South and North Koreans use the same language... but decades of division and internal cultural changes have made it increasingly difficult for them to understand each other's dialects.<br />It's a hurdle many North Korean defectors have to overcome, but this smartphone app that we're about to show you might be able to help.<br />Ji Myung-kil tells us more.<br /><br />These young North Korean defectors are taking on a new language.<br />They're learning to speak like a South Korean.<br />Surprisingly, these students, and many like them, say one of the biggest problems they face is the language barrier.<br /><br /><br />"It was like people were talking to me in a foreign language and I was too embarrassed to ask my friends what the words meant. I felt alienated."<br /><br />According to a 2012 study by the National Institute of the Korean Language,... North Korean defectors understand only half of the language used in South Korea.<br />To help them overcome these communication issues, Cheil Worldwide teamed up with local non-profits to develop a smartphone app called Univoca -- it's a South Korean-North Korean translator and dictionary.<br /><br /><br />"We realized late in the game that young North Korean defectors would have problems reading school textbooks and solving questions due to differences in culture and dialect."<br /><br /><br />"This app will give North Korean students the courage and motivation to learn as it also offers some privacy while they study."<br /><br />Teachers hope the app will help bridge communication between South and North Korean students,... and make resettlement a little easier for defectors in the South.<br />Ji Myung-kil, Arirang News.
