Oct. 9 is the Hangeul Day holiday, commemorating King Sejong’s creation of the Korean writing system in the 15th century.
At the lawn behind the King Sejong statue in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, crowds of both Koreans and foreign visitors gathered for the 16th annual Gwanghwamun Square Calligraphy Competition hosted by the Korea Arts Culture Center.
Dressed in "durumagi," or traditional Korean overcoats, participants re-created the atmosphere of the civil service exams of the Joseon era as they spent two hours creating works inspired by Hangeul.
Out of some 500 entries screened in the preliminary round, 400 finalists took part in the main competition, including about 80 participants from 30 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe.
From brief phrases celebrating the beauty of Hangeul to colorful drawings of traditional flowers with the Korean script, Hangeul works beautifully decorated Gwanghwamun Square.
“Hangeul is the heart and soul of Korea,” read a calligraphy piece written by one of the foreign participants.
Meanwhile, on one side of the square the Seoul Metropolitan Government hosted a hands-on experience program dubbed “Connecting the world through Hangeul,” designed to highlight how Hangeul has evolved from a writing system into a medium for global understanding and exchange.
Booths offered various activities where foreign visitors wrote their names in Hangeul, children made art using Hangeul-shaped stamps and visitors crafted hats decorated with Korean letters.
On a large paper sheet laid out on the ground featuring an image of King Sejong, children drew pictures and played freely, adding color to the celebration.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
