The Hangul Day celebration takes place in the royal tomb of King Sejong in Yeoju

◇ Governor Kim is offering flowers and burning incense at the royal tomb of King Sejong inYeoju. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News Yoo Je-hoon

◇ On Hangul Day of the 567th year since the proclamation of Hunmin Jeongeum. Many cultural events as well as the Hangul Day celebration event took place near the royal tomb of King Sejong in Yeoju (Youngreung) and Sejong-ro on October 9. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News Yoo Je-hoon

Many cultural events as well as the Hangul Day celebration event took place near the royal tomb of King Sejong inYeoju (Youngreung) and Sejong-ro on October 9, which regained its status as a national holiday starting this year, which is the 567th year since the proclamation of Hunmin Jeongeum.

Hosted by Gyeonggi Province and Yeoju and supervised by the Yeoju Cultural Center, this event opened the royal tomb of King Sejong for free and celebrated Hangul Day that reinstated as a national holiday after 23 years, by holding the proclamation ceremony of Hunmin Jeongeum after the Hangul Day celebration, followed by various cultural events such as a Hangul fashion show and a puppet show.

The ceremony, which was held at 10:30 a.m. in the T-shaped house for sacrifice before the royal tomb of King Sejong, began with the delicate sounds of classical court music (traditional instrument performance) by the Gyeonggi Provincial Traditional Music Orchestra, and the performance of splendid royal court dance used in the nation’s happy occasions and ritual ceremonies such as royal ancestral rites and the court.

Over 1,000 people attended the event, including Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo, Gyeonggi Provincial Council vice-chairman Lim Chae-ho, Yeoju mayor Kim Chun-seok, students and the general public. The event went on for approximately an hour in the order of offering flowers and burning incense, reading the introduction of Hunmin Jeongeum that reproduced the phonetic value of the time it was invented, reading the congratulatory poem, and singing the Hangul Day song.

◇ Governor Kim is giving the commemorative speech. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News Yoo Je-hoon

After offering flowers and burning incense. Governor Kim said, “It is extremely meaningful to hold this event in Youngreung where King Sejong lies, celebrating the 567th year since the proclamation of Hunmin Jeongeum. Hangul is the most scientific character in the world that can be read without phonetic symbols, turning all human sounds into characters. It is the best among over 3,000 languages in the world.”

“Hangul, which can be easily typed and texted, is the most suitable character in today’s knowledge and information society, forming the grounds for IT development and Korean Wave proliferation,” Governor Kim continued and emphasized, “The world is learning our language. Thanks to Hangul, the best character in the world, we could create a great history with the lowest illiteracy rate and education rate. Hangul is a proud cultural heritage. Let’s further develop and re-create Hangul.”

“The 567th-year celebration of Hangul Day has more significance than any other year,” said Yeoju mayor Kim Chun-seok. “As the boundaries of King Sejon’s grave were moved to Youngreung from Mt. Daemosan in Gwangju back in 1469, the name of Yeoju changed from Yeoheung to Yeoju, and was raised in status to Yeoju Mok (a civic unit) in the Joseon period. This Hangul Day, in which Yeoju is elevated to a city, is especially more significant that the first celebration as a Yeoju citizen takes place in front of a royal tomb with the flow of history.”

◇ After paying respects to the royal tomb of King Sejong, Governor Kim has a commemorative photograph taken with children. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News Yoo Je-hoon

Hangul day has been regained its status as a national holiday starting this year. In the event, children and adults enjoyed Hangul using experiences and watched various performances to review the value of Hangul and honored King Sejong’s invention of Hangul.

In the Youngreung area where the celebration took place, the 16th National Sejong Writing and Art Contest was held targeting elementary, middle and high-school students. The specially prepared stage in the 14th street of Sejong-ro, Yeoju, featured various cultural events including the Hangul love performance in the afternoon as well as the reading of beautiful Hangul poetry.

Professional actors of historical dramas, extras and Chi-ta-dae revived the ‘Proclamation Ceremony of Hunmin Jeongeum.’ Nationwide college students specialized in fields related to fashion quoted Hangul to re-create 71 garments with Hangul, presenting a special ‘Hangul clothing’ fashion show and performance. A puppet show named ‘King Sejong Met in Hangul Nation’ was also performed to deliver the message to children to love Hangul.

◇ Ban Jae-won, chief of the Hunmin Jeongeum Research Institute, is reading the introduction of Hunmin Jeongeum that reproduced the phonetic value of the time it was invented. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News Yoo Je-hoon

Moreover, there were over 10 various exhibitions and experience events such as the national King Sejong Hangul writing contest, Hangul carving exhibition, Hunmin Jeongeum rubbing experience, making Hangul badges, natural dyeing of Hangul, turning the Hangul ceramic spinning wheel, and street mime performance.

“I attended this ceremony to let my child learn of our Hangul’s superiority and the national identity,” said Yeoju citizen Park Mi-jin who paid respects to Youngreung with her child. “I hope my seven-year-old child becomes a great figure in the future who can contribute to the history and the people like King Sejong.”

“Hunmin Jeongeum invented by King Sejong in the mid-15th century has the meaning of the ‘proper sound that teaches the people,’ said Yeoju Cultural Center director Kim Mun-young. “I hope on this Hangul Day, people review King Sejong’s love toward his people and make efforts to produce proper sounds by using Hangul properly.”

◇ Gyeonggi Provincial Traditional Music Orchestra playing classical court music. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News Yoo Je-hoon

◇ Splendid royal court dance performance by Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News Yoo Je-hoon

ⓒGyeonggi G-News | Chun Kyeong-nam ckn0403@kg21.net

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201310101002367055C049&s_code=C049