Hangul Day Marks 580 Years Since Promulgation: King Sejong Created the Script for Everyday Life

Members of the royal family exchanged letters in Hangul, and yangban women wrote to voice their grievances. Quantities and owners’ names were written on objects. As shown in the historical records presented by the National Hangeul Museum, Hangul was a practical script used in daily life to meet people’s needs. For someone learning Korean, writing down and conveying their own thoughts for the first time can serve as a starting point for understanding this history. National Hangeul Museum Exhibition Commentary

October 9, 2026, is Hangul Day, commemorating the 580th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the first celebration of Hangul Day under the name “Gagya Day.” The new script was created in the 15th century, and efforts were made to preserve it in the 20th century. The question linking these two eras is: Who was able to record their own words in writing and read the writings of others? 2026 Feature Article from the National Hangeul Museum

People Who Could Speak but Struggled to Write Down Their Thoughts

The Korean language was spoken even before Hangul was created. At that time, writing centered on Chinese characters, and there were also methods of representing the Korean language by adapting those characters. For those who found it difficult to learn Chinese characters, a high barrier remained between speech and writing.

King Sejong focused precisely on this gap. As stated in the preface to the *Hunminjeongeum*, the purpose of the new script was to enable the common people to convey their thoughts in writing and to use it conveniently in daily life. In a sense, the characters encountered by those learning Hangul for the first time today have, from the very beginning, embodied the question of “who can use them.” Explanation of the Background of the Creation by the National Hangul Museum

Hangul was used not only for letters and personal records but also for transmitting knowledge. In the early days of its creation, Buddhist scriptures were translated into Hangul, followed later by Confucian classics. After the Imjin War in the late 16th century, knowledge on coping with famine and disease, as well as information on martial arts, social systems, and laws, was also disseminated through Hangul. The ability to read a particular script was directly linked to accessing information necessary for daily life. National Hangeul Museum Exhibition Commentary “Easy to Learn”

It was created in 1443, so why is this year the 580th anniversary?

In the history of Hangul, the years 1443 and 1446—which frequently appear—are recorded differently. The entry for the 12th lunar month of 1443 in the *Sejong Sillok* states that King Sejong created 28 characters and named them *Hunminjeongeum*. The entry for the 9th lunar month of 1446 contains a record stating that the *Hunminjeongeum* was completed, along with the purpose behind creating the new script.

“Hunminjeongeum” is both the name of the script and the title of the book that explains it. The National Hangeul Museum explains that 1446 was the year a book was produced that elucidated the purpose and principles of the new script. Today, the commemorative year marking the 580th anniversary of its promulgation is counted based on this year, 1446. This is why the record of its creation and the commemorative year appear to be out of sync.

The day commemorating the script was also created by people

Hangul Day was not always observed on October 9. On November 4, 1926, the Korean Language Research Society took the lead in commemorating the 480th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum as “Gagya Day.” The purpose was to preserve the Korean language and script and to foster national spirit during the Japanese colonial period. The 100-year milestone we are reflecting on together this year began in this way. National Hangeul Museum “100th Anniversary of Gagya Day”

Historical records also provided clues for determining the commemorative date. Initially, the date was set based on an entry from the *Sejong Sillok* (Annals of King Sejong) for the ninth lunar month of 1446. Later, the date was moved up after it was confirmed that the preface by Jeong In-ji in the *Hunminjeongeum* commentary edition was written in the early part of the ninth lunar month. Today’s October 9 is the date established through that process. Currently, Hangul Day is a national holiday commemorating the promulgation of Hangul and the achievements of King Sejong. National Institute of the Korean Language “Hangul Day”, Ministry of the Interior and Safety National Holiday Guide

People used it to send greetings in letters, explain their grievances in petitions, and inscribe their names on everyday items. The history of Hangul thus reveals what people sought to achieve through writing. This year, as the 580th anniversary of its promulgation coincides with the 100th anniversary of “Gagya Day,” what we should reflect on together on Hangul Day is the process by which the script was created and the records left by the people who incorporated it into their daily lives.