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Hangul Day: Celebrating the Korean Alphabet

Hello, steemit community! Today, I want to share with you some interesting facts and stories about Hangul Day, a national holiday in South Korea that celebrates the Korean alphabet. Hangul Day is observed on October 9 every year, and it commemorates the invention and proclamation of Hangul by King Sejong the Great in the 15th century. Hangul is a unique and scientific writing system that represents the sounds and structure of the Korean language. It is widely regarded as one of the most efficient and elegant alphabets in the world.

The History of Hangul

Before Hangul was created, Koreans used Chinese characters, or Hanja, to write their language. However, Hanja was very difficult to learn and use, as it required memorizing thousands of characters that did not match the Korean grammar or pronunciation. Only the elite and educated people could read and write Hanja, while the majority of the common people were illiterate.

King Sejong, who ruled Korea from 1418 to 1450, was a benevolent and wise monarch who cared deeply about the welfare and culture of his people. He wanted to create a writing system that would be easy to learn and use for everyone, regardless of their social status or education level. He also wanted to preserve the identity and uniqueness of the Korean language, which was different from Chinese.

Therefore, he commissioned a group of scholars to design a new alphabet that would reflect the sounds and patterns of Korean speech. The result was Hangul, which was officially introduced in 1446 through a document called Hunminjeongeum, meaning "the proper sounds for the instruction of the people". The document explained the principles and rules of Hangul, as well as examples of its usage.

Hangul consists of 24 letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. The letters are arranged in syllabic blocks that form words. Each letter has a shape that corresponds to the position and movement of the tongue, lips, and throat when pronouncing it. For example, the letter ㄱ (g/k) looks like the back of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth, while the letter ㅏ (a) looks like the open mouth when saying "ah". The letters can also be combined to form complex sounds, such as ㄲ (kk), ㅐ (ae), or ㅢ (ui).

Hangul is not only phonetic, but also morphemic, meaning that it reflects the meaning and structure of words. For example, the suffix -ㅂ니다 (-bnida) indicates a formal and polite sentence ending, while the suffix -요 (-yo) indicates a casual and friendly sentence ending. The order of letters in a syllable also shows the grammatical role of a word in a sentence, such as subject, object, or modifier.

The Struggle and Survival of Hangul

Despite its brilliance and simplicity, Hangul faced many challenges and oppositions throughout its history. Many conservative scholars and nobles rejected Hangul as a vulgar and inferior writing system that threatened their social status and influence. They insisted on using Hanja as the official and literary language of Korea, while relegating Hangul to women, children, and commoners.

Hangul also suffered from foreign invasions and colonization that tried to erase or suppress Korean culture and language. During the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945, Hangul was banned from public use and education, while Japanese was enforced as the national language. Many Koreans resisted this oppression by using Hangul as a tool for communication, education, and liberation.

After Korea regained its independence in 1945, Hangul was restored as the official writing system of Korea. However, it still had to compete with Hanja and English as sources of prestige and modernity. Many Koreans felt insecure or inferior about their own language and culture, and tried to adopt foreign words or expressions into their speech or writing.

The Celebration and Promotion of Hangul

Today, Hangul is widely recognized and respected as a national treasure and a cultural heritage of Korea. It is also admired by many linguists and scholars around the world as a masterpiece of human intelligence and creativity. It is estimated that about 80 million people speak Korean as their native or second language, and most of them use Hangul as their primary writing system.

Hangul Day is a day to celebrate and appreciate the beauty and value of Hangul. It is also a day to promote and protect the diversity and richness of Korean language and culture. On this day, various events and activities are held across Korea and abroad, such as exhibitions, contests, performances, lectures, workshops, parades, festivals, etc.

Some examples of Hangul Day events are:

• The King Sejong Prize: an award given by the Ministry of Culture, Sports