A century of Hangeul Day: From cultural independence to AI challenge

Hangeul Day began as Gagya Day in December 1926, when Korean linguists and independence activists promoted the script as part of cultural resistance to Japanese colonial rule. The observance moved from Sept. 29 on the lunar calendar to Oct. 9 in 1940 and reaches its 100th anniversary this year. Kim Ju-won says Hangeul’s next challenge is securing accurate Korean-language data for AI while sharing its scientific principles globally.

King Gojong declared Hangeul Korea’s official writing system in 1894.

Ju Si-gyeong helped revive Hangeul, developed foundations for modern Korean grammar and trained disciples who contributed to Korean-language standardization.

Ju Si-gyeong’s 1909 manuscript Gukeo Munbeop and draft manuscripts of Joseon-mal Keun Sajeon were recently designated National Treasures, while the dictionary manuscripts were nominated for UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

TOPIK applicants nearly doubled from 223,000 in 2021 to 421,000 in 2025.

Kim Ju-won said Korea needs large-scale, high-quality Korean-language datasets to protect digital linguistic sovereignty and avoid excessive dependence on global Big Tech models.

Published Oct 9, 2026 7:00 am KST

Scientific writing system goes beyond boosting national spirit to spreading Korean culture globally

Kim Ju-won, president of the Korean Language Society, poses with the draft manuscripts of "Joseon-mal Keun Sajeon," dictionary of the Korean language, at the organization's building in Seoul, Sept. 9. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

When King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) created “Hunminjeongeum,” the Korean alphabet now known as Hangeul, in 1443, it did not immediately replace the Chinese characters which Koreans had used for centuries.

For centuries afterward, it was largely shunned by the dynasty's aristocrats and intellectuals, who favored the use of Chinese characters. It wasn't widely popular among ordinary citizens either.

A major change came in 1894, when King Gojong declared Hangeul as the country’s official writing system. Three decades later, in December 1926, a group of Korean linguists and independence activists gathered and proclaimed Gagya Day — at the time, the name of Hangeul was not widely known and “gagya” was the starting sounds of people learning the alphabet.

That marked the beginning of what would later become Hangeul Day, which this year reaches its 100th anniversary. It was set on Sept. 29 based on the lunar calendar and was moved to the current Oct. 9 in 1940.

Historical legacy of Hangeul Day

Portrait of linguist Ju Si-gyeong / Korea Times file

Establishing Gagya Day a century ago was part of a cultural independence movement from Japan's colonial rule (1910-45), aimed at preserving the spirit of the nation, eradicating illiteracy and awakening national consciousness.

"It (Hangeul) helped break down the hierarchical status of written language and establish an independent Korean linguistic and cultural identity," Kim Ju-won, president of the Korea Language Society (KLS), told The Korea Times.

“Today, that same spirit extends beyond script preservation to establishing linguistic sovereignty in the digital and artificial intelligence (AI) era, spreading Hangeul globally and elevating our cultural standing.”

Reflecting on the history of Hangeul, it is impossible to discuss the Korean alphabet without mentioning linguist Ju Si-gyeong (1876-1914), founder of KLS.

“If King Sejong is the founder, inventor and creator of Hangeul, Ju can be considered the restorer, or an intermediary founder, who revived the script,” Kim said.

Ju is credited with giving Hangeul its current name, laying the foundations for modern Korean grammar and training disciples who later participated in compiling the Korean language dictionary and standardizing Korean grammar.

“Although King Gojong officially declared Hangeul the national alphabet in 1894 during the Joseon Dynasty, the nation soon faced foreign aggression. Ju emerged precisely when he was needed, passionately researching and educating the public about Hangeul while cultivating dedicated disciples who carried on his vital work,” Kim said.

Recently, Ju’s 1909 manuscript "Gukeo Munbeop" (Korean Grammar) and the original draft manuscripts of "Joseon-mal Keun Sajeon" (Dictionary of the Korean Language) were designated as National Treasures. The dictionary manuscripts have also been nominated for inclusion in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

One of Hangeul’s exceptional qualities lies in its simplicity.

The letters are modeled directly after the shapes of the human vocal organs, with consonants being categorized based on basic mouth and tongue shapes, representing a unique structural methodology unseen in global linguistic history. Developed more than 580 years ago, Hangeul represents a total synthesis of human linguistic knowledge created deliberately based on phonological principles.

With that feature, Kim said Hangeul made wide-ranging contributions to the Korean society over the past century.

A copy of "Hunminjeongeum Haerye," a book explaining the Korean alphabet's purpose, structure and principles, is on display at Gansong Art Museum in Daegu. Korea Times photo by Jeon Joon-ho

"With its scientifically designed and accessible structure, Hangeul helped eradicate illiteracy in a relatively short period and democratize access to knowledge. It also played a crucial role in rapidly building the human resources needed for industrialization and in establishing democracy," Kim said, adding that such legacy has become "the foundation for globally popular K-culture and Korea's leadership in digital knowledge."

Describing Hangeul as a “scientific miracle,” Kim said its logical foundations allow it to bridge historical tradition with modern digital environments.

Securing data sovereignty in AI era

For Kim, preserving Hangeul in the 21st century is no longer simply a matter of protecting its written form. As language increasingly becomes data processed by AI, he sees another challenge emerging: securing Korean language data and ensuring that it remains accurately represented in AI systems.

“Securing data sovereignty by building large-scale, high-quality Korean language datasets is our most pressing challenge,” Kim said. “If we become overly dependent on global Big Tech models, we risk losing our technological independence. We must process and construct precise public and specialized corpora that accurately reflect Korea’s history, culture and academic knowledge to preserve our digital linguistic sovereignty.”

He acknowledged the scale of the challenge Korea faces in securing data sovereignty more broadly.

“There are 50 million of us generating data, and hundreds of millions, even billions, doing so in English,” he said. “The gap in scale is enormous.”

The issue, Kim said, is not simply technological but linguistic: Without sufficient high-quality Korean language data, the language could be underrepresented in the systems increasingly used to generate and process information.

Hangeul and the Korean language have seen their popularity rise globally over the past two decades, driven in part by the growing international fame of Korean music, dramas, films, games and webtoons.

The number of people studying Korean and taking Korean language proficiency tests is also on the rise around the world. According to the National Institute of International Education responsible for administrating the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), the number of TOPIK applicants has nearly doubled from 223,000 in 2021 to 421,000 in 2025.

Kim is pleased to see these developments but does not like to describe them as the “globalization” of Hangeul.

“We deliberately avoid terms like the globalization of Hangeul, as that phrasing can carry imperialistic overtones, implying cultural superiority,” Kim said.

“Culture must be equal and mutually beneficial. Instead, we advocate for ‘Hangeul sharing.’ Foreigners study Hangeul out of affection for Korean culture. Our goal is to share the scientific value and creative principles behind Hangeul so global learners can connect deeply with Korean history.”

As to new terms, abbreviations and slang used by young generations, especially in the digital and AI era, Kim said they represent a "dynamic evolution of language." But he said they must rest on a solid foundation of accurate comprehension.

“Just as our predecessors established Gagya Day a century ago to achieve equality of knowledge through Hangeul, I hope future generations will understand its scientific principles and democratic values, taking pride in communicating confidently with the world.”

韩文日的前身是1926年12月的“伽伽日”，当时韩国语言学家和独立运动人士推广韩文，以此作为反抗日本殖民统治的文化活动之一。1940年，韩文日从农历9月29日改为10月9日，今年迎来了它的百年纪念。金柱元表示，韩文面临的下一个挑战是如何在全球范围内共享其科学原理的同时，确保人工智能所需的韩语数据的准确性。

1894年，高宗国王宣布韩文为朝鲜的官方文字。

朱时京帮助复兴了韩文，奠定了现代韩语语法的基础，并培养了为韩语标准化做出贡献的弟子。

朱时京 1909 年的手稿《国文法》和《朝鲜时代大书志》的草稿最近被指定为国宝，而字典手稿则被提名列入联合国教科文组织世界记忆名录。

2021 年 TOPIK 考试的申请人数为 22.3 万人，到 2025 年将几乎翻一番，达到 42.1 万人。

金柱元表示，韩国需要大规模、高质量的韩语数据集来保护数字语言主权，避免过度依赖全球大型科技公司的模式。

发布于2026年10月9日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

科学写作体系不仅能提升民族精神，还能向世界传播韩国文化。

9月9日，韩国语言学会会长金柱元在首尔学会大楼内，手持《朝鲜语词典》手稿草稿。韩国时报 崔元硕 摄

1443年，朝鲜王朝世宗大王（1392-1910）创造了“训民正音”（韩文），但当时它并没有立即取代韩国人几个世纪以来一直使用的汉字。

此后数个世纪，这种文字大多被王朝的贵族和知识分子所排斥，他们更倾向于使用汉字。它在普通百姓中也并不流行。

1894年，高宗宣布韩文为国家官方文字，这标志着韩国的重大变革。三十年后，即1926年12月，一群韩国语言学家和独立运动人士聚集在一起，宣布设立“嘎嘎日”（Gagya Day）——当时，韩文的名称并不广为人知，“嘎嘎”（Gagya）是人们学习韩文字母的起始音。

