Exhibition on Hangeul items to go global

An exhibition showcasing products inspired by Hangeul, the Korean writing system, will take place at Korean Cultural Centers in 10 countries, starting with the one in Canada.

A collection of over 50 items spanning jewelry, ceramics and household goods will be featured at the Special Exhibition on Korean Cultural Products in Ottawa, Ontario, from April 26 to June 28. A similar exhibition will be held in Turkey in May before exhibitions open in Germany and Mexico in June.

The Special Exhibition on Korean Cultural Products will also be held in Vietnam and the Philippines in July, while September will see the exhibition open in China and India. Exhibitions are scheduled for October in Sweden and South Africa.

According to the National Hangeul Museum located in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Wednesday, the products were all made within the last five years by local artisans who won prizes at an annual museum-organized competition. The winners received government funding to produce their goods.

Products made with government funding were exhibited for the first time in France in 2022. The exhibition grew bigger last year as it was held in Japan, Kazakhstan, Argentina and Hong Kong.

The project to fund commercial Hangeul products has been part of larger efforts by the Culture Ministry to promote Hangeul overseas, the museum official added, saying such efforts date to 2015.

“About 300 million won ($22,000) was set aside for the entire efforts including the project itself at the time,” the official said. The figure for this year stands at 1.8 billion won.