It can be challenging for Koreans to master the correct pronunciation of the letter ‘R(r)’ when first learning English. As the sound is dissimilar to the [al] or [ar] sounds in their native language, it can prove difficult to articulate. Depending on their ability to accurately pronounce the letter ‘R’, it may affect the level of success they have with their English language skills. There have even been instances of miscommunications due to Koreans living abroad not being able to distinguish between the words ‘rice’ and ‘lice’ correctly. As such, attempting to spell ‘PR’ accurately can be challenging due to the distinction in pronunciation between Korean and English.
The National Institute of the Korean Language had a meeting to discuss the question of how to transcribe the English letter ‘R (r)’ into Korean. After debate, both ‘ar’ and ‘al’ were approved as appropriate transliterations. Thus, ‘piar’ or ‘pial’ can be used interchangeably. Likewise, ‘DVR’ can now be written as ‘DV-ar’ or ‘DV-al’.