▲ A variety of events celebrating Hangeul is set to take place across South Korea from Oct. 6-17, 2026, to mark the 580th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangeul Day. Image provided by the culture ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- A variety of events celebrating Hangeul will take place across South Korea from Oct. 6-17 to mark the 580th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangeul Day.

 

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday that it will host a range of cultural and arts events under the theme "Hangeul by My Side" at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul and other locations nationwide during "2026 Hangeul Week."

 

"2026 Hangeul Festival-Gwanghwamun," featuring performances, exhibitions and hands-on programs centered on Hangeul, will take place at Gwanghwamun Square from Oct. 6-8. The program will include the musicals "My Love Beside Me, You in a Dopo" and "Gat-Geul," as well as the poetry, song and storytelling concert "Read, Walk and Sing." Performances by indie bands Far East Asia Tigers and Yangbans are also scheduled.

 

A Hangeul Day eve celebration will be held on the evening of Oct. 8 at the square's main stage. The event will open with the lighting of 100 lights symbolizing the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangeul Day, followed by celebratory performances by K-pop group AtHeart and indie band Broccoli, You Too. A media art presentation titled "Twenty-Four, the Universe" projected on the exterior wall of Gwanghwamun will be unveiled as the final program of the eve celebration.

 

The "2026 Hangeul Culture Industry Fair," hosted by the National Hangeul Museum at Gwanghwamun Square from Oct. 6-8, will highlight the industrial potential of Hangeul. It will showcase and sell a variety of Hangeul-themed cultural products and content and offer hands-on programs.

 

A "Hangeul Industry Business Center" will also connect domestic and overseas buyers with participating companies and support the expansion of sales channels for Hangeul-related cultural products and content. The event will feature media art that reinterprets "Cheongguyeongeon," an early collection of Korean song lyrics, as well as K-pop music and video content.

 

The National Museum of Korea will host an academic conference on Oct. 12 under the theme "100 Years of Hangeul Day: Hangeul Beyond Boundaries, Opening the Future of the Korean Language." Scholars from South Korea and abroad will discuss the future direction of Hangeul and the Korean language amid the spread of K-culture and changes brought about by the artificial intelligence era.

 

Other events include the National Hangeul Museum's special exhibition "1926 Infinite Takeoff," which opens Oct. 2 and runs through January next year. The National Institute of Korean Language's nationwide argumentative writing contest, Sejong City's "2026 Sejong Hangeul Festival" and "Hangeul Run" race will also take place during Hangeul Week.

 

Twenty-two Korean language and culture centers nationwide will hold a variety of public participation events, including Hangeul cultural experience programs, contests and book review competitions.

 

"To mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangeul Day, this year's Hangeul Week has been prepared as a festival encompassing Hangeul's past, present and future," Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young said. "I hope Hangeul, the driving force behind the flourishing of our culture and a constant presence in our lives, will move beyond its first 100 years toward a new future."

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]