A promotional poster for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism event marking the 629th anniversary of King Sejong's birth / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Korea is celebrating the 629th birth anniversary of King Sejong, the 15th-century monarch renowned for his scientific advancements and the creation of Hangeul, with a grand commemorative ceremony scheduled Friday evening.
The 6 p.m. event, titled “Yeominrak: Sharing Joy with the World,” will take place at the square in front of Heungnyemun Gate at Gyeongbok Palace, with the grounds having already been transformed into a bustling hub of cultural activity.
The evening’s highlight is the fifth Sejong Cultural Awards, where Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young will present presidential citations to four recipients who have extended the monarch’s legacy into modern life. Notable among them is Lee Keon-beom, head of the Hangeul Cultural Solidarity, who is being honored for his 25-year effort of pushing for the treatment of clear public language as a fundamental human right. Other winners include professor Ryu Hyun-kook for his academic research into Hangeul typography, documentary filmmaker Park Su-nam for the decades she spent recording historical testimonies and the Han-You Hungarian-Korean Cultural and Art Foundation for leading civilian cultural exchange.
Tonight's program, to be hosted by actor Ryu Seung-ryong, is designed to bridge the dynastic past with the present. The National Gugak Center will open the program with a traditional Daechwita military performance, followed by the Yeominrak theme performance before proceeding with the awards ceremony. The evening will culminate in a modern reinterpretation of the Jeongdae-eop royal dance and a thematic show titled “The North Star and Twenty-Eight,” symbolizing King Sejong and the original 28 characters of the Korean alphabet. More than 1,000 attendees, including international students from Sejong Institute and preregistered participants, are expected to gather for the festivities.
Daytime visitors are currently engaging in interactive history exhibits that began Friday morning. Activities include woodblock printing of the Hunminjeongeum (a document published in 1446 that formally introduced the native Korean alphabet) prologue and crafting traditional danso flutes. The National Science Museum, meanwhile, is hosting a workshop on building the Angbu-ilgu sundial created by King Sejong.
“This year is especially significant as we mark the centenary of the designation of Hangeul Day,” Chae said.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
