Developing and Promoting the Beautiful and Scientific Writing System of Hangeul Director Kim Young-soo of National Hangeul Museum

Not many countries around the world have their own unique alphabet. Hangeul is unique among all major alphabets in the world in that it is scientific, systematic, and practical. It was ranked as the best created alphabet by the Language Research Institute at the University of Oxford in terms of rationality, science, and uniqueness. For this issue, we met with Kim Young-soo, Director of the National Hangeul Museum, who is at the forefront of promoting the learning of our beautiful alphabet around the world.

Hello Mr. Kim Young-soo. Could you start by introducing yourself and the National Hangeul Museum?

Through collection and preservation of Hangeul, our national heritage, as well as research, exhibitions, and education, the National Hangeul Museum helps our citizens better understand how brilliant, scientific, and beautiful Hangeul is, used in everyday life. We have permanent exhibitions set up to display the past, present, and future of Hangeul, and arrange at least two special exhibitions per year about the history and design of the alphabet. In addition, we have opened a library to host occasions to celebrate events meaningful to the museum every year.
I have been responsible for various types of work at the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism since1995, and was appointed as the director of the National Hangeul Museum in late August, 2022. I remember feeling very eager on my first day of work at the museum, since it was my first time working at one, despite my years of experience in establishing a number of cultural policies as an administrator and planner. I especially liked the fact that it was the first time I was close to the people and citizens instead of staying behind the scenes. A museum is a place where we can directly communicate with visitors in various ways including exhibitions and education. After becoming the director of the National Hangeul Museum, I realized how important, beneficial, and scientific Hangeul is as an alphabet and felt a sense of responsibility to promote it among other people.

“2023 Hangeul Week” “2023 Hangeul Culture Industry Expo”

It was Hangeul Day not so long ago. What was Hangeul Day like for you this year? And could you tell us what events were held at the National Hangeul Museum?

An event was held to celebrate Hangeul Day under the theme “The power of Hangeul to knock on the door to the future” from October 4 to 10. The “2023 Hangeul Culture Industry Expo” held at aT Center in Yangjae showcased Hangeul culture products and various exhibitions were held, giving visitors a glimpse into the future of the Hangeul industry. A special exhibition titled "Hangyangga: An Ode to Seoul," will be held on the third floor of the National Hangeul Museum, running through until February 12, 2024. This special exhibition will be the first to introduce "Hanyangga," a song about life in Hanyang at the end of the Joseon Dynasty, from the viewpoint of spoken and written forms of our language. The exhibition hall was designed so that visitors feel as if they’re actually walking through the places of "Hanyangga."
We have also successfully hosted the “International Museum Forum,” another important event of this year, from October 19 to 20, under the theme “Writing and Language Museums in the Era of Digital Transformation.” We had a productive time discussing the use of technology and future direction of the museum together with 16 experts in the field of writing and language. Starting this year, we will continue to host international forums annually as a foundation for building a system and promoting the excellence of our museum.

King Sejong Institute students are passionate and eager to learn more about Hangeul. Could you recommend a program or place at the National Hangeul Museum that you would like them to visit?

I’d like to recommend first visiting the permanent exhibitions — "Hunminjeongeum, The Design of a Writing System Beyond Millennia" is an exhibition from which visitors can learn all about "Hunminjeongeum," our representative cultural heritage, and the origin of Hangeul and its value. We’ve placed content around the exhibition hall for interaction with visitors and for them to experience the beauty of Hangeul. Examples of content adding fun to the exhibition include an interactive book from which you can see how Hangeul was invented and the biography of King Sejong, a large screen that shows the beautiful Hangeul writing of a woman from the Joseon Dynasty, and interactive content. I was extremely pleased to have showcased "Hunminjeongeum, The Design of a Writing System Beyond Millennia," during the 2023 Korean Cultural Experience Program for KSIF learners.
The other space I’d like them to visit would be the library located on the first floor of the museum. As the only Hangeul library in the country, it has a wide variety of books and information on Hangeul and Hangeul culture. It is a hub for books and materials that will be of huge help for those studying Hangeul and Korean language.

