Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung-ryul) invited Kim Joo-won, President of the Hangul Society, as a guest speaker for the 645th Kookmin University Thursday Special Lecture on Thursday, May 22, at the Kookmin University Academic Conference Hall. Mr. Kim gave a lecture titled “Hunminjeongeum and the Story of Hangul,” in which he discussed the background of the creation of Hunminjeongeum, the excellence of Hangul as a writing system, and the significance of Hangul in modern society.

The lecture began by highlighting the conceptual differences between the Korean language and Hangul. President Kim mentioned that this year marks the designation of King Sejong the Great's birthday as a national holiday, and introduced the motivations and purposes behind the creation of the Hunminjeongeum, as well as its meaning as “the proper sounds for educating the people.” He then explained the process of creating the Hunminjeongeum based on historical records and opposing petitions, while also elucidating King Sejong's compassionate spirit toward his people and providing insight into the writing systems of the time.

The lecture also compared and explained the differences between the original and translated versions of the Hunminjeongeum and its cultural and historical value as a UNESCO World Documentary Heritage. It emphasized that the consonants and vowels of Hangul are structured to represent the organs of speech and the principles of heaven, earth, and humanity, and introduced the systematic and scientific nature of Hangul as a combinatorial writing system suitable for the digital age.

It also reminded the audience that Hangul is the only writing system with a clear creator, creation principles, and date of origin. It explained that Hangul education quickly took root based on the “Hangul Orthography” established in 1933, leading to a sharp decline in illiteracy rates and enabling all citizens to enjoy equality in written communication. It was emphasized that this writing system, combined with enthusiasm for education, led to economic growth and political democratization, with the foundation laid by King Sejong's Hunminjeongeum. Chairman Kim concluded his lecture by mentioning that Hangul, which embodies King Sejong's spirit of love for the people, is an important asset that enables all citizens to share knowledge equally even today.

The National University's Thursday Special Lecture Series, the first and longest-running weekly lecture series featuring external speakers at a domestic university, has hosted approximately 650 speakers from various fields, including politics, society, science, and culture and arts, over the past 30 years. Notable speakers have included the late President Roh Moo-hyun, the late Cardinal Kim Su-hwan, writer Yu Si-min, film director Park Chan-wook, Speaker of the National Assembly Jung Se-hyun, and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert.