EVENT PUBLICIZING THE BEAUTY OF “HANGEUL”

[Anchor Lead]

The International Congress of Writers Writing in Korean is now underway in the city of Gyeongju. Its goal is to publicize the Korean alphabet "hangeul" and Korean literature. The event has brought together hangeul experts from around the world to discuss ways to promote the Korean writing system and literature globally.

[Pkg]

​Novelist Han Kang won the prestigious Man Booker Prize in 2016 for her famed novel "The Vegetarian." She became the first Korean to receive the award, contributing greatly to publicizing Korean literature around the world. The International Congress of Writers Writing in Korean, an event promoting the Korean writing system and literature globally, has opened in the city of Gyeongju. It has brought together some 400 literary experts and hangeul scholars from various parts of the globe to discuss ways to publicize the Korean alphabet and literature. Citing the example of "The Vegetarian," which was able to earn the Man Booker prize because of the excellent translation of Korean expressions into other languages, the experts agreed that translating Korean literature into various languages is essential for promoting it internationally.

[Soundbite] SON HAE-IL(INTERNATIONAL PEN, KOREAN CENTER) : "There are many talented writers in Korea, but their works have not been translated yet. We work hard to translate our members' works."

The participants also emphasized the scientific superiority of the Korean alphabet, which meets the demands of the digital age, unlike the English alphabet or the Chinese characters. Hangeul is easy to apply to information technologies, because its principle is similar to the binary system used in computers.

[Soundbite] ALBRECHT HUWE(HONORARY PROF., UNIVERSITY OF BONN) : "Hangeul is the only alphabet in the world whose letters imitate the shape of speech organs."

Some of the participants also called for expanding international exchanges in a bid to globalize the Korean alphabet and literature.