What are some of the efforts being made by the National Hangeul Museum to respond to the growing interest in Hangeul and further promote its beauty and importance?

The number of visitors to the National Hangeul Museum increased more than 1.5-fold compared to the previous year (approximately 205,912 visitors). The increase was most noticeable for foreign visitors, showing a 384.7% hike from 2021. This is the largest increase seen since the opening of the museum. I believe the global interest in Korean culture greatly contributed to this phenomenon. It is none other than Hangeul that serves as the medium for spreading Korean culture, such as K-dramas, movies, food, music, and dancing across the world. One should know Hangeul to be able to properly understand Korean culture, and the interest for Korean culture leads to learning Hangeul. As this trend is expected to grow stronger going forward, we’re working to prepare a wide variety of exhibitions, education courses, and content.
The National Hangeul Museum believes it’s important to drive fundamental changes in order to establish a meaningful relationship with our customers. I hope our museum will become a platform for visitors to come together regardless of their age, gender, or nationality, to actively participate in various activities, build mutual understanding, share values, and ultimately become more passionate about Hangul and Korean culture.

As you begin to know more about Hangeul, you discover a “new world of Hangeul.” How charming is that world and what values and possibilities does it have?

The National Hangeul Museum began to host the “Hangeul Design Project” from 2016 to promote Hangeul in an easier and more intuitive way for spreading the significance and value of Hangeul culture. It is an innovative and interesting exhibition project where Hangeul is applied to different genres of art, including crafts, fashion, visual design, images, and music — to promote the value and potential of Hangeul across the globe.
The exhibition held this year at the Korean Cultural Center in China is a reconstitution of the 4th Hangeul Design Project “Reinterpreting Hangeul in the Modern Era”, held last year. The exhibition, first held in Beijing, China, is being held also in three Asian cities including Tokyo and Hong Kong. We ask for your interest and support in our traveling exhibitions, which are at the forefront of promoting the value and importance of Hangeul and Korean culture, as well as cultural exchange.

The National Hangeul Museum is leading efforts to promote Korean culture, and KSIF spreads Korean language and culture all around the world. Could you tell us about your view on the cooperation between the two institutions?

KSIF is an institution that promotes the spread of Korean language and Hangeul and provides education courses. The National Hangeul Museum’s role is to promote the significance of Hangeul and Korean culture around the world. In that sense, you can say that both institutions share the same goals.
Lee Hai-young, the president of the King Sejong Institute Foundation, has provided us with a lot of support by taking time out of her busy schedule to deliver a congratulatory speech at the National Hangeul Museum’s Museum Forum held on October 13. I also would be more than happy to give a helping hand if the KSIF needs it. I have no doubt that the cooperation between our two institutions will lead to a significant synergy effect in spreading Hangeul and Korean language education, our shared purpose and vision.

What project is the museum’s highest priority at the moment? And could you give us an insight into the future direction of the National Hangeul Museum?

International exchange is what we have been focusing on recently. I strongly believe that the values of Hangeul, Hangeul culture, and Korean culture, by being shared and understood by people around the world, should contribute to the diversity and creativity of other cultures 10 or so years from now. We have successfully held the World Museum Forum to discuss directions and the roles we should play to make that vision possible. By hosting international forums every year, we aim to build a foundation for establishing a department of language and character within the ICOM. I truly believe that the National Hangeul Museum, a hub dedicated to Hangeul, deserves to be the institute to establish such a department. This is both my goal and dream.
Not many countries around the world have their unique characters, and only 78 museums are dedicated to preserving them. The National Hangeul Museum will continue to contribute to cultural creativity and diversity through spreading the values of Hangeul, Hangeul culture, and Korean culture and establishing communication and cooperation networks with language and character museums around the world.