In 2024, the National Institute of the Korean Language selected 'blood sugar surge' as the best refined term in Korean.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language, 'blood sugar surge' was chosen as the best refined term among 76 foreign terms that were refined into Korean last year.
'Blood sugar surge' became the best-refined Korean term based on the results of a national acceptance survey conducted with 2,500 people for a total of 18 expert discussions held from March to December last year.
'Blood sugar surge' is a Korean term that replaces the foreign term 'blood sugar spike,' which refers to the rapid rise and subsequent fall of blood sugar levels after a meal.
Additionally, terms such as 'big cut' to 'drastic interest rate cut,' 'upskilling' to 'skill enhancement,' 'small cut' to 'slight interest rate cut,' and 'value up' to 'value enhancement' were also selected.
Meanwhile, the term that had the highest number of responses suggesting it should be rewritten in simpler language was 'ombudsperson.' Ombudsperson refers to an advocate who protects and defends the rights of children.
Currently, the Korean term for 'ombudsperson' is 'child rights spokesperson.'
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Institute of the Korean Language noted, 'This year, we plan to continue efforts to quickly refine newly introduced foreign terms and change them into easier Korean terms before they become widely used.'