Korean alphabet takes center stage at ‘Hangeul Week’ events

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Oct. 3 said it is jointly holding this year’s event from Oct. 4-10 with the National Hangeul Museum, National Institute of Korean Language (NIKL) and King Sejong Institute Foundation (KSIF) featuring many cultural events under the theme of “Thank you, Hangeul.”

At Korea Press Center in Seoul, NIKL from Oct. 6-7 will hold the 2022 World Convention of the Korean Language Academic Conference, in which Korean-language scholars, teachers and staff from the language industry gather and share research results.

The Hangeul museum’s annex in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu District is holding “Exhibition of Hangeul and the Korean Language,” (unofficial translation) featuring the use of artificial intelligence in Hangeul and related fonts.

The museum on Oct. 8 will also hold a festival on the eve of Hangeul Day with performances by the Seoul Orchestra, Seoul Kodaly Society singers, singer Younha and gagok, a traditional form of Korean vocal music.

On Hangeul Day on Oct. 9, scheduled performances include those of fusion gugak (traditional music) and a children’s choir from Dortmund, Germany. Other events are an exhibition of works from a Hangeul letter and photo contest and an interactive event of making and eating dalgona (honeycomb toffee) shaped like Hangeul letters.

The KSIF from Oct. 5-11 will invite to Korea 210 outstanding students of Korean from 151 King Sejong Institutes in 67 countries. Those selected will participate in cultural events including a Korean speaking and writing contest and the festival on the eve of Hangeul Day.

Twelve culture and arts groups selected through contests nationwide will also hold events during Hangeul Week. The Yeoju Sejong Cultural Foundation is holding the musical “Sejong 1446,” Art Bridge “Oct. 9 – Hangeul for the People” and Theater Goblin “Hangeul Is Coming.” (The titles of the events are unofficial translations)

The Mapo Foundation for Arts and Culture will hold a Hangeul song lyric contest, King Sejong the Great Memorial Society a traditional arts competition and Korean-language organizations academic conferences.

More information on Hangeul Week events is available on the event’s official website: www.한글날.com.

With the boom in Hallyu (Korean Wave) raising global interest in the Korean language and Hangeul, Korean Cultural Centers (KCC) abroad are also holding events to mark Hangeul Day.

Through Oct. 18, the KCC in France and the National Hangeul Museum will jointly hold an exhibition of cultural items with Hangeul designs to showcase the excellence of the Korean alphabet’s design. That in Los Angeles will hold an online contest for reciting Korean poetry to promote the beauty of Hangeul and excellence of Korean literature.

The KCC in Indonesia from Oct. 7-9 will promote Korean literature through a Korean book fair for children and teens and screening of animation based on 20th-century Korean novels.

Jung Wonsang, director of the culture ministry’s Korean-language Policy Division, said, “We held the event mostly online last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but this year, we’ve prepared a variety of on-site events,” adding, “We hope that many people participate in this year’s Hangeul Week both at home and abroad and spend a meaningful time recognizing the importance of Hangeul.”

Source: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

scroll to top