Serious errors in subway station guides and signage have come to light in Seoul, a destination for 9 million foreign tourists each year. The Chosunilbo discovered 94 errors by examining 204 signs and maps within 15 subway stations frequently used by foreign visitors in Seoul. More than 40% of signs or guides had incorrect information. Errors ranged from simple misspellings to significant misinformation, such as mislabeling “Korea” as “Kurea” or incorrectly translating the Korean for “Namsan Tunnel No. 3″ into “The Bank of Korea” in English.
Gangnam Station had the most errors in English signage, with 33 errors. The Shinbundang Line, transferring from Gangnam Station, was incorrectly written as “Sinbundang Line” instead of its official name, “Shinbundang Line.” In some cases, “school” was misspelled as “schoo.” A sign intended to guide to Samseong Station wrongly used “Samsung,” the name of the corporation, rather than “Samseong,” the name of the area.
By type, disregarding the official names of companies or institutions was the most common error with 62 cases. The “Embassy of Japan” was incorrectly labeled as “Japanese Embassy” at Anguk Station, and “Sewoon Plaza” was mislabeled as “Seun Arcade” at Jongno 3-ga Station.
Simple typos accounted for 24 cases. At Gwanghwamun Station, there were two instances where “Metropolitan Council” was incorrectly spelled as “Metropolition” and “Metropolinat.” At Euljiro 4-ga Station, directions to nearby shops were mistakenly labeled as “Shopping Senter” instead of “Shopping Center.” Laura Remi, 30, from France, said, “If even simple words like these are incorrect, it could negatively affect Seoul’s image.”
Seoul’s subway system is managed by multiple entities, including Seoul Metro, Seoul Metro Line 9, and the Shinbundang Line. Underground commercial spaces are managed by the Seoul Facilities Corporation. The industry points out that maps and signs are not standardized due to the various operating entities. “The errors occur because outsourced companies do not conduct proper inspections after installation.”
The Seoul Metropolitan Government, which manages the street signs, has been accepting reports from citizens and foreigners since 2021 to reduce such errors. In 2021, it corrected a total of 421 errors in languages such as English, Chinese, and Japanese, and rectified 608 errors last year. “Frequent errors on the signs can significantly damage both the tangible and intangible image of the country,” said Hong Sul-young, an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. “The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the government should conduct a comprehensive survey to correct these errors and standardize the notation.”
