Hangeul Tourist Sites

Hello everyone. This is the last class for this week and the last class of this course. So far we have learned a lot about Hangeul. I believe now you will have a greater interest in Korea, the country that uses Hangeul. If you have a chance to visit Korea, you might be curious about Hangeul-related sites in Korea. Today we’ll explore some of those sites. In Seoul there is the National Hangeul Museum. It was created in 2014 as a museum dedicated to Hangeul. Materials related to Hangeul are collected and preserved here. The museum also offers various education programs and experiences for people to understand the cultural and artistic value of Hangeul.

The museum has exhibitions halls, a children’s museum, a learning center and a library. First, in the exhibition halls you can see what Hangeul looked like when it was created in 1443. You can also see the research results and education materials by Hangeul scholars and research organizations. There are also various exhibitions related to other languages of the world. There is also a Children’s Museum which offers activities for children to learn how Hangeul was created and help them express themselves with Hangeul. If you have children, you could bring them here to have a unique experience and learn about Hangeul. There is also a Hangeul Learning Center where non-Koreans who are not familiar with Hangeul can easily learn and experience Hangeul.

Anyone can easily learn and understand Hangeul pronunciation through the structure and combinations of the consonants and vowels. Every year on October 9 Korea celebrates “Hangeul Day.” If you happen to be in Korea on October 9, be sure to check out the National Hangeul Museum. There are various special events and activities at the museum to commemorate Hangeul Day. If you visit the museum you can have a fun and fruitful experience. Next let’s look at another tourist site related to Hangeul. Do you remember in the previous class we learned that King Sejong the Great created Hangeul? King Sejong the Great is also the most revered king in Korea. King Sejong had many great achievements.

He created not only Hangeul, but also invented astronomical devices like the sundial and rain gauge. So there is a statue of King Sejong the Great in Gwanghwamun Square. He is sitting in a chair with his two hands outstretched. He is holding a book in his left hand. That book is the “Hunminjeongeum” which explains the principles and background behind the creation of Hangeul. The rock that supports the statue has engravings of Hangeul as it looked when it was first created. You can walk around the statue and see what the original Hangeul characters looked like. There is another lesser-known space in Gwanghwamun Square. The entrance is right behind the statue of King Sejong the Great.

Behind the statue there is a path that leads underground. Underground there is an exhibition hall called “Sejong’s Story.” There are exhibits explaining King Sejong’s achievements and about the creation of Hangeul. If you visit Seoul, stop by Gwanghwamun Square and check out the statue of King Sejong the Great and the exhibition hall underneath. There is also a tourism course called “Sejong dae-ro Hangeul Gaon Street Course” in Seoul. The course includes famous sites in Seoul related to Hangeul. It starts at the statue of King Sejong the Great and stops at various places including the Korean Language Society and a Hangeul mural. The full walking course takes about two to three hours.

In this class we explored tourist sites in Korea related to Hangeul. And over the last four weeks we learned about Hangeul. Do you understand now about what kind of alphabet Hangeul is and how it was created? Do you also have a greater interest in Korea, the country where Hangeul is used? I hope this course helped you to better understand Hangeul. This is the end of the course. Thank you.