To mark Hangeul Day, Jennie of the K-pop girl group BLACKPINK on Oct. 9 introduces the new font Zen Serif to promote the beauty of the Korean alphabet. (OA Entertainment)

By Yoon Sojung 

Jennie, a member of the K-pop sensation BLACKPINK, on Oct. 9 introduced a new Hangeul (Korean alphabet) font as part of events to celebrate Hangeul Day.

Her management agency OA Entertainment that day released Zen Serif free on its official website.

Zen Serif combines the traditional black letter widely used in the West and Hangeul and is characterized by flexible curves that softens the formal structure. It can be downloaded from OA's official website. This project was conducted in collaboration with Meta and the font can be used in Edit, Instagram's short-form video editing app.

The agency said this is the first time for a Hangeul font to be registered to Edit, adding, "Jennie showed her special love and pride for Korea by promoting the country's style in 'Seoul City,' a song from her first full-length solo album."

To celebrate the 579th Hangeul Day, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism from Oct. 9-18 will host Hangeul Hanmadang 2025 through events nationwide under the theme "The More You Know, the More You Know Hangeul." The 10-day festival kicked off with a wreath laying event on Oct. 9 at the statue of the King Sejong the Great at Gwanghwamun Square by Minister Chae Hwi-young and staff from Korean language-related institutions such as the Korean Language Society, followed by a celebratory event at the nearby Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.

From Oct. 11-14, cultural events centered at Gwanghwamun Square will include performances and exhibitions. An open theater play will be performed at an outdoor stage on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m., followed by a Hangeul-themed fashion show by renowned designer Lie Sangbong. Other exhibitions, concerts and interactive events are also scheduled.

Twenty-two Korean-language cultural centers nationwide will host events featuring the Korean language in collaboration with universities and the municipal governments of Seoul, Daegu and Sejong to allow anyone, especially expats and international students, to compete in events like speech, writing and vocabulary contests. The National Hangeul Museum and other Korean language-related organizations will host academic seminars on the value and future of the alphabet.

More information on the festival is available on the event's official website (http://xn--bj0bv3c9z6c.kr)  and social media channels like YouTube (www.youtube.com/channel/UCtCf_HsxV_7kM8Dv8uIIqvg) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/hangeulhanmadang/).

To mark the 579th Hangeul Day, events from Oct. 9-18 are scheduled across the country. Shown is a related celebration at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul's Jongno-gu District. (Korea.net DB)