In celebration of the 578^th anniversary of Hangeul Day, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister YU In Chon, MCST) presented awards to the winners of the Sejong Culture Award and individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the promotion of Hangeul. This year, three individuals and one organization received the Sejong Culture Award, while thirteen individuals and two organizations were awarded for their distinguished service in promoting Hangeul. In addition, the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit was awarded to one individual, the Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit to another, Cultural Merit Medals to two, Presidential Citations to five individuals and two organizations, and Prime Minister’s Citations to four individuals.

Three individuals and one organization received the 43rd Sejong Culture Award at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Hangeul Week (October 4)

The recipients of the 43rd Sejong Culture Award[1] include RI Kimi, Head of the Association of Belarusian Koreans, recognized for her role in preserving, succeeding, and promoting Korean language and culture in Belarus (Korean culture); KANG Beom Goo, Advisor to the Korea Film Directors’ Society, recognized for his contribution to the globalization of Korean cinema through his films including North Star, A Foggy Street, and the Korean-Taiwanese collaboration A Rescue Order (arts); the Team of Japanese Translators at CUON, who contributed to popularizing Korean culture in Japan by translating all 20 volumes of Land by PARK Kyung Ri (international cultural exchange); and SEONG Eui Soon, Vice President of Sungkyunkwan, recognized for her effort in developing Korean culture by founding the Bukchon Art Lovers Society as well as her dedication to cultural diversity education for local communities, schools, and the socially marginalized as a senior officer of Sungkyunkwan (cultural diversity). The award ceremony was held at the opening of the 2024 Hangeul Week at Gwanghwamun Plaza on October 4 at 5:30 PM. The winners received presidential citations and prize money.

Ten individuals and one organization awarded for their efforts in promoting Hangeul on the 578th anniversary of Hangeul Day (October 9)

As for the awards for those who made distinguished contributions to the promotion of Hangeul[2], the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit was presented to Miyuki Hamanoue, Vice Dean of Japan's Kanda University of Foreign Studies, for advancing Korean language education and enhancing the status of the Korean language in Japan through the launch of the academic journal Korean Language Yearbook. Dafna Zur, a professor at Stanford University, received the Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit for globalizing Hangeul by translating, publishing, and teaching Korean literature and serving as Dean of the Korean Language Village at Concordia Language Villages since 2014.

Cultural Merit Medals was awarded to KIM Bok Soon, a lecturer at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, for running Korean language courses and promoting Korean culture and Hangeul; and Li Ekaterina, a professor at Irkutsk State University in Russia, for disseminating the Korean language in Russia through classes at local universities and launching online Korean schools.

Presidential Citations were presented to KANG Byung Goo, a professor at King Sejong Institute Lisbon, for his efforts in promoting Korean language and culture by teaching Korean at the Korean Community Association in Portugal, initiating Korean studies at local universities, and establishing the King Sejong Institute Lisbon; Luu Tuan Anh, Head of the Korean Studies Department at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for teaching Korean language, launching Korean courses sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Training, and serving as the president of the Korean Research Association of Vietnam; and Central University of Chile for its efforts in promoting Korean language and culture across Chile and Central America through the operation of King Sejong Institute, Master’s programs in Korean studies, the Center for Comparative Korean Studies, and the Korean Archives.

Prime Minister's Citations was awarded to KWON Myung Won, a Korean calligrapher and Vice Chairman of the Washington Association for Korean Schools, for his contributions to public diplomacy and the globalization of Hangeul through the promotion of Hangeul across various audiences in the US, including political, artistic, and academic circles; Nicola Fraschini, Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne, for contributing to the spread of Hangeul by nurturing nearly 3,000 Korean learners in language institutes in Korea and Australia and establishing Australia's first Korean language teacher training program; SOHN Hak Soon, Principal of the Korean School Dublin, for his efforts in promoting the status of Korean culture in Ireland by running a Hangeul institute and promoting Korean language education; and OH Se Jong, a professor at Ain Shams University, for his work in spreading Korean culture as well as teaching Korean language and establishing a foundation for Korean studies and Korean language education in Egypt.