Old Korean is the first historically documented stage of the Korean language, typified by the language of the Unified Silla period (668–935).
The Samguk yusa contains most surviving Silla hyangga
The Imsin Vow Stone of 552/612 uses Old Korean syntax.
Sixth-century mokgan slips from Haman
Scroll of a Silla edition of the Avatamsaka Sutra, written in 754–755
Korean is the native language for about 81 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea. The language has notable differences in each of the Koreas, in part owing to different official standardizations of the language. They are still largely mutually intelligible, however. South Korean newspaper Daily NK has claimed North Korea criminalizes the use of the South's standard language with the death penalty, and South Korean education and media often portray the North's language as alien and uncomfortable.
The oldest Korean dictionary (1920)
The Latin alphabet used in romanization on road signs, for foreigners in South Korea
Highway sign in Korean, Reunification Highway, Pyongyang, North Korea
Highway sign in Korean and English, Gyeongbu Expressway, Daegu, South Korea
