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Busan City to celebrate 578th Hangul Day with a grand event Oct. 9
haps Magazine Korea
October 8, 2024
Hunminjeongeum, the original manuscript for the Korean script language. (Bridging Culture Worldwide)
The city of Busan will host a major celebration on October 9th to mark the 578th anniversary of Hangul Day, commemorating the creation of the Korean alphabet.
The event will take place at the City Hall Auditorium at 10 a.m. and will bring together around 500 participants, including civic leaders, representatives from educational and cultural organizations, and citizens from all walks of life.
The celebration aims to honor Hangul’s historical significance and reinforce Busan’s identity as a hub for promoting Korean language and culture.
The event will open with a formal national ceremony, followed by a variety of activities to commemorate the occasion. Mayor Park Hyung-jun, along with other local dignitaries, will deliver congratulatory speeches.
The program will include a screening of a special video celebrating Hangul, a collective reading of the Hunminjeongeum Preface, and a choral rendition of the Hangul Day Song. The event will culminate with three symbolic cheers led by the attendees.
The ceremony will also recognize individuals and organizations for their contributions to the preservation and promotion of Hangul.
Awardees include Park Sung-eon, a veteran presenter of MBC’s ‘Jagalchi Ajjuma’ radio show, who has been instrumental in promoting the Busan dialect and local culture.
Other honorees include scholars, educators, and language activists who have contributed significantly to the study and dissemination of Hangul.
One of the highlights of this year’s celebration is the participation of international students from Busan’s Global City Foundation.
Three scholarship students from Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, and Laos will join Lee Geun-yeol, President of the Busan Korean Language Society, in a reading of the Hunminjeongeum Preface. This gesture symbolizes the growing global interest in Hangul and underscores its relevance beyond Korea’s borders.
To complement the main event, various cultural activities will be held in and around City Hall, offering citizens an engaging and educational experience. Highlights include a Busan Dialect Competition, Korean Language Experience Booths, and Calligraphy Exhibitions.