Events to mark Hangeul Day to be held at Korean Cultural Centers worldwide

A wide range of events will be held at 32 Korean Cultural Centers located in 27 countries to mark the 574th Hangeul Day on Oct. 9. the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korean Culture and Information Service announced Monday.

Hangeul is the writing system for the Korean language, consisting of 24 letters. King Sejong the Great (1397-1450) led the invention with a team of scholars and Hangeul was promulgated in 1446.

“Through holding these events to commemorate Hangeul Day, we hope to inform foreigners around the world of the excellence of Hangeul and spread the Korean words and writings to the world,” a Korean Culture and Information Service official said in a statement.

Due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, the Korean Culture and Information Service said most of its events, including Korean speaking and K-pop lyrics writing contests, special lectures and discussions, will be held online. More details can be found on the 32 Korean Cultural Centers’ websites.

The Korean Culture and Information Service highlighted special events that will be held at the Korean Cultural Center in India, a country that has recently shown surging interest in the Korean language and selected it as one of the foreign languages taught at the secondary school level.

The center in India will also hold an event titled “Dica Poetry,” which is a Korean poem writing contest based on pictures that contestants have taken with their digital cameras. The events at the Korean Cultural Center in India are prepared jointly with Jawaharlal Nehru University, the center added.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)