By Mohan Xu
The School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures’ Korean program held its annual Korean Alphabet Day celebration in the St Mary’s Hall Multipurpose Room on Oct. 9.
The event for Korean Alphabet Day, also known as Hangul Day, began with professor Robert Ramsey’s speech, “Hangul, Korea’s Gift to the World.” He spoke about the history of the Korean Alphabet and its writing system.
Ramsey explained that King Sejong invented the alphabet and named it “Hunmin jeongeum,” which means “the Correct Sounds for the Instruction of the People.”
Ramsey said the creation of this alphabet demonstrates two qualities about Hangul and its creator Sejong. First, it’s a scientific accomplishment. Ramsey emphasized that Hangul is structurally unique.
“The structure of the consonants show how the sounds they represent are articulated and they show how the sounds they represent relate to each other,” he said. Second, Hangul shows Sejong’s compassion and humanity. At that time, many common people were illiterate. Sejong created the language for all people to learn to read and write more easily.
Based on these two qualities, “people from [all over] the world should celebrate, because this accomplishment is rare and incredible in many different ways,” Ramsey said.
The second part of the celebration was a Hangul Calligraphy demonstration by Mr. Kwon Myongwon. This event represents the 20th year Myongwon brought his calligraphy to the university.
Mr. Kwon Myongwon is writing the Hangul calligraphy. Photos by Mohan Xu.
Erica Roach, a junior English major with a Korean minor, participated in the celebration activity. “The calligraphy was amazing and he is a good caliber,” Roach said. “Especially it was right in front of us, so we got to see how he used the brush.”
Another student, materials science and engineering senior Ivie Ebhojiaye, said the event was “not an everyday experience for sure.”
The third part of the event was the Korean traditional dances. The dances were performed by Ms. Jung Soo Kyung and her didimsae (디딤새) team members. Dancers wore colorful traditional Korean clothes.
The first performance began with the solo dance, “Sogochum.” A small drum accompanied the dance, and the solo dancer’s movements communicated with the audience. The second performance was HwaSeonMooGok, performed by five people. Performers used fans to express different dancing styles. The dancers would come together into a circle before panning out.
“I thought that was super intricate, seeing how their emotions were so synchronized, and the use of fan just incorporating it in the traditional element with the new kind of modern choreography,” Roach said.
The last performance was “Mega Drum.” It used traditional and modern rhythms; several beats were also included in the performance.
At the end, attendees ate Korean food samplings and listened to K-pop music. The food included more snack and street-style food rather than traditional Korean main dishes.
“I love this event and enjoy it,” Ebhojiaye said. “I look forward to this event every year.”