King Sejong and Hangeul go global: First National Day in his honor

Yesterday that was May 15th Korea marked Teachers' Day and among teachers celebrated was King Sejong who created Hangul .

Our Choi Soo-young has details.

People press a seal engraved with Korean letters, Hangeul.

They also try printing Hangeul, made up of consonants and vowels, by themselves.

This is Hunminjeongeum, the original Hangeul created in 1443.

"We just came to look around and then we just witnessed it and we started to do Hangul and it was really nice actually it was so fun to do."

"I think if you want to try it out you can learn it easy."

"She learned Korean like for three months now. So Hangul was really easy."

"Yeah, and it was for me at least it was easy."

Born on May 15, 1397, King Sejong the Great is regarded as one of the greatest monarchs in Korean history.

He made important contributions to Korean culture, including in science, the arts and agriculture.

Among his contributions is Hangeul, the Korean letters.

"May 15th is National Teachers' Day. Last year, the government also designated it as a day to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of King Sejong, the "teacher" of the Korean nation, and honor his achievements."

The first official celebration of the newly designated day was held at Gyeongbokgung Palace on Thursday.

Many events were held to revive the significance of Hangeul's creation and his legacy.

Modern Hangeul, made up of 24 letters, is easy to learn and has a unique design.

As Korean culture spreads around the world, more people are interested in learning it.

"Thanks to the global popularity of K-content, Hangeul is gaining attention worldwide. Its simple shapes and small number of characters make it easy to learn, so many people want to study it. But Hangeul is more than just a writing system, its unique design is also admired globally as a form of visual art."

More than six centuries since his birth, King Sejong's legacy spreads across the world through Hangeul.

Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.