Celebrating Hangeul Day in Style
Mike Barker, CALL Consulting Analyst for the School of Linguistics and Language Studies, recounts the Hangeul Day event hosted at Carleton University on October 10, 2025
Moving through the crowd of 50+ students I am struck by the number of students who are really “into” all things Korean. Nadine and Lili schooling me in the finer points of kimbap-making. Mackenzie helping me decipher the meaning of 봄날 by BTS (FYI, it means “Spring Day”). And Aaron, pulling me aside to share what he learned about the text on the painting of King Sejong at the front of the room.
I mean, I’ve seen this enthusiasm before, at previous events exploring K-Pop, K-Drama, and K-Food, and it’s always so refreshing. Tonight, it’s on full display with students trying on the many different colours and styles of hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), learning how to make kimbap, and standing up at the front of the room to recite poetry.
This last one in particular, the poetry, really impresses me. It also reminds me why we’re here in the first place. October 9th is Hangeul Day and a chance to celebrate the invention of the Korean writing system. And what better way to celebrate Hangeul Day than to hear from first year students who, only a month or so earlier, could not read a word of the language. Are they struggling? Yes. But do they persevere? Also yes. And there are a lot of them. More than I would have imagined who choose to stand up in front of a room filled with strangers to read poems like “Counting the stars at night” by Dong-Ju Yun and lyrics from songs by K-pop sensations like IU and BTS.
Also, let’s talk for a moment about this claim we so often hear about the Korean alphabet being a “scientific writing system.” What does that even mean? Before Friday night I hadn’t really thought that much about it. But now I discover that they say the Korean alphabet is scientifically-designed, it’s because it is! Created to combat illiteracy, the shapes of some Hangeul characters (14 consonants and 10 vowels) actually simulate the shapes of the mouth and tongue when speaking them. What an innovative idea and a clever way to approach the challenge of literacy under the reign of King Sejong almost 600 years ago!
Another high point of the evening is the awarding of the t-shirt design contest winners as voted for members of the Carleton community:
- 1st ($500): Chiamaka Ezekwem
- 2nd ($400): Yousra Albizri
- 3rd ($300): Shreya Patel
So much creativity on display! Congratulations to Chiamaka on her winning design and much gratitude to the Academy of Korean Studies for their generous funding and to the Korean community in Ottawa for providing the 30+ different hanbok outfits for the evening’s festivities!
The evening wraps up with a spread of Korean food and drink (don’t forget to try South Korea’s iconic banana milk).
Overall, a memorable evening filled with enthusiasm, excitement, and engagement.
Many thanks to the Korean teaching team Hyounjeong Yoo, Soyoung Kang, and Seunghee Chung for their tireless working in planning, organizing, and running the evening. Thanks also to the Academy of Korean Studies for their generous support.