Oct 9, 2026
When King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) created “Hunminjeongeum,” the Korean alphabet now known as Hangeul, in 1443, it did not immediately replace the Chinese characters which Koreans had used for centuries. For centuries afterward, it was largely shunned by the dynasty's aristocrats and intellectuals, who favored the use of Chinese characters. It wasn't widely popular among ordinary citizens either. A major change came in 1894, when King Gojong declared Hangeul as the country’s official writing system. Three decades later, in December 1926, a group of Korean linguists and independence activists gathered and proclaimed Gagya Day — at the time, the name of Hangeul was not widely known and “gagya” was the starting sounds of people learning the alphabet. That marked the beginning of what would later become Hangeul Day, which this year reaches its 100th anniversary. It was set on Sept. 29 based on the lunar calendar and was moved to the current Oct. 9 in 1940. Historical legacy of Hangeul Day Establishing Gagya Day a century ago was part of a cultural independence move
The number of Chinese fishing boats operating illegally near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea has more than doubled since the government announced a sweeping crackdown in late August, the Korea Coast Guard said Friday. About 190 Chinese boats were operating near the de facto inter-Korean sea border early this month, up from about 80 in late August. The figure is 50 fewer than the 240 counted a year earlier, and the number of boats typically rises during the autumn fishing season. The Coast Guard and the ministries of foreign affairs, unification, national defense and oceans and fisheries announced joint measures Aug. 27. They included deploying more Coast Guard special operations personnel, forcibly removing illegal fishing gear, installing artificial structures to block illegal fishing and revising the law to penalize vessels that anchor for purposes unrelated to passage. The Coast Guard said at the time that its goal was to drive all Chinese fishing boats out of the area. Foreign vessels are banned from fishing in the waters, but Chinese boats exploit the division of the Ko
Korea has honored a Filipino worker killed in August in a factory explosion, marking the third case under its initiative to support bereaved migrant workers’ families here. The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (K-COMWEL), a government agency responsible for administering industrial accident insurance, said Friday that it had helped the family of the worker bring his remains back to the Philippines. The worker, identified by the agency as Jisrael, died Aug. 28 in an explosion and fire at a factory manufacturing paint ingredients in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. “He worked diligently for his family, even in unfamiliar surroundings, living a life marked by a deep sense of responsibility and devotion,” K-COMWEL President Park Seung-heup said in a letter presented at the memorial service held at Incheon International Airport on Thursday. “K-COMWEL and the Republic of Korea will never forget his dedicated efforts and the legacy he leaves behind. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.” Park then presented the bereaved family with a co
An Indian man has filed a petition to the South Korean human rights watchdog alleging physical abuse during his deportation, such as being duct taped in the mouth and choked by immigration authorities. The Indian national submitted the petition to the National Human Rights Commission last Friday over violations to his bodily freedom and human dignity during his deportation on Aug. 27. According to the petition, the man had been detained at an immigration holding center in Hwaseong, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul, for about eight months before officials forcibly removed him from the site. Under immigration law, foreigners subject to deportation can stay at such facilities for up to nine months. The petition said the man was handcuffed with duct tape around his mouth, with the man saying he suffered physical abuse, such as being hit in the cheek and being choked after he arrived at the airport to be deported. Rep. Park Eun-jung of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party shared body cam footage submitted by the justice ministry on the deportation during a parliamentary audit of the ministry Thu
President Lee Jae Myung on Friday hailed the Korean writing system – Hangeul – as the "face" of the country as he marked the 100th anniversary of Hangeul Day. "Writing is the face of the country and language is its heart," Lee wrote on Facebook, using South Korea's official name. "The strength of our language and writing is the competitiveness of the Republic of Korea." Hangeul was invented by King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) in 1443 and promulgated three years later to augment the existing writing system based on the Chinese script. Hangeul Day was established in 1926 by the Korean Language Society as Koreans sought to preserve their language and writing system under the brutal 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of Korea. "A century ago, our ancestors devoted all their efforts to preserve our language and writing system," Lee wrote. "It was a determination that even though they had lost their country, they could not lose our spirit and identity." Lee said the writing system is now learned by people across the world, noting that King Sejong Institute, which teaches Korean lan
President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating held steady at 37 percent this week, with disapproval falling to 51 percent, a poll showed Friday. Positive assessment of Lee's performance remained unchanged from the last poll conducted three weeks earlier, according to the Gallup Korea survey conducted from Tuesday through Thursday on 1,000 people aged 18 and older. Lee's disapproval rating fell 5 percentage points from 56 percent in the previous poll. Among those who positively assessed Lee's performance, 24 percent cited foreign affairs, followed by economic and livelihood issues at 14 percent. Among those who negatively assessed his performance, 18 percent cited his real estate policies, followed by defense, security and North Korea policy at 15 percent. Support for the ruling Democratic Party fell 5 percentage points from the previous survey to 35 percent, marking the lowest since the launch of Lee's administration in June last year. Support for the main opposition People Power Party fell 1 percentage point to 26 percent. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points
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Hong Kong’s corruption watchdog has charged the former head of a listed company for allegedly accepting HK$20 million (US$2.5 million) in bribes from a mainland Chinese property developer in exchange for acquiring a stake in the developer’s real estate project. Zhang Yadong, 58, who was chairman of Greentown China Holdings from 2019 to 2025, faced a count of conspiracy to accept advantages, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Friday. The case was mentioned at Eastern...
The revamped Huanggang border crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen will open on Monday, after both sides confirmed the facility was ready for service. Confirming an earlier South China Morning Post report, the Hong Kong government said on Friday that the new Huanggang border crossing would commence operations at 6.30am on October 12, replacing the current Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang port as the sole round-the-clock clearance point. “Acceptance inspection of the new port building of the Huanggang...
![[WEEKENDER] A century of Hangeul Day: From cultural independence to AI challenge](https://newsimg.koreatimes.co.kr/2026/09/21/7b055ec5-d124-4a65-87b2-b10e64890c87.jpg)
