Gov"t to Officially Use Chinese Characters Along With Hangul

The government has decided that it will use Chinese characters in addition to Hangul, Korean letters. This is a major reversal of policy, as previous governments have upheld the practise of exclusively using Hangul on all road signs and official documents .
Shin Nak Kyun, minister of Culture and Tourism(MOCT), reported the proposal to the State Council headed by President Kim Dae Jung.
In the plan's first stage, the government will use Chinese characters in parenthesis next to Hangul if there is a possibility of confusion in official documents.
Additionally, it will extend the use of Chinese to road and traffic signs.
A source at the Minister of Culture and Tourism said, 'Using Chinese along with Hangul helps us better understand and develop our traditional culture. It is also needed in exchanges with countries that use Chinese characters.'
In the second stage, the government will fortify education in schools and increasingly use both Hangul and Chinese in textbooks and government documents.
In regards to this, President Kim said, 'We have difficulties in understanding our tradition and classic documents. There may arise confusion if mixed use begins suddenly, so research and discussion are needed.'