Have you ever heard of Hangeul Day?
Every year on October 9th, Korea celebrates a special day dedicated to its alphabet, Hangeul! 
A holiday for an alphabet? Sounds unique, right? So today, we're doing something a little different. Among all the consonants and vowels of Hangeul, we’ll have a special guest—let's welcome the consonant ㄱ! 

📑 Today's Content Lineup 

Part 1 

Exclusive Interview with the Consonant ㄱ 

Part 2 

MC’s Recommendations:  

Dramas, Movies, and Music Centered Around Hangeul 

🎤 Part 1 

Exclusive Interview with the Consonant ㄱ

MC: Hello! First, congratulations are in order. I heard you won the gold medal at the World Alphabet Olympics two years in a row! Korea caught the world’s attention with incredible records at the recent Paris Olympics, but I also heard you had already won the gold at the World Alphabet Olympics years before that!

ㄱ: Yes, that’s right! Even I was a bit surprised. Honestly, with tough competitors like the Telugu script and the English alphabet, I didn’t think it would be easy. But, well, here we are—1st place! 😜 

MC: That's really impressive. For those who might not be familiar with the World Alphabet Olympics, could you briefly explain what kind of event it was? 

ㄱ: The World Alphabet Olympics was a competition where over 20 countries, using either their own unique scripts or modified/adopted foreign scripts, gathered to showcase the excellence of their alphabets. It was a rigorous evaluation, covering aspects like the origins of the script, the number of characters, the combination abilities, independence, and application potential. 

To put it simply, while the 26 letters of the English alphabet can represent around 300 sounds, Hangeul’s 24 characters can theoretically produce up to 11,000 sounds, and in practice, around 8,700 distinct sounds. Hangeul is truly in a league of its own. What does that mean? It means you can imagine being able to write almost any sound in the world using just the consonants and vowels of Hangeul. 

MC: That’s incredible! No wonder Korea has a special day to celebrate Hangeul—Hangeul Day, coming up soon on October 9th. Do you have any plans for that day? 

ㄱ: All of the consonants and vowels, myself included, plan to take a well-deserved break! We've been super busy lately with the global boom in learning Korean. We’ve been touring around the world non-stop. So on Hangeul Day, we’re planning to get together, relax, and just catch up with each other. 

MC: You must’ve worked so hard touring around the world! I think it’s amazing and unique that Korea has a day like Hangeul Day to celebrate its own alphabet. 

ㄱ: I’m truly grateful. Especially since it’s designated as a national holiday with the flag raised and various cultural events held in its honor. Where else in the world is an alphabet celebrated in such a special way? It’s truly remarkable! 

On October 9th, the National Hangeul Museum in Seoul will be hosting a variety of events from morning to afternoon. There will be activities centered around Hangeul and traditional Korean cultural performances. If you don’t have any other plans that day, I hope you can come and enjoy the festivities! 

MC: Thank you for sharing such great information. I hope many people will have a wonderful time celebrating Hangeul Day. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview. 

🎤 Part 2 

MC’s Recommendations:  

Dramas, Movies, and Music Centered Around Hangeul 

The story of how Hangeul was created is seriously like something out of a drama! Back in the day, written language was so complicated that only the powerful ruling class could learn and use it. Regular people didn’t even have the chance to express their own thoughts. Then King Sejong came along and completely flipped the script! 

By creating Hangeul, he gave everyone the power to have a voice. Of course, the ruling class wasn’t happy about this. They were afraid their power would be shaken, so they fiercely opposed it. That’s why the story of Hangeul’s creation feels like a movie! And it’s not just about its creation—Hangeul has faced serious oppression throughout history too. That’s why any drama or movie related to Hangeul is bound to be super interesting! 

🎬 Drama

Deep Rooted Tree

뿌리 깊은 나무

Image source: SBS Website 

Even though this drama aired in 2011, it’s still super exciting to watch today. Did you know that just seven days before the official proclamation of Hangeul, there was a scholar’s murder at Gyeongbokgung Palace? You can really feel the intense oppression from the ruling class at the time, right? This drama takes that event as its inspiration, filling in the gaps in history with imaginative storytelling. 

Deep Rooted Tree shows the challenges King Sejong, also known as Lee-do, faced while trying to bring Hangeul into the world. Although there’s some fiction mixed in, you can still get a sense of what kind of leader King Sejong was and what kind of politics he envisioned. The plot is so gripping, you won’t even notice the time fly by! 

🎬 Movie

MAL·MO·E

말모이

Image source: Namu Wiki

Released in 2019, this film is still a favorite among many Koreans. 

In the early 1900s, Hangeul was heavily suppressed during the Japanese invasion of Korea. One of Japan's first moves was to ban the use of the Korean language and prohibit the use of Hangeul. 

MAL-MO-E tells the story of how, despite this oppression, Koreans came together to collect regional dialects and Hangeul to compile a dictionary. It shows the incredible efforts to preserve the Korean language, even in the face of external oppression. 

Watching this film will help you understand the deep love Koreans have for Hangeul, and the unwavering determination they showed in protecting their language, which is now being learned around the world. 

Shall we take a look at some music next? 

These days, songs often mix several languages in their lyrics. But did you know there’s a song written entirely in pure Hangeul? It’s perfect for studying Korean! 

🎤 AKMU

Ganada Together / Like Ganada

가나다같이

Listen to the song here! 

This song, released by AKDONG MUSICIAN (AKMU) in celebration of Hangeul Day, is made up entirely of pure Hangeul lyrics. With traditional Korean instruments adding a special touch here and there, the song feels even more unique. But what makes it really special is that it’s packed with pure Korean words you won’t easily learn from a textbook. 

For example, words like 가시버시[ga-si-beo-si] (meaning 'husband and wife') or 시나브로[si-na-beu-ro] (meaning 'gradually, without noticing'). After listening to this song, your Korean skills are sure to level up!

🖐 The letters within [ ] are the actual Korean pronunciation.

🎤 IU

Full Stop

마침표

Listen to the song here!

If you’re into K-Pop, you’ve definitely heard of IU! Among her many hit songs, 마침표[ma-chim-pyo] stands out for having lyrics written entirely in Hangeul, with no English. The song reflects those moments when you want to delay a breakup even though you already know how the other person feels, but in the end, you have to put a "period" on the relationship. 

What’s special about this song is that the lyrics are based on real entries from IU’s personal journal, giving it a raw and honest vibe. Plus, since it’s a ballad with a slower tempo, it’s perfect for Korean learners to follow along and sing at their own pace! 

Hangeul Day isn’t just about celebrating the alphabet. It’s an opportunity to dive deeper into Korea’s history, culture, and the stories woven within. By exploring movies, dramas, and music, you can experience the beauty of Hangeul while boosting your Korean language skills at the same time—it’s both fun and educational!