"This Is Too Much": Even Hangeul Misrepresented... Controversial Exhibit at China's Character Museum

The China Character Museum, located in Anyang, Henan Province, China, is facing controversy for using inaccurate descriptions in its exhibition introducing Hangeul. Errors have been found regarding the period of creation and the naming of Hangeul, and critics have pointed out that the exhibition method itself could lead visitors to mistakenly perceive Hangeul as one of the scripts used by Chinese ethnic minorities.

Da. The China Character Museum is a national-level museum established to introduce the history of Chinese characters and character culture, exhibiting ancient Chinese characters and various character systems. This controversy is related to issues of cultural and historical awareness, raising the possibility of expanding into a cultural awareness dispute between Korea and China in the future. Seo Kyungduk Facebook

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On March 10, Professor Seo Kyungduk of Sungshin Women's University stated through social networking services (SNS), "Thanks to a tip-off from a netizen, I was able to confirm the content of the exhibition at the China Character Museum," adding, "Several errors were found in the Hangeul-related exhibits located in the ethnic minorities exhibition hall on the museum's second floor."

According to Professor Seo, the exhibit introduces Hangeul as 'Joseonmun (朝鮮文)' and the Romanized label is simply 'Korean,' not 'Korean alphabet.' Additionally, it states that King Sejong created Hangeul in January 1444, when in fact, Hangeul was devised in December 1443.

Professor Seo particularly raised concerns about the way the exhibition space is organized. Since Hangeul is displayed alongside various scripts of ethnic minorities in China, there is a possibility that visitors may perceive Hangeul as one of the scripts of Chinese minorities. He stressed, "The biggest problem is that Hangeul is being exhibited as if it is just one of the scripts used by China's ethnic minorities," adding, "This kind of approach could lead Chinese or international visitors to misunderstand Hangeul as a script belonging to the Chinese cultural sphere."

Furthermore, Professor Seo referred to the ongoing cultural disputes in China surrounding the origins of Hanbok and Kimchi. He said, "China has been claiming Hanbok and Kimchi as traditional Chinese culture on the grounds that ethnic Koreans in China wear Hanbok and eat Kimchi," and expressed concern, "Given this case, there is a possibility that China may even claim Hangeul as part of its culture." However, it is known that the exhibition guide on display does not directly assert that Hangeul is a Chinese script.

The guide explains that ethnic Koreans in China use the same language and script as Koreans, and that Chinese characters were used for a long time before the creation of Hangeul. It also mentions that King Sejong led the creation of Hangeul. However, there is reportedly insufficient information about who King Sejong was or the historical background of Hangeul. Because of this, there are concerns that visitors may find it difficult to accurately understand the origin and nature of Hangeul after viewing the exhibition.

Professor Seo explained to Yonhap News Agency, "By mentioning Hangeul in the ethnic minorities exhibition room without providing any explanation about its origin and background, Chinese or foreign visitors could be misled into thinking that Hangeul is the language or script of a Chinese ethnic minority, which is why I wanted to point this out." The China Character Museum is a national-level museum established to introduce the history of Chinese characters and character culture, exhibiting ancient Chinese characters and various character systems. As this controversy revolves around issues of cultural and historical awareness, there is a possibility that it could develop into a broader dispute over cultural perception between Korea and China in the future.

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