Publication
New Research Paper Publication

HSF Korea is pleased to announce the publication of a new research paper by Dr Hyun-Ah Choi, Senior Researcher at HSF Korea.

A Structural Comparative Study of Waterbird Terminology in South and North Korea: Focusing on Shorebirds (Korean with English Abstract) examined differences in shorebird terminology between South and North Korea by comparing the names of 49 species. The study found that over half of the species (53.1%) have different names, reflecting distinct naming and classification systems rather than differences in biological recognition.

By analyzing the structural characteristics of waterbird nomenclature in the two Koreas, the research provides new insights into biodiversity terminology and demonstrates how different linguistic and taxonomic approaches have evolved. The study also offers practical recommendations for future inter-Korean joint ecological surveys, proposing the use of scientific names as a common reference while recording both South and North Korean terms in parallel to improve communication and data consistency. 

This research provides a valuable foundation for terminology standardization, biodiversity data management, and future ecological cooperation on the Korean Peninsula.

Read the research paper: https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART003350801

Citation
Choi, H.A. 2026. A Structural Comparative Study of Waterbird Terminology in South and North Korea: Focusing on Shorebirds. Unification Policy Studies, 35(1): 307–326. https://doi.org/10.33728/ups.2026.35.1.011