진실 vs 진리: What is "the truth"?

Question

Can someone help me reconcile the difference between 진리 and 진실? I'm looking for a good translation of *the truth*. Not *truth*, but *the truth* (i.e. the absolute concept). Consider the following statements: 1. The world is round. 2. I once stole a piece of candy from the shelf of a grocery store. I'm under the impression that for (1) Koreans would use 진리, but for (2) they would use 진실. One of my Korean friends told me 진실 is used in the human domain, while 진리 is used in the natural or supernatural domain. Is this correct? I want to know if Lee Harvey Oswald killed John F. Kennedy. I want to know *the truth*. Am I looking for 진리 or 진실?

Answer 1

The truth is 진실. 진실 also has a few other meanings; honesty, fact.

Ex) 진실을 말하세요.

Tell me the truth.

On the other hand, 진리, you probably would not use this word that much in regular conversation. It sounds a little more formal, perhaps used in literature/religious texts.

Ex) 인생의 영원한 진리

The eternal verities of life.

I hope this answer will help your question.

Answer 2

The first word is a better option for the situation you described at the end of your question. This is because that word is more often applied to our perception of the truth as it occurs. You are correct in your assumption of 1&2. Your friend has described it well, 진리 is a word that can mean "absolute truth", and is often used in religious settings, and not often in human-to-human interaction.