Why Korean Typography Demands Special Licensing Attention
Supporting the Korean language (Hangul) in global web platforms or mobile applications presents unique engineering and licensing hurdles:
Unlike Latin fonts that contain a few hundred glyphs, a comprehensive Hangul typeface contains 11,172 pre-composed syllable blocks (or at minimum 2,350 characters under the KS X 1001 standard). Consequently, a single Korean font file often exceeds 2MB to 5MB in raw TTF format. Optimizing web delivery requires font subsetting, which can clash directly with licensing clauses prohibiting modification.
Breakdown of the 12 Korean Typefaces in FontLens
FontLens currently tracks 12 verified Korean typefaces across three distinct licensing classifications:
| Category | Count | Representative Fonts | Licensing & Operational Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIL OFL-1.1 | 9 | Pretendard, Nanum Gothic, D2Coding | Full commercial rights; subsetting and app bundling explicitly permitted |
| Custom OFL | 1 | Baedaluiminjok Hannache Pro | Based on OFL, with additional trademark protection clauses |
| Custom (Corporate) | 2 | S-Core Dream, Nexon MapleStory | Commercial graphics permitted; font file modification (modify: no) strictly prohibited |
Technical Audit Points for Global Engineering Teams
1. Font Subsetting vs Modification Restrictions
- Subsetting a multi-megabyte CJK typeface to strip out rarely used characters or split it into unicode-range chunks (as Google Fonts does) modifies the font binary.
- Under SIL OFL (e.g., Pretendard): Subsetting is permitted as a derivative work. If distributing the subsetted font binary, ensure compliance with Reserved Font Name (RFN) conditions.
- Under Corporate Custom Licenses (e.g., S-Core Dream): Authors frequently insert clauses forbidding any reverse engineering, decompilation, or structural modification of font files. Use official CDN distributions when available instead of self-generating custom subsets.
2. Multi-Script Visual Alignment (Hangul + Latin)
- When building bilingual interfaces, standalone Hangul typefaces often mismatch Latin baselines and x-heights.
- Pretendard: Specifically designed as an alternative to system fonts, it harmonizes the Korean glyph system with Rasmus Andersson’s Inter, ensuring seamless typographical consistency across English and Korean interface text.
3. Application Bundling Compliance
- Bundling raw font files in React Native, Flutter, Swift, or Kotlin asset directories constitutes binary redistribution.
- Ensure your mobile release includes the required open-source license disclosures in your application’s "Legal Notices" or "Open Source Licenses" view.
