To celebrate Hangeul Week 2022 (October 4—10), which marks the 576^th Hangeul Day, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister PARK Bo Gyoon, MCST) announced the list of Sejong Culture Award winners and people credited with helping to further develop Hangeul. A total of 13 people will be awarded by the government, including one Hwagwan Order of Culture Merit, one Culture Merit Medal, seven Presidential Citations, and four Prime Minister’s Citations.

  The winners of the Sejong Culture Awards, which celebrates its 41^st year this year, are the Korean Language Studies Office of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) in the Korean culture category; HYEON Byeong-chan, chairman of the board for the Jeju Hangeul Calligraphy Devotee Society in the arts category; GWON Jae-il, professor emeritus of Seoul National University in the academics category; the Sejong Cultural Society in the international cultural exchange category; and Valeriya KIM, principal of CHOI Jae-hyung Korean National School in Ussuriisk, Russia in the cultural diversity category. The Sejong Culture Awards, begun in 1982, recognizes individuals and groups that have rendered distinguished services in the five categories of Korean culture, the arts, academics, cultural exchange, and cultural diversity, and grant Presidential and Prime Minister’s Citations as well as prize. The awards ceremony is to be held on October 8 (Sat) at an outdoor stage on the grounds of the National Hangeul Museum as part of Hangeul Week Eve celebrations during Hangeul Week 2022.

At the celebration of the 576^th Hangeul Day on October 9 (Sun), those who have contributed greatly to the development and dissemination of Hangeul and the Korean language will be awarded with medals and citations. Seven individuals and one group have been chosen to receive this year’s awards, and include LEE Hyo-sang, associate professor at Indiana University Bloomington for the Hwagwan Order of Culture Merit; LEE Se-hui, chief producer at KBS for the Culture Merit Medal; and LEE Gyeong-a, a civil servant in the Ministry of Government Legislation, and Dr. Atif FARAZ, director of the Islamabad King Sejong Institute in Pakistan, both for Presidential Citations.

Under the theme of “Thank you, Hangeul,” the MCST has been organizing a variety of other events to express our gratefulness for the Korean alphabet and its ease and convenience of use during Hangeul Week 2022 from October 4 (Tue) to October 10 (Mon) as part of Hangeul Day celebrations. 

Major events include a Hangeul Week Eve event to be held at the National Hangeul Museum on October 8 (Sat) and the Beautiful Hangeul Nuri Music Concert at the same venue on October 9 (Sun). The pre-celebration will feature a ceremony during which the Sejong Culture Awards will be given, and audiences will be able to enjoy performances by the Seoul Orchestra, Seoul Kodaly Singers, and the singer, Younha. The music concert will star fusion Gugak (traditional Korean music) performances, Germany’s WDR Kinderchor Dortmund, and more. 

In addition, the 2022 Academic Conference of the World Convention of the Korean Language started at the Korean Press Center from October 6 (Thur) to October 7 (Fri). In connection with this, the Hangeul and Korean Language Fair will take place at the annex building of the National Hangeul Museum. A whole range of other academic, performance, exhibition, and experiential events will be held across the nation, including  a play called“King Sejong as a Boy – The Secret of Hangeul,”; a special exhibition by the National Hangeul Museum’s Fourth Hangeul Experiment Project; a Hangeul writing contest; making of Hangeul teaching aids; and many more. Further information on Hangeul Week 2022 can be found on the official website (www.한글날.com)[1]

With expansion of Hallyu, the Korean Wave, interest in Hangeul and Korean is reaching heights around the world previously unseen, and as such, a rich diversity of celebrations will take place overseas, centering on Korean Cultural Centers and King Sejong Institutes. In particular, the Korean Cultural Center in France is set to exhibit Hangeul-themed cultural products, in collaboration with the National Hangeul Museum, to publicize the beauty of Hangeul-inspired designs. Also, the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles will hold a Korean Poetry Recitation Contest to showcase the beauty of Hangeul and the quality of Korean literature. Last but not least, the Korean Cultural Center in Indonesia will introduce Korean literature through an exhibition of Korean-learning books for children and youth, screening of animated films based on 20^th-century Korean novels, and other Korean book-related events.