By Honorary Reporter Patricia Doreen Celso from Philippines
Photos = Patricia Doreen Celso

Hangeul, the Korean alphabet central to Korean identity, is captivating Filipinos. 

The Korean Cultural Center in Taguig, the Philippines, and the National Hangeul Museum on Sept. 5 opened the Hangeul Design Project Exhibition Tour with the opening ceremony and symposium.

Running through Feb.  28, the event aligns with the Visit Korea 2024-25 campaign and celebrates Hangeul Day on Oct. 9 and the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations.

From upper left clockwise, attendees sample food and refreshments; guests and speakers take part in the opening ceremony; a photo op has guests from the KCC Philippines, National Hangeul Museum, National Museum of the Philippines and Manila Clock Tower Museum; and daegeum (traditional flute) player Kim Hye-lim gives a performance.

The ceremony started with the welcoming of guests and a performance by Kim Hye-lim, a renowned daegeum (traditional flute) player who won a gold medal at a national daegeum competition in Korea and performed at the London Jazz Festival.

From upper left clockwise, National Hangeul Museum curator Kim Eun-jae explains the artwork ''ME뉴板 and Forms of the Language" and other photos show the display as well as the work "Unfamiliarity, Newness, and Fusion."

After the ceremony, Kim Eun-jae, curator at the National Hangeul Museum of Korea, led a tour that left me feeling awestruck. The exhibit "Reinterpreting Hangeul in the Modern Era," which debuted in Korea in 2022, is part of the museum's annual Hangeul Design Project. 

I recognized several pieces from the museum's Instagram posts and remembered the announcement in July on the exhibit's debut at the National Library of Vietnam. Seeing the display in the Philippines was profoundly moving.

From upper left clockwise, attendees prepare before the symposium begins; National Hangeul Museum curator Kim Eun-jae gives a talk on Hangeul; Manila Clock Tower Museum curator Elba Cruz discusses proper curation in relation to Korean practices; and I pose for a photo at the event.

The event concluded with a thought-provoking symposium in which curators from both countries discussed how to keep museums relevant while balancing Hangeul's rich heritage with modernization. Kim said the purpose of Hangeul's invention was to resolve social problems and how the alphabet endures through innovative uses of augmented reality and new media. 

Manila Clock Tower Museum curator Elba Cruz praised Koreans for unifying their culture and building a strong foundation through their writing system.

The artworks and symposium made me reflect on how Hangeul can be adapted to new and creative contexts while retaining its essence, showing how language is dynamic and ever-evolving.

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.