Gov`t guidelines set for giving English names for ministries

“The Ministry of Knowledge Economy?...”

When foreigners receive business cards from officials of the Knowledge Economy Ministry, they often tilt their heads as if wondering what the ministry`s name means.

After President Park Geun-hye was sworn in Tuesday, newly formed ministries or those whose names were changed prepared to give their names in English. Ministries change their English names based on changes in their roles under a government reorganization plan or the ideas of new ministers.

So far, each ministry has made its own English name. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security, however, has set guidelines for setting English names for government ministries. The rules were made after consulting with ministry representatives and native English speakers.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has replaced "Fisheries" with "Livestock," while the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs added "Infrastructure" to its name to stress its service to public interest.

The newly created ministry for science and communication has yet to make a final decision after reviewing ideas like the Ministry of Science and Future Strategy and the Ministry of Future Creation and Science. The ministry plans to leave it up to Kim Jong-hoon, who has been tapped to head the new ministry and who spent many years in the U.S., to make its English name in person by combining such words as "science" and "information and communication technology."

The proposed English names of the ministries will become official once the National Assembly passes a bill on the government reorganization plan.

beetlez@donga.com