North Korea has decided to call all steam bath businesses “saunas” and is replacing signboards accordingly. The North Korean authorities—who demand linguistic purity through the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act—have sparked local interest by exceptionally approving the use of a foreign word.
“Steam baths currently in operation and steam baths inside newly built general amenity facilities received an order signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to use the appropriate term for their business in mid-February,” a Daily NK source in South Pyongan province said recently.
Kim’s order comes amid North Korea’s recent emphasis on improving people’s lives, including efforts to construct and modernize various amenities. At its core, the order seeks to unify the vague terminology used for these facilities.
A typical example is the directive to switch from hanjeungtang—the Korean word for steam bath—to “sauna.” North Koreans find this interesting because the state has officially approved using a foreign word.
“Using foreign-sounding words is a serious issue due to restrictions under the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act, making language use extremely strict,” the source said. “The term hanjeungtang has been caught in this linguistic rigidity for years.”
Various types of saunas have emerged, but all have used the term hanjeungtang for fear of violating the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act. However, Kim’s latest order has enabled businesses to openly use the word “sauna,” a term they previously hesitated to use.
“Even in North Korea, many new sauna types have emerged beyond wet and dry ones, and while they all simply used to call themselves hanjeungtang, now they can use different names according to their characteristics,” the source said. “They can identify themselves as wet saunas, dry saunas, cold saunas or whatever reflects their particular form.”
Following Kim’s order, steam baths across North Korea and steam bath facilities in factories and enterprises are quickly replacing their signboards to reflect their specific characteristics.
The North Korean authorities describe Kim’s order as a “benevolent act by Kim to craft by hand each and every name people can use for hanjeungtang,” using the measure to bolster Kim’s image as a leader who loves his people.
According to the source, people have generally responded positively to the name change, but some complain that those who can actually use amenities such as steam baths remain limited.
“Amenities operate mostly in downtown areas, so people on the outskirts consider them mere pipe dreams,” the source said. “They say authorities shouldn’t portray changing the name as some sort of grace, whether it’s hanjeungtang or sauna, and instead prioritize making such facilities accessible to everyone.”
March 13, 2025 at 01:04PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)