10/02/2022 Contact: [Dr. Eun-Hee Koo]
Phone: [408-314-8218]
Email: [klacfsf@gmail.com]
Milpitas Public Library hosts 579 th Korean Alphabet Creation Day Ceremony
Milpitas, California, Oct. 2, 2022 — Carmen Montano, vice mayor of the city of Milpitas, claimed that October 2nd shall be the day of the creation of Korean alphabets in the auditorium of the public library in Milpitas. Korean alphabets were created in the year of 1446 by royal officers alongside King Sejong. The public library has hosted an annual ceremony celebrating the creation of Hangul, or Korean alphabet today from 3pm to 5pm (PST). During the event, the leader of the event, Dr. Eun-Hee Koo, chairperson of the Korean Language and Culture Foundation (KLACF), and other guests shared the brilliance of the Korean language. The ceremony had two major parts; delivering opening remarks by Dr. Koo and other guests, and opening Korean culture booths.
The event began with singing Korean and American national anthems with Nemo Swift, one of the guests. Then, Dr. Koo delivered an opening remark by special thanks to Kelley Mckean, the community librarian of Milpitas Library. Also, Dr. Koo appreciated support from others guests: the city of Milpitas, institutions that supported the event through donation, and youth commissioners of Korean Youth Advancement of Culture (KYAC).
Attendants and attendees of the event took a group photo. There are Montano, students from Adroit college, and other guests in the front row. KYAC