Seoul to celebrate Hangul Day with week long festivities

Various Hangul-themed celebratory events will be offered to commemorate Hangul Day from Thursday to Oct. 17.

Hangul Day is a national Korean commemorative day marking the invention and proclamation of Hangul, the Korean alphabet and is observed annually on Oct. 9.

Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Hangul Week celebration will begin with Hangul-themed musical productions, live music performances and exhibitions in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul from Tuesday to Thursday.

The celebrations not only reflect on the history of Hangul but also the future. Exhibitions highlighting products such as stationery, furniture and everyday products that reinterpret Hangul through a modern lens will also be available.

An evening celebration featuring 100 lanterns to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the day being marked as an official holiday, along with live music performances from acts such as indie band Broccoli, you too? will take place on Thursday evening.

The finale of the evening will be a projection of a media facade inspired by the 24 letters of Hangul, projected on the walls of Gwanghwamun.

The screening will be available every day from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. from Thursday to Oct. 11.

A forum on the future of Hangul and the Korean language in the age of K-culture's global spread and advancing AI technology will be held at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Oct. 12.

“This year’s Hangul Week festival, which marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangul Day, will celebrate the past, present and the future of Hangul,” Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young said in a press release on Friday. “Hangul has been a driving force behind the spread of our culture. [...] We hope Hangul will move beyond its first 100 years and toward a new future.”

Update, Oct 6, 2026: Removed references to Hangul Day being over 580 years.

BY LEE JI-WON [[email protected]]