Our ancestors' hope embedded in 'Hangeul'

Hangeul emerged as a declaration of cultural independence amid Korea’s colonial and class-based discrimination. After Koreans commemorated Hunminjeongeum in Seoul in 1926, the Korean Language Society adopted the name Hangeul and established Hangeul Day the following year. Created for commoners, women and children, the script survived colonial suppression and has since gained global influence. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Hangeul Day.

The funeral of Yi Cheok, Korea’s last emperor, on June 10, 1926, was accompanied by another Korean independence demonstration.

Members of the Korean Language Society and pro-independence groups gathered in Seoul on Nov. 4, 1926, to mark the 480th anniversary of Hunminjeongeum’s promulgation.

The Korean Language Society introduced Hangeul as the script’s official new name and launched its signature journal in 1927.

Ju Si-gyeong coined the name Hangeul around 1913 to replace dismissive labels such as eonmun, bangeul and amgeul.

Hangeul was officially elevated to national-script status during the Gabo Reforms of 1894, before Imperial Japan demoted Korea’s writing system after the 1910 annexation.

Published Oct 9, 2026 8:50 am KST

Chun Woo-yong, president of the King Sejong Institute Foundation / Courtesy of King Sejong Institute Foundation

On June 10, 1926, the funeral of Yi Cheok, the last emperor of Korea, was held. On that day, Koreans once again staged an independence demonstration. About five months later, on Nov. 4, members of the Korean Language Society and pro-independence groups gathered at a restaurant in Seoul to mark the 480th anniversary of the promulgation of the "Hunminjeongeum."

At the time, six-decade cycles were a far more familiar milestone to the public than centennials. Following the ceremony, members of both organizations resolved to commemorate the occasion annually. The next year, the Korean Language Society introduced "Hangeul" as the script's official new name and launched its signature journal. Accordingly, the holiday was named "Hangeul Day."

"Hunminjeongeum" translates literally to "the correct sounds to instruct the people." Created in an era of strict social hierarchy, when Classical Chinese dominated as the writing of the elite yangban class, the new alphabet served primarily as a written language for commoners, women and children. In everyday speech, colloquial terms like "eonmun" (vulgar script), "bangeul" (half-script), or "amgeul" (women’s script) were used to refer to the writing system far more often than its formal name.

These labels implied that the script was fit only for country folk, women or children, people thought incapable of mastering full expression. Although it was officially elevated to become a national script during the Gabo Reforms of 1894, the title was short-lived. Following the forced annexation of Korea in 1910, Imperial Japan promoted its own scripts and demoted Korea’s writing system. The different legal status of the two different written languages in daily life reflected the unequal relationship between the colonial rulers and the people they ruled over.

The name Hangeul was coined around 1913 by linguist Ju Si-gyeong. Overturning the dismissive undertones of terms like eonmun, bangeul, and amgeul, the new name conveyed a meaning more akin to "great script," "complete script" or "script of the Korean nation." When the Korean Language Society formally adopted the name roughly a decade later, it could be seen as a declaration of cultural independence — an attempt to break free from medieval and colonial forms of discrimination through language.

A century later, Hangeul has become a writing system studied by people around the world. That the writing system of a colonized nation not only survived, but went on to attain global influence is remarkable, powered by the Korean people’s own relentless drive for decolonization. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangeul Day. May the hope of our ancestors, seen in Hangeul a century ago as a vision of human equality and global peace, continue to spread across the world with Korean culture.

Chun Woo-yong is president of King Sejong Institute Foundation.

在韩国遭受殖民统治和阶级歧视的背景下，韩文的出现象征着文化独立。1926年，韩国民众在首尔纪念训民正音后，韩国语言协会正式采用“韩文”这一名称，并在次年设立了韩文日。韩文最初是为平民、妇女和儿童而创制的，它挺过了殖民统治的压迫，并逐渐走向世界。今年是韩文日一百周年纪念。

1926年6月10日，朝鲜末代皇帝李丈的葬礼举行，与此同时，朝鲜也举行了另一场独立示威游行。

1926年11月4日，韩国语言学会成员和支持独立的团体在首尔聚集，纪念训民正音颁布480周年。

1927年，韩国语言学会正式将韩文定名为韩文，并创办了其标志性期刊。

朱时京于 1913 年左右创造了韩文这个名称，以取代像言文、方文和暗文这样带有贬义的称谓。

韩文在 1894 年的加保改革中被正式提升为国家文字，但在 1910 年日本帝国吞并朝鲜后，韩国的文字系统被降​​级。

发布于2026年10月9日上午8:50（韩国标准时间）

世宗研究所基金会会长全佑容 / 图片由世宗研究所基金会提供

1926年6月10日，朝鲜末代皇帝李丈的葬礼举行。当天，朝鲜民众再次举行独立示威游行。大约五个月后，11月4日，朝鲜语学会成员和支持独立的团体在首尔一家餐馆聚会，纪念《训民正音》颁布480周年。

当时，六十年周期比百年周期更受公众欢迎。仪式结束后，两个组织的成员决定每年都举行纪念活动。次年，韩国语言协会正式将“韩文”定为韩文的新名称，并创办了其官方期刊。因此，这个节日也被命名为“韩文日”。

“训民正音”字面意思是“教导百姓的正确发音”。它诞生于社会等级森严的时代，当时文言文是两班精英阶层的书写语言，而训民正音主要作为平民、妇女和儿童的书写语言。在日常口语中，人们使用“言文”、“半文”或“庵文”等俗称来指代这套文字系统的频率远高于其正式名称。

这些标签暗示这种文字只适合乡下人、妇女或儿童使用，这些人被认为无法充分表达自己。尽管在1894年的加保改革中，它被正式提升为国文，但这一称号并未持续太久。1910年日本帝国强行吞并朝鲜后，大力推广本国文字，贬低朝鲜文字。两种不同文字在日常生活中不同的法律地位，反映了殖民统治者与其被统治人民之间不平等的关系。

“韩文”这个名称大约在1913年由语言学家朱时京创造。它摒弃了“言文”、“方文”和“暗文”等带有贬义的词语，新名称传达了更接近于“伟大的文字”、“完整的文字”或“韩国民族的文字”的含义。大约十年后，韩国语言学会正式采用这个名称，这可以被视为一种文化独立的宣言——一次试图通过语言摆脱中世纪和殖民时期歧视的尝试。

一个世纪后，韩文已成为世界各地人们学习的文字系统。一个曾被殖民的国家的文字系统不仅得以存续，更在全球范围内产生了深远的影响，这本身就是一个奇迹，而这都归功于韩国人民不懈的非殖民化斗争。今年是韩文日设立一百周年。愿我们先辈们在一百年前通过韩文所表达的人类平等与世界和平的愿景，能够随着韩国文化的传播，继续在世界各地流传下去。

全佑勇是世宗王研究院基金会的理事长。