这标志着后来的韩文日的开始，今年是韩文日100周年纪念。它最初是根据农历定在9月29日，1940年改为现在的10月9日。

韩文日的历史渊源

语言学家朱时京肖像 / 《韩国时报》档案照片

一百年前设立的“加加亚日”是摆脱日本殖民统治（1910-1945）的文化独立运动的一部分，旨在保护民族精神，消除文盲，唤醒民族意识。

“韩文有助于打破书面语言的等级地位，并建立独立的韩国语言和文化认同，”韩国语言学会（KLS）会长金柱元告诉《韩国时报》。

“如今，这种精神不仅体现在文字的保存上，更体现在数字和人工智能（AI）时代建立语言主权、在全球范围内传播韩文以及提升我们的文化地位上。”

回顾韩文的历史，如果不提及语言学家朱时京（1876-1914），韩国语言学会的创始人，就不可能讨论韩国字母。

“如果世宗大王是韩文的创始人、发明者和创造者，那么朱棣文可以被认为是韩文的复兴者或中间创始人，他复兴了这种文字，”金说。

朱某被认为是韩文的命名者，他奠定了现代韩语语法的基础，并培养了后来参与编纂韩语词典和规范韩语语法的弟子。

“虽然朝鲜王朝高宗于1894年正式宣布韩文为国文，但朝鲜很快就面临外国侵略。朱正值此时出现，他满怀热情地研究和普及韩文，同时培养了一批忠实的弟子，继承了他的重要事业，”金说道。

近日，朱氏1909年手稿《国语语法》和《朝鲜语词典》原稿被指定为国宝。词典原稿也已被提名列入联合国教科文组织世界记忆名录。

韩文的卓越品质之一在于其简洁性。

韩文字母直接仿照人类发声器官的形状而设计，辅音的分类则基于基本的口腔和舌头形状，这代表了一种在世界语言学史上前所未见的独特结构方法。韩文诞生于580多年前，它代表了人类语言知识的全面综合，是经过精心设计，并遵循音系学原理而形成的。

金表示，凭借这一特点，韩文在过去一个世纪里为韩国社会做出了广泛的贡献。

一本名为《训民正音解说》的书籍正在大邱甘松美术馆展出，该书阐述了韩语字母的用途、结构和原理。（韩国时报，全俊浩摄）

金教授表示：“韩文凭借其科学设计且易于理解的结构，在相对较短的时间内帮助消除了文盲，并使知识获取更加民主化。它在快速培养工业化所需的人力资源和建立民主制度方面也发挥了至关重要的作用。”他还补充说，这一遗产已成为“风靡全球的韩流文化和韩国在数字知识领域领先地位的基础”。

金将韩文描述为“科学奇迹”，并表示其逻辑基础使其能够将历史传统与现代数字环境联系起来。

人工智能时代如何保障数据主权

对金而言，在21世纪保护韩文已不再仅仅是保护其书写形式的问题。随着语言日益成为人工智能处理的数据，他认为另一个挑战正在出现：如何保障韩语数据的安全，并确保其在人工智能系统中得到准确的呈现。

金教授表示：“构建大规模、高质量的韩语数据集，保障数据主权，是我们面临的最紧迫挑战。如果我们过度依赖全球大型科技公司的模式，就有可能失去技术独立性。我们必须处理和构建精准的公共语料库和专业语料库，准确反映韩国的历史、文化和学术知识，以维护我们的数字语言主权。”

他承认韩国在更广泛意义上保障数据主权方面面临着巨大的挑战。

他说：“我们有5000万人产生数据，而用英语产生数据的人却有数亿，甚至数十亿。规模上的差距巨大。”

金表示，问题不仅仅是技术问题，而是语言问题：如果没有足够高质量的韩语数据，韩语在日益用于生成和处理信息的系统中可能会被低估。

在过去的二十年里，韩文和韩语在全球范围内的受欢迎程度不断上升，部分原因是韩国音乐、电视剧、电影、游戏和网络漫画在国际上越来越受欢迎。

世界各地学习韩语和参加韩语水平考试的人数也在不断增加。据负责管理韩国语能力考试（TOPIK）的国立国际教育学院统计，TOPIK的报考人数已从2021年的22.3万人几乎翻了一番，预计到2025年将达到42.1万人。

金先生很高兴看到这些发展，但他并不喜欢将其描述为韩文的“全球化”。

金说：“我们刻意避免使用‘韩文全球化’之类的措辞，因为这种说法可能带有帝国主义色彩，暗示着文化优越性。”

“文化应当平等互利。我们提倡‘韩文共享’。外国人学习韩文是出于对韩国文化的喜爱。我们的目标是分享韩文背后的科学价值和创作理念，让全球学习者能够深入了解韩国历史。”

对于年轻一代，尤其是在数字和人工智能时代使用的新词、缩写和俚语，金表示，它们代表了“语言的动态演变”。但他强调，这些都必须建立在准确理解的坚实基础之上。

“正如我们的先辈们一个世纪前设立了韩语日，旨在通过韩文实现知识平等一样，我希望后代能够理解韩文的科学原理和民主价值观，并为能够自信地与世界交流而感到自豪。”