President Moon's Hangeul Day Message: "May Hangeul Also Connect the Hearts of North and South"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in, on the occasion of Hangeul Day, mentioned the globally beloved soft power of Hangeul and stated, "I hope Hangeul will also connect the hearts of the North and South."

On the morning of the 9th, President Moon said through social networking services (SNS), "As I showed the world at the Panmunjom Dorim Bridge, it is remarkable that the North and South use the same language and can communicate," expressing this sentiment.

President Moon said, "Since 2005, linguists from both North and South Korea have been working together to create the 'Gyeoremal Geun Sajeon' (Great Korean Dictionary for the Nation), and a draft was produced last March," adding, "I believe that Hangeul will ultimately warmly bind the hearts of the North and South."

He also highlighted the fact that Hangeul is loved worldwide. President Moon emphasized, "Along with the global popularity of Hallyu, Hangeul is loved, and our soft power is becoming stronger. Eighteen countries have adopted Korean as a second foreign language, and among them, eight countries include it in their university entrance exams."

He continued, "There are 39 countries offering Korean language classes at elementary, middle, and high school levels, and 16 countries have adopted it as a regular curriculum subject," adding, "Through 950 Korean studies courses offered at universities in various countries, the number of foreign friends who speak Korean will gradually increase." He also mentioned that recent editions of the Oxford English Dictionary in the UK have newly included Korean words such as hallyu, daebak, oppa, and unni.

President Moon stated, "King Sejong created twenty-eight new letters so that people could easily learn and convey each other's meanings well. Now, Hangeul is a language learned worldwide and a means to understand Korea," and added, "On the 575th Hangeul Day, I pay tribute to the scholars of Jiphyeonjeon who lit lamps late into the night and the pioneers who preserved our language and script during the Japanese colonial period."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.