[WEEKENDER] A century of Hangeul Day: From cultural independence to AI challenge
When King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) created “Hunminjeongeum,” the Korean alphabet now known as Hangeul, in 1443, it did not immediately replace the Chinese characters which Koreans had used for centuries. For centuries afterward, it was largely shunned by the dynasty's aristocrats and intellectuals, who favored the use of Chinese characters. It wasn't widely popular among ordinary…
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In 1443, King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty introduced Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, aiming to foster cultural independence. However, the new writing system didn't gain widespread acceptance immediately. For years, the elite and intellectuals stuck to Chinese characters, while ordinary citizens were slow to embrace Hangeul as well.
This changed in 1894 when King Gojong declared Hangeul the official writing system of Korea. Three decades later, in December 1926, a gathering of Korean linguists and independence activists celebrated Gagya Day, marking the beginning of what we now recognize as Hangeul Day. The name "Hangeul" wasn't common at the time, so "gagya" was used to describe those learning the alphabet.
This event marked the start of Hangeul Day, which this year marks its 100th anniversary. The day is celebrated on September 29 according to the lunar calendar, but it was moved to October 9 in 1940.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
