{
  "id": 9263470,
  "title": "'Pretty officer'? Defense ministry's glossary for multicultural soldiers plagued with translation errors",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/pretty-officer-defense-ministrys-glossary-for-multicultural-soldiers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T04:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/society/20260923/pretty-officer-defense-ministrys-glossary-for-multicultural-soldiers-plagued-with-translation-errors"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Several translation errors were discovered in a Ministry of National Defense glossary designed to assist soldiers with limited proficiency in the Korean language, sparking questions about the ministry's vetting procedures as the ranks of troops from diverse backgrounds continue to expand. In August, the ministry announced it had created the glossary to clarify 562 common military terms, such as \"salute\" and \"roll call,\" for soldiers with overseas permanent residency and those hailing from multicultural backgrounds. These terms were compiled from observations of a soldier's daily routine and translated into English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, and Japanese, subsequently posted on the Military Manpower Administration's website and distributed in print to new recruits. However, the glossary was marred by a plethora of translation blunders. In the English version, the Korean term for \"petty officer\" was erroneously rendered as \"pretty officer.\" The Korean phrase signifying \"checking the chamber for rounds after firing\" was instead translated as \"Weather conditions such as rain, snow, or strong winds that restrict activities,\" an unrelated passage concerning weather.",
  "summary": "Several translation errors were found in a Ministry of National Defense glossary meant to help soldiers unfamiliar with the Korean language, raising questions about the ministry's vetting process as the number of troops from multicultural backgrounds continues to grow. In August, the ministry said it had compiled the glossary to explain 562 common military terms such as \"salute\" and \"roll call\"…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Haaretz",
        "title": "Defense Minister: Gaza City will be evacuated if another Israeli is abducted",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/defense-minister-gaza-city-will-be-evacuated-if-another-israeli-is",
        "published": "2026-09-22T12:25:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Arutz Sheva - Israel National News",
        "title": "Ben Gvir seeks to become Defense Minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/ben-gvir-seeks-to-become-defense-minister",
        "published": "2026-09-22T15:36:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "Ben-Gvir demands Defense Ministry, Tally Gotliv for justice minister in next gov’t",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/ben-gvir-demands-defense-ministry-tally-gotliv-for-justice-minister",
        "published": "2026-09-22T18:06:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Defense minister visits soldiers injured in suspected DMZ land mine blast",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/defense-minister-visits-soldiers-injured-in-suspected-dmz-land-mine-9267897",
        "published": "2026-09-23T04:10:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Defense minister visits soldiers injured in suspected DMZ land mine blast",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/defense-minister-visits-soldiers-injured-in-suspected-dmz-land-mine",
        "published": "2026-09-23T04:37:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}