A Hangul lover’s guide to South Korea

In Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, one of the city’s most famous public spaces, stands a giant statue of King Sejong, the 15th-century monarch beloved as much for his governance as for giving his people a written language of their own.

Hangul, the Korean alphabet, was created under his reign. King Sejong wanted the writing system designed so that ordinary people could read, write and express themselves with ease. Centuries later, it is impossible to miss. Hangul moves through the square in protest placards, cafe menus and metro signs, ingrained in the city’s daily rhythms rather than preserved as heritage.

Behind Sejong’s statue, Gyeongbokgung Palace stretches outward in low tiled roofs and courtyards. Built more than six centuries ago and spread across 41 hectares, it is the largest of Seoul’s five grand palaces – and one of the city’s most visited landmarks. Hangul was created within these walls, before travelling far beyond them.

For anyone who travels because they love language, Gwanghwamun Square is the right place to start. I happen to be there during Hangul Hanmadang, a week-long celebration of the Korean script that culminates in Hangul Day on October 9. Flowers are laid at Sejong’s statue in gratitude, while performances, exhibitions and workshops spill across the plaza.

Tourists in front of King Sejong's statue at Gwanghwamun Square. Getty Images

Hanmadang is a pure Korean term meaning a shared festival or open gathering.

At the event, Oh Kang-suk, deputy director of the Korean Language Policy Division, tells me Hangul is so embedded in daily life that Koreans sometimes forget its value. “It’s like air,” he says – always there, rarely noticed. Hangul Hanmadang exists to bring that awareness back, not only for Koreans but also for foreigners increasingly drawn to the language through culture, travel and curiosity.

“Hangul was created so people could express themselves,” he adds. “Its humanism lies in use.”

I also meet Professor Mark Peterson, an American scholar being honoured at the festival for his contributions to the study and promotion of Hangul. He has spent decades teaching Korean history, literature and language, and has lived in South Korea on and off for more than 15 years.

“Hangul is the only alphabet in the world that has its own national holiday,” he says. “No other nation celebrates its alphabet that way. That alone tells you something about how Koreans value Hangul.”

Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of Seoul’s most visited landmarks. Photo: Yeojin Yun / Unsplash

Peterson first came to Korea in 1965 as a 19-year-old Mormon missionary, an experience that sparked a lifelong engagement with the country, its language and its literature.