Korean is a Koreanic language native to Korea, which makes up the majority of the language's 81 million speakers. It is the official language of both North Korea and South Korea. In the south, the language is known as Hangugeo, and in the north, it is known as Chosŏnŏ. Since the turn of the 21st century, Korean popular culture has spread around the world through globalization and cultural exports. Korean uses the Hangul alphabet.