Cultural Insight: Hangul Day

  • Published
  • By Pak, Yong Hui
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Koreans celebrate Oct. 9 as the Hangul Day. Though it is no longer a national holiday, it still retains its legal status as a national commemoration day. Hangul is unique and its invention is considered the most noteworthy event in the cultural history of the Korean people.

Hangul was created under King Sejong during the Choson Dynasty (1393-1910). In 1446, the first Korean alphabet was proclaimed under the original name Hunmin chong-um, which meant "the proper sounds for teaching people."

Feeling great sympathy for people who were not able to read or write, or express themselves well with the Chinese characters of Hanja, King Sejong, a revolutionary ruler dedicated to national identity and cultural independence, started to work on a set of letters that can be easily learned and used every day for common people.

Along with his scholars at the Chiphyonjon, an academic research institute inside the palace walls known for the lively discussions among its academics, King Sejong created Hunmin chong-um.

In the preface of its proclamation, King Sejong stated, "As our Korean language is different from Chinese characters, many common people have no way to express their thoughts and feelings. Out of my sympathy for their difficulties, I have created a set of 28 letters. The letters are very easy to learn, and it is my fervent hope that they improve the quality of life of all people."

However, use of the new alphabet didn't become popular overnight, despite its ease of use. It was still a time when China had great influences over Korea in every aspect. So, Hangul was mostly used by women and people of lower classes.

The name, Hangul, is known to be coined by Ju SiGyeong in 1913. It wasn't until the mid-20th century, that Hangul became more prevalent among people. Today, most printed media use Hangul exclusively. However, at times, the use of both Hangul and the Chinese characters, especially for personal names, is common.