The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Yoo In-chon) and the National Hangeul Museum (Director Kim Il-hwan), in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (Director Kim Myeong-jin), successfully held a series of events in Manila, Philippines, to promote the value of Hangeul culture. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Philippines, the National Hangeul Museum’s overseas exhibition, Hangeul Design Project –Reinterpreting Hangeul In The Modern Era, opened on September 5 at the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines.

The event was attended by prominent figures from various sectors in the Philippines, including Eric B. Zerrudo, Executive Director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Jeremy Bams, Director of the National Museum of the Philippines, Lee Sang-hwa, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines, and Son Ji-ae, Ambassador for Cultural Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

▴ A view of the opening event of Hangeul Design Project –Reinterpreting Hangeul In The Modern Era

▴ A view of Hangeul Design Project –Reinterpreting Hangeul In The Modern Era

At the exhibition, visitors can experience various works symbolizing the role of Hangeul as a window to a new world, such as <한HAN글文> (Han Hae-yeong), which represents this concept symbolically, and <됴찬쇼> (Lee Seul-gi), which uses various accessories to create words. The exhibition features graphic design, furniture, crafts, fashion, and video works, all of which will be on display at the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines until February 28 of next year.

▴A group photo of the participants in the The Beauty of Hangeul Calligraphy workshop.

During the exhibition, a total of nine sessions of the Hangeul cultural experience program, <손으로 꽃피우는 한글> (The Beauty of Hangeul Calligraphy), will be offered to Sejong Institute students, general Korean language learners, and on-site participants in the Philippines. The program, which began even before the opening of the exhibition, is being directly organized and conducted by the Research and Education Division of the National Hangeul Museum. By using modern Hangeul calligraphy techniques, participants will have the opportunity to create their own Hangeul artworks, allowing them to experience the beauty of the Korean script.

▴The curator of the Manila Clark Tower Museum presenting at the symposium held in conjunction with the exhibition.

Meanwhile, the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines held a symposium on the topic "The New Roles and Functions of 21st Century Museums" in conjunction with the exhibition opening. Kim Eun-jae, a researcher at the National Hangeul Museum, and Kim Gyu-rin, another researcher, made presentations on the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs.

The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines will continue to promote the exhibition and Korean culture through various exhibition-related programs and events, including audience participation activities and guided tours for invited visitors, which will be held monthly.