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The National Hangeul Museum in Seoul

By Alison Rock

The National Hangeul Museum is a must-see for those who reside in Korea. This exhibition is dedicated to expanding your understanding of the Korean Language. The museum is located within walking distance from Ichon station line 4 and is open daily from 10 am-6 pm and 10-9 on Saturdays. They have a very small parking lot that does not accept foreign credit cards so please try to take public transportation. Inside the museum is a small café and gift shop but most importantly, admission is FREE.

This museum opened on October 09, 2014, and that date is significant because 10/09 is Hangeul Day, a national holiday in Korea. The Korean alphabet Hangeul, “han” meaning Korean and “geul” meaning letter, was invented by the fourth king of the Joseon dynasty, The Great King Sejong in 1443 because he felt pity for the common man. Before this time the Korean language was written in Chinese characters that were very complex, so only scholars could read and write. King Sejong and his team of academics developed an alphabet that everyone could learn and published it in a manuscript called the Hunminjeongeum. Hunminjeongeum basically means the proper sounds for teaching people. The alphabet originally had 28 letters based on the shape that the mouth and tongue make when saying the sounds. It has been shortened to 24 letters as the language progressed into modern times consisting of 14 consonants and 10 vowels.

Glass Hunminjeongeum display.

First Korean Dictionary written 1876.

You can wander through the museum at your leisure or take a guided tour. During your visit, you will see a beautiful artistic engraved glass display of the Hunminjeongeum, the original Hunminjeongeum, and many old documents for Confucianism, Buddhism, and common people. They have displays of old cookbooks, rice stamps with Korean lettering, calligraphy, and much more. I enjoyed learning about the progression of the language from right to left and top to bottom. They explained why writing evolved to the current way we read today from left to right. They have a nice display from the original moveable type to the progression of the Hangeul typewriter.

Original 28 letter hangul alphabet. Can you spot the letters no longer used?

The Statue of King Sejong is located at the Sejongno, Gwanghwamun Plaza in Downtown Seoul, South Korea.

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys interactive displays, you won’t be disappointed as you can be immersed in videos or get hands-on with the Hunminjeongeum. Don’t fret if you have energetic children as it is also a playground for kids to understand Hangeul with special exhibits that allow them to express themselves whilst learning.

Traditional Hanbok socks written with a prayer to bless the wearer.

The museum is celebrating its tenth year, so they have a special exhibit dedicated to communication. With the development of technology and transportation, people are interacting differently than they have in the past so some scholars are worried that regional dialects may disappear. The museum has a special exhibit focused on understanding and preserving the six local dialects. This is displayed beautifully with the sharing of audible accents where you can hear intonation differences, variance in words and expressions, as well as the unwritten language shared in different cultures like the Haenyeo, the female divers in Jeju.

Lapel pin says, “You can achieve anything that you set your mind to."

Activities for visitors include fun language exercises!

In addition to all of this, the museum offers a variety of special classes and demonstrations. I participated in a calligraphy class where I learned about different styles and scripts, watched a live demonstration, and then got to test my hand in Hangeul. I learned how to use a Korean Calligraphy brush, write several Korean expressions, and went home not only with an amazing experience and art project but, with an understanding of the beauty of Hangeul calligraphy. The best way to learn is through play so a day trip to the National Hanguel Museum is truly an educational experience that will leave you understanding and appreciating the lovely language of Korea.

Website: https://www.hangeul.go.kr/lang/en/

About the Author

Born in California Alison Rock is a trained culinarian, actor in Korea, K-influencer, painter, and most importantly a wife and mom to two teenage boys. She enjoys travel and has resided in Korea for ten years.

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