지킴이 일기 : The Korean alphabet

[이용부(창덕궁)]

Korean Alphabet

2012. 9. 21

It was one sunny day in August when I guided the Russian teachers who came to learn

Korean language better. Five women were allocated for me to lead to 북촌 folk village where

is in-between the 경복궁 palace and 창덕궁 palace. Photo is attached.

First of all I asked them what language is easier for them to understand, I decided to say

them in Korean very slowly with simple words because they are teacher of Korean language

in 울라디보스톡. But they didn't seem to give me attention, they were just enjoying

the sceneries of the street, freedom and talking together with themselves.

I just joined them taking pictures, only showing them the correct roads to 북촌 village.

I tried to make them free and feel the Korean atmosphere more as a foreigner. I

was shocked to know the Korean alphabet and language also is prevailed abroad.

I wish many people in the world learn 한글 Korean alphabet, be close to access

and use it in saying too as English and Chinese.

I'd like to introduce you the press news focus as below which was written

on the Monday August 11. 2012 of the Korea Herald under the tittle of

 "Bringing King Sejong's dream to the world".

Bringing King Sejong's dream to the world

In 1443, King Sejong invented the Korean alphabet, called 훈민정음 訓民正音,

or the "proper phonetic system to educate the people". The system was created for those

of his subjects who could not read chinese characters. But he could never have imagined

that more than 500 years later his invention would be used globally.

The number of Korean language users worldwide is estimated at more than 80 million.

And the figure is growing fast thanks to a rising demand for learning the Korean language

sparked by 한류, the trend known as the Korean wave. The rising popularity of Korean

pop music known as K-pop, and TV dramas in other Asian countries, the Americas,

Europe and even Africa has attracted international interest in Korean culture.

"King Sejong must be really happy about this because his idea of inventing

훈민정음 was based on offering people an easy tool to communicate with each other

and also to improve their cultural life," said 송향근,

president of the International Korean Language Foundation.

" If people from different parts of the world can understand more of Korean culture

by learning the Korean language, I think his mission has been accomplished," he said

in an interview with the Korea Herald. The foundation, under the culture Ministry, operates

90 Korean centers, called Sejong Institutes, around the world. Most of the classes are free.

The institute was founded in 2009 with 4301 students enrolled at 17 branches

in six countries. The institute, also known as 세종학당 , was established to serve

the needs of Koreans living overseas. However, the number of non-Korean students has

been growing rapidly in recent years due to 한류.

세종학당's Los Angeles branch, for example, did not receive many non-Korean students

when it opened. At the time, 75 percent of it's students were Korean- Americans.

But this year, 74 percent of it's students are non- Korean. At it's basic-level classes,

more than 90 percent of the students are non- Korean.