President Lee “Hangul, preserved by our ancestors, will support the growth of the Republic of Korea after liberation”

President Lee Jae-myung celebrated Hangul Day on the 9th and said, “Writing is the face of the country and words are the heart of the country,” and “The power of our words and writing is the competitiveness of the Republic of Korea.”

In a post posted on Facebook that day, President Lee said, "Today is Hangeul Day, the 580th anniversary of the promulgation of Hangeul by King Sejong the Great, and it is especially meaningful as it marks exactly 100 years since our ancestors first created 'Gagyanal' to protect the language and writing in 1926 during the Japanese colonial period."

President Lee reflected, "100 years ago, our ancestors did everything in their power to protect our language and writing," and "Many pioneers, including Ju Si-kyung, studied, recorded, and taught our language and writing despite oppression by the Japanese. It was a determination that even if our country was taken away, we could not lose our spirit and identity."

In particular, he emphasized, “We are now freely using Hangul, which our ancestors protected,” and “After liberation, Hangul has supported the growth and development of the Republic of Korea.”

He continued, “Teacher Joo Si-kyung said, ‘When words rise, the country rises, and when words fall, the country falls.’ Now, Hangul has gone beyond Korea and has become a script learned and loved by people around the world.” He added, “King Sejong Institute, which started in 13 locations in 3 countries in 2007, has expanded to 273 locations in 89 countries this year.”

He added, "I sincerely celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hangeul Day. If the past 100 years have been a time of protecting Hangeul and taking root in our lives, the next 100 years will be a time of further expanding the possibilities of Hangeul," adding, "I believe that the people will join forces in their love for Hangeul to continue the Republic of Korea as a cultural powerhouse in the future."