Controversy, debate, and dispute

Crisp word choice is always very important. But it is not easy, especially when the Korean equivalents of different English words are pretty similar to one another, if not the same. A good example is controversy, debate, and dispute. They can all be translated as 논란/논쟁 in Korean. The best way to go about is to look up their definitions in an English dictionary, and find sample sentences that capture the differences among the words.

A controversy means a contentious dispute, usually carried on in public or in the press, close to 논란 in Korean.

• The outcry over Sharia law has been tied in large part to the controversy around the Islamic cultural center two blocks from the site of the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as other mosques around the country. In August, Dick Morris said on Fox News that the cultural center will be used to "train and recruit Sharia law advocates who become terrorists." (CBS News, October 13, 2010)
  

A dispute means a quarrel or conflict with someone, usually when parties don't agree on the validity of something, close to 분쟁 in Korean.

• The WTO estimated that "anti-dumping" disputes (which involve accusations of predatory pricing by selling goods abroad below the price in one's home country or below the cost of production) will reach 437 this year -- more than double from 2008 (Washington Post, January 3, 2010)
  

A debate means a discussion involving opposing viewpoints, close to 논의/논쟁/토론 in Korean. Legislative/election debates where lawmakers make arguments against or for certain bills are a good example.

• Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York and the Republican seeking to unseat him, Jay Townsend, sparred over health care, federal spending and Wall Street on Sunday in a debate marked by tart exchanges. Mr. Townsend attacked Mr. Schumer again and again, at one point accusing the senator of selling out the interests of New York to curry favor with his colleagues in Washington as he attempts to ascend in the Senate hierarchy (New York Times, October 24, 201)