The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, led by Minister Choi Hwi-young, will hold a commemorative event marking the 629th birthday of King Sejong the Great at Heungnyemun Plaza in Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul at 6 p.m. on May 15, the ministry said Sunday.
Actor Ryu Seung-ryong will host the ceremony, which will be attended by about 1,000 citizens. The program features traditional art performances by the National Gugak Center, including "Daechwita" and "Yeominrak," along with dance performances that reinterpret tradition in a modern style, such as "Jeongdaeeop Ilmu" and "Polaris and the Twenty-Eight." The Sejong Culture Awards will also be presented to individuals and organizations that have contributed to the creative development of Korean culture in fields including the Korean language and Hangeul, culture, arts and humanities, public cultural welfare and diversity, and cultural exchange, cooperation and globalization.
Gyeongbokgung Palace is the place where King Sejong created Hangeul, known as Hunminjeongeum. He was born in Seochon, a neighborhood near the palace. The commemorative event is free and open to all, and online pre-registration is being accepted through the event's official Instagram account and the ministry's website until May 13.
On May 14, the day before King Sejong's birthday, an event will be held in front of the King Sejong statue at Gwanghwamun Plaza, where citizens can write birthday messages that will be projected onto the ground as video.
Various exhibitions and hands-on activities will take place at Heungnyemun Plaza in Gyeongbokgung Palace from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 15, before the main ceremony begins.
The programs include "Rubbing the Preface to Hunminjeongeum" hosted by the Hangeul Culture Solidarity, "Making an Angbu-ilgu Sundial" by the Gwacheon National Science Museum, the multimedia experience "Hangeul Playground" by the National Hangeul Museum, "King Sejong and Korean Medicine" by the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, "Making a Danso Traditional Instrument" by the National Gugak Center, and "Creating a Sejong-Era ID Card" by the Association of Korean Language and Culture Centers.
