2011, Nicole launched her own cookie line called "Kuki Six" that are sold at Mango Six cafes in Korea. Nicole’s “KUKI SIX” boasts a new line-up of six bakery goods, including the ‘Choco Cookie’, ‘Chocolate Chip Cookie’, ‘Coconut Cookie’, ‘Earl Grey White Choco Muffin’, ‘Orange Cream Cheese Muffin’, and the ‘Choco Brownie’. It was reported that Nicole was directly involved with the planning and development of the recipes, as well as marketing and promotional methods. As such, Nicole became the first celebrity to engage in the food service industry by providing input into a particular recipe. Plans for expansion into Japan and China are in the works for 2012.^[12]

She is currently hosting SBS's Inkigayo along with band mate Goo Ha-ra and Korean idol singer IU.

Discography[link]

Kara[link]

Singles[link]

• "Kkeun" - Sunha (Rap. Nicole) (2008)
• "Happy And" - Kang Kyun-seong (Duet. Nicole) (2009)
• "Gorae" ("Whale") - Park Myeong-su (Duet. Nicole) (2010)

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kara Official website

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Lee Joon (이준)
Background information
Birth name	Lee Chang Sun (이창선)
Born	(1988-02-07) February 7, 1988 (age 24) Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Pop, dance, R&B
Occupations	singer, actor, dancer, model
Years active	2009–present
Labels	J. Tune Entertainment
Associated acts	MBLAQ
Website	Official Site

Lee Chang Sun (Hangul: 이창선; born February 7, 1988), better known by his stage name Lee Joon (Hangul: 이준)^[1] is a South Korean idol singer, dancer, actor, model and member of the Korean male group MBLAQ, currently active in South Korea. He is currently signed to J.Tune Entertainment.

Career[link]

Before becoming a part of MBLAQ, Lee Joon acted in CFs, had a small non-recurring role in the first episode of Korean sitcom That Person is Coming (그분이 오신다), which aired in in 2008, and began and completed filming for the 2009 film, Ninja Assassin in which he portrayed the Teenage Raizo.

MBLAQ[link]

After training under Rain and J.Tune Entertainment, Lee Joon became a member of South Korean quintent male group MBLAQ, serving as a vocalist and main dancer. The group debuted on October 9, 2009 at Rain's Legend of Rainism concert where they performed various songs from their then-unreleased single ambum Just BLAQ. Their performance was met with praise, with many concert spectators and fans considering them to be the next TVXQ.^[2][3] MBLAQ's first single, "Oh Yeah", was released to the public through a music video on October 14, 2009 with their debut single album, Just BLAQ releasing on the same day.^[4] MBLAQ made their broadcast debut with the song "Oh Yeah" on Mnet's M! Countdown.^[5]

The group has starred in various South Korean variety shows as guests as well as in their own variety shows like Mnet's MBLAQ - The Art of Seduction, MBC's MBLAQ's Idol Army, Mnet's Sesame Player and KBS's Hello Baby Season 5.

MBLAQ made their Japanese debut on May 3, 2011 with an event held at the Kanagawa Lazona Kawasaki Plaza which gathered a reported 10, 000 fans. A day later, on May 4, they released their first Japanese album Your Luv which immediately reached first position of the Oricon Daily Charts, selling more that 11,000 copies.^[6][7]

Since their debut, MBLAQ has released three single albums, three extended play albums and one studio album.

Other activities[link]

In late 2009, after MBLAQ's debut, Lee Joon was cast as a permanent cast member in the television shows Star Golden Bell Season 2 and Oh! My School (prev. 100 Points out of 100).

On February 26, 2010, it was announced that Lee Joon and seven other artists from 2PM, 2AM and CN Blue would be MCs for Mnet's M! Countdown.^[8]

In 2010, he was cast in two dramas, titled Jungle Fish 2, in which he plays opposite JiYeon from T-ara,^[9] and Housewife Kim Kwang Ja's Third Activity which aired on September 22, 2010.^[10] He participated in the OST for Jungle Fish 2 by singing two songs: "슬픈예감 (Feeling Sad)" with Hong Jong Hyun and "슬픈예감 (Feeling Sad) (Farewell Version)" with Hong Jong Hyun, Han Jiwoo, Kim Bora and Shin Soyool.

In 2011 Lee Joon supplied his voice for the Korean dub of the film Gnomeo & Juliet,^[11] as well as making a cameo in the South Korean film version of Jungle Fish 2.

On January 6, 2012 it was announced that Lee Joon and After School's Lizzy would become a dance couple for the MBC Lunar New Year special Pit-a-Pat Shake!, and on January 24 the episode in which they performend their acrobatic dance routine was broadcast.^[12][13]

Personal life[link]

Lee Joon was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. He graduated from the Seoul Arts High School where he specialized in dance, receiving a lot of attention for being a very talented dancer. He majored in modern dance at the Korea National University of Arts and now attends Kyung Hee Cyber University.^[14][15]

Before Lee Joon's debut with MBLAQ, due to his good looks, he modeled for a variety of products such as wigs, home shopping and hangover drink ads.^[14]

On November 6, 2010, during an interview, Lee Joon revealed that he suffers from both insomnia and a severe bipolar disorder. He went on to say "[He had] suffered from insomnia before [his] debut", and that "It was fixed for a bit due to the fatigue after [MBLAQ's] debut, but it [had] come back recently. [He hadn't] slept for two days [that day]".^[16] Furthermore, Lee Joon revealed that the mental and physical stress induced by his busy schedule and inability to sleep was what caused his bipolar disorder.^[17]

On February 13, 2011 Lee Joon was pulled out of filming MBLAQ's special stage for their song "Stay" at SBS's Inkigayo after he suddenly began vomiting. He was admitted to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a cochlea disorder, but it was determined that the condition was not severe. However, his activities were cancelled for a brief period of time in order for him to recover.^[18]

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Music Videos[link]

These are a collection of Lee Joon's appearances in other artists' music videos as well as notable acting performances in music videos.

Television[link]

-

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Joon's cyworld (Korean)

Daniel Henney
Born	Daniel Phillip Henney (1979-11-28) November 28, 1979 (age 32) Carson City, Michigan, United States
Occupation	Model, actor
Years active	2001–present
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Korean name
Hangul	다니엘 헤니
Revised Romanization	Daniel Heni
McCune–Reischauer	Taniel Heni

Daniel Phillip Henney (Hangul: 다니엘 필립 헤니; born November 28, 1979) is an American actor and model.

Biography[link]

Daniel Henney was born to a Korean adoptee mother ^[1] and an American father of Irish descent. Henney started modeling in the U.S. in 2001 and worked in France, Italy, Hong Kong and Taiwan while attending college. After his debut in South Korea with an advertisement for the Amore Pacific's cosmetic "Odyssey Sunrise", he became a spokesperson for commercials with Jeon Ji-hyun for Olympus cameras and Kim Tae-hee for Daewoo Electronics's Klasse air conditioners.^[2][3]

Despite speaking no Korean, Henney became a household name through the South Korean hit TV drama, My Name is Kim Sam Soon. He played the role of Henry Kim, a radiologist who is devotedly in love with Hee-jin (played by Jung Ryu Won) He later learned a bit of the language and appeared on a few variety shows, such as Family Outing.^[4] Henney was a part of an academic scandal in which many sources stated that he had an Economics degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago to bolster his image, while in actuality he had no college degree.^[5]

In 2009, he portrayed Agent Zero in the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In the fall season of 2009, he is playing "Dr. David Lee" in the CBS television drama Three Rivers.

In 2010, Henney returned to South Korea television for KBS2's The Fugitive: Plan B, alongside Bi Rain and actress Lee Na Young.^[6]

Henney is signed with DNA Models in New York under the celebrity-division.^[7]

Personal life[link]

Henney is known to be best friends with Jung Ryu Won, who has been his co-star in two television series, Hello Franceska and My Lovely Sam Soon together.^[8]

Filmography[link]

Dramas[link]

• The Fugitive: Plan B as Kai (KBS2, 2010)
• Three Rivers as David Lee (CBS, 2009)
• Spring Waltz as Philip (KBS, 2006)
• Hello Franceska (guest appearance) (MBC, 2005,)
• My Lovely Sam Soon as Dr. Henry Kim (MBC, 2005)

Films[link]

• Last Stand (2013)
• Shanghai Calling as Sam (2012)
• Papa as music producer "guest" (2012)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine^[9] as Agent Zero (Hollywood debut, 2009)
• My Father as James Parker (2007)
• Seducing Mr. Perfect as Robin Heiden (2006)
• The Expendables(2010 movie)

TV Commercials / Advertisements[link]

Border Wireless LED TV, Daniel Henney

• Daewoo Gentra (GM Daewoo)
• Biotherm (Kwon Yuri)
• Asiana Airlines
• Minute Maid (Jeong Ryeo-won)
• Bean Pole International (Gwyneth Paltrow) ^[10]
• Cyon (Kim Tae-hee and Hyun Bin) ^[11]
• Coca-Cola (Zhang Ziyi)
• Olympus Camera (Jun Ji-hyun)
• HSBC Commercial Banking
• Taster's Choice
• LUX hairstylist (Stefanie Sun)
• Outback Steakhouse
• LG Electronics Xcanvas Flat Panel TV ^[12]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Daniel Henney

• Daniel Henney at the Internet Movie Database

Kim Ah-joong (also Kim Ah-Jung or Kim A-joong; born October 16, 1982, in Seoul, South Korea), is a South Korean film and drama actress/model. She graduated from Dongduk Women's University and attended Korea University and the International Hotel Management Institute Switzerland.^[1] She is best known for playing the main character in the 2006 critically acclaimed romance comedy 200 Pounds Beauty.

Career[link]

Kim Ah-joong is a well-known Korean actress/model/singer who rose to stardom from her roles in numerous films and commercials. She is best known for her role as a large girl (Han-na) who undergoes cosmetic surgery makeover to become a pop sensation in the highly successful 2006 South Korean comedy movie 200 Pounds Beauty. For this role, she was awarded Best Actress in the 2007 Grand Bell Awards.^[2] She did her own singing in the movie, including "Beautiful Girl' in the opening credits music and the song 'Maria'.

Prior to that, she appeared in a few other TV series including the popular Bizarre Bunch in 2005 by KBS.

Kim also is one of the most featured models in South Korean advertisements.

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Drama[link]

TV Shows[link]

Music videos[link]

• 여자라서 하지 못한 말 - Youme

Awards[link]

Won[link]

See also[link]

• List of Koreans
• Contemporary culture of South Korea
• Korean wave

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site (Korean)
• KimAhJoong.net (unofficial fansite)
• Ah-jung Kim at the Internet Movie Database