The National Science Museum in Daejeon from July 18-19 will host the interactive program "The Secret Behind the K-pop Craze: Hangeul Filled with Rhythm." Shown are foreign participants on Oct. 9, 2025, showing Hangeul text they wrote at a calligraphy contest marking the 579th anniversary of the Korean alphabet's launch around Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul's Jongno-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Aisylu Akhmetzianova

An event this weekend will highlight the scientific appeal of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet that has gained global popularity in tandem with the Hallyu (Korean Wave) boom.

The National Science Museum in Daejeon will host from July 18-19 the interactive program "The Secret Behind the K-pop Craze: Hangeul Filled with Rhythm," at its Korean History of Science and Technology Hall to mark the 580th anniversary of the promulgation of the Haerye edition of Hunminjeongeum (The Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People), the inaugural textbook of Hangeul.

The event will explain from a scientific perspective but in easy and fun ways why Hangeul in K-pop sounds rhythmic, the ease with which people worldwide can sing along to songs in Korean and how Hangeul has earned recognition as an element of visual design.

Hands-on activities will include a workshop for making personalized K-pop album keychains with artificial intelligence using Hangeul and "Hangeul Karaoke," which demonstrates how the alphabet's syllable-based pronunciation creates a sense of beat and rhythm.

More information on the event is on the museum's official website (www.science.go.kr).

Official poster for "Secret Behind the K-pop Craze: Hangeul Filled with Rhythm" (National Science Museum)