“Beautiful Korean writing, tearful Korean writing, tearful Korean writing, please grow like a bamboo shoot. May it spread like the sun. Our lovely Korean writing.” (from ‘Hangeul’ magazine, Vol. 2, No. 9)
In 1926, discussions were in full swing at the Korean Language Research Association (later the Korean Language Society).
This was because of a commemorative event being prepared for the 480th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum. A special article was published in the magazine ‘Shinmin’ (新民), and opinions from all walks of life surrounding the use of Hangul were gathered.
It was unusual at the time to celebrate a specific day socially.
However, at a time when the country was taken over by Japan and harsh persecution continued, Korean language scholars paid attention to the 'great achievements' left by King Sejong the Great (reigned 1418-1450) in order to boost the national spirit.
The first event was held on November 4th (September 29th in the lunar calendar at the time).
The Joseon Language Research Association believed that the existence of Hunminjeongeum was officially known on that day based on the section in the Annals of King Sejong on September 29th of the lunar calendar in 1446 that says, “Hunminjeongeum was established this month.”
The name of the anniversary at that time was ‘Gagyanal’.
Ga-gya is a different way of calling Hangul in the past. When learning Hangul, it is an arrangement of syllables made by starting from the initial consonant ‘ㄱ’ and combining each vowel. 'It originated from.
The National Hangeul Museum explained, “According to the writings of Korean linguist Lee Yun-jae (1888-1943), there was an opinion at the first commemoration ceremony to name the anniversary ‘Gagyanal.’”
As the name 'Hangeul' became widely used, the name of the anniversary held in various places naturally changed from 'Gagyanal' to 'Hangeul Day', but the date was not confirmed until a long time later.
Initially, the event was held according to the lunar calendar, but there were many opinions that it was inconvenient as the date changed every year. In the 1930s, the solar calendar was often used as the standard for calendars.
Accordingly, the date was converted based on the Julian calendar and celebrated on October 29 from 1931 to 1933, but from 1934, the Gregorian calendar was applied and moved forward one day to October 28.
What ended the discussion that lasted for years was an old book.
The basis was the ‘September 11th year of Jeongtong’ (正統十一年九月上澣) published in the ‘Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon’ (official name is National Treasure ‘Hunminjeongeum’) discovered in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do in 1940.
The upper limit refers to the 1st to 10th day of a month, and based on this record, the Joseon Language Society rescheduled September 10th in the lunar calendar in 1446 (October 9th in the solar calendar) as the date for the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum.
In other words, October 9th was considered to be the moment when the Korean language came out into the world and saw the light of day.
After liberation in 1945, Hangul Day was designated as October 9, and Korean linguist Oesol Choi Hyeon-bae (1894-1970) wrote song lyrics commemorating the creation and distribution of Hangul in 1954.
So, when did Hangeul Day become a ‘red day’?
According to the museum, in 1949, the government designated Hangeul Day as a legal holiday to commemorate its significance, but it was excluded in 1990 on the grounds that there were too many public holidays, causing difficulties in economic activities.
Accordingly, Hangul-related organizations and citizens joined forces, and in 2005, it was designated as one of the five major national holidays along with March 1st Independence Movement Day, Constitution Day (July 17), Liberation Day (August 15), and Foundation Day (October 3).
Later, in 2012, it was designated as a public holiday again to commemorate its significance.
Is there a Hangeul Day in North Korea, where Hangeul is used alongside us?
According to the archive operated by the National Hangeul Museum, Hangul is also celebrated in North Korea, but based on the date of its creation, not the date of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum.
The museum explained, “If the December of the lunar calendar in 1443, when Hunminjeongeum was created, is converted to January 1444 in the solar calendar,” it added, “North Korea celebrates January 15 as the ‘creation day of Hunminjeongeum.’”
Korean language academia sees this year as a meaningful year to reflect on the importance of the Korean alphabet.
2026, the 100th anniversary of Hangul Day, marks the 580th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ju Si-kyung (1876-1914), a scholar who led the popularization and modernization of Hangul.
Ju Si-kyung is a person who tried to preserve the spirit of national culture by participating in the publication of the first Korean-language newspaper, the Independence Newspaper, and writing the manuscript of Malmoi, the first Korean dictionary.
Another point to remember is the 100th anniversary of the promulgation of ‘Hunmaengjeongeum,’ a Korean Braille system that Songam Park Du-seong (1888-1963) completed in 1926 after forming the Joseon Braille Research Association and conducting three years of research.
Hunmaengjeongeum, which uses six dots, is considered a character that provided 'light' to the visually impaired.
Park Du-seong devoted himself to research and created Hangul Braille so that visually impaired people could write Korean in Braille instead of Japanese, and introduced it to the world on November 4, 1926.
This day was also the first day that the Hangul Day (Gagyanal at the time) commemoration ceremony was held.
In celebration of this historic year, events are being held throughout the country to convey the value and excellence of Hangeul.
The National Hangeul Museum held a special exhibition, ‘Ilgu Takeoff, Infinite Takeoff,’ introducing the 100 years of history and meaning of Hangeul Day at the Museum of Korean History in Gwanghwamun, Seoul.
Starting on the 7th of this month, the museum will introduce 65 items, including relics and Braille materials related to Park Du-seong, through the exhibition ‘From Dots to the World: 100 Years of Hunmaengjeongeum’ at the National Museum of World Characters in Incheon.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will present performances, exhibitions, and experiences based on the Korean alphabet at various locations across the country, including Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, in line with the '2026 Hangul Week' held from the 6th to the 17th.
