[Letter from the readers] Korean names in English need uniformity

The ways Koreans express and write their names in English vary widely. Last year, during the Sydney Olympic Games, the names of the Korean athletes shown on their uniforms were truly confusing. Some placed their family names first, while others put them last.

The official Romanization of Korean names implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism stipulates, "A person's name will be written in English with their given name following the family name. The (two-syllable) given name should be written without a space in between, and a dash separating the syllables would be acceptable."

Even so, many Koreans, whether out of extreme courtesy or plain lack of backbone, write their family names after their given names. Especially as more and more Koreans have been logging on to the Internet, many erroneous methods of expressing names have surfaced.

Having to reverse the order of the family and given names, which have come down generation after generation from our fathers for the sake of Westerners, might not be all wise. Today, many Westerners are aware that the Chinese and Koreans place their family names before their given names. Koreans flip-flopping the order of their family and given names could only further confuse foreigners.

As we have available to us a standardized Romanization method, Koreans, especially the media and public agencies should be aware and correctly express the names and terms. We must all remember that even a seemingly inconsequential confusion could lead to a greater disorderly society, as we all strive to express the Korean words and names uniformly.

Cho Hun-Guk, principal of Myongsok Middle School in Chinju, Kyongnam