"Though Your Eyes May Be Dim, Do Not Let Your Hearts Grow Dark"... 100 Years of Hunmaengjeongeum

Dusung Park's Braille Typewriter and Journal on Display
At Sejong the Great History and Culture Museum Starting May 15

Hunmaengjeongeum Braille Chart.

The Sejong the Great Heritage Center announced on May 11 that it will hold a special exhibition titled "Hunminjeongeum and Hunmaengjeongeum" at the Yeoju Sejong the Great History and Culture Museum from May 15 to July 19, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of Hunmaengjeongeum.

Hunmaengjeongeum is a six-dot Korean braille system developed by Dusung Park (1888–1963), who taught visually impaired students at the Jeseongwon under the Japanese Government-General of Korea, and was announced on November 4, 1926. Despite the language assimilation policies of the Japanese Government-General, Park secretly studied Korean braille. He emphasized to his students, "Though your eyes may be dim, do not let your hearts grow dark. If you do not learn, even your minds will remain in darkness, so you must study." After completing the system, he mailed letters and textbooks to visually impaired people across the country to help them learn it.

Braille typewriter directly used by Doosung Park.

The exhibition highlights the historical significance of how King Sejong's spirit embedded in Hunminjeongeum was carried on through Hunmaengjeongeum. In the Hunminjeongeum section, the exhibition will feature "Samganghaengsildo," which contains illustrations for those who could not read, and "Worinseokbo," which includes the translation and interpretation of Hunminjeongeum. In the Hunmaengjeongeum section, visitors can view the "Hunmaengjeongeum Braille Chart," Dusung Park's journal, a zinc braille plate, and a braille typewriter bearing Park's traces.

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