Korea honors King Sejong's legacy with birthday ceremony, cultural awards

Korea is celebrating the 629th birth anniversary of King Sejong, the 15th-century monarch renowned for his scientific advancements and the creation of Hangeul, with a grand commemorative ceremony scheduled Friday evening. The 6 p.m. event, titled “Yeominrak: Sharing Joy with the World,” will take place at the square in front of Heungnyemun Gate at Gyeongbok Palace, with the grounds having already been transformed into a bustling hub of cultural activity. The evening’s highlight is the fifth Sejong Cultural Awards, where Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young will present presidential citations to four recipients who have extended the monarch’s legacy into modern life. Notable among them is Lee Keon-beom, head of the Hangeul Cultural Solidarity, who is being honored for his 25-year effort of pushing for the treatment of clear public language as a fundamental human right. Other winners include professor Ryu Hyun-kook for his academic research into Hangeul typography, documentary filmmaker Park Su-nam for the decades she spent recording historical testimonies and the Han-You Hungarian-Ko

Original source: Korea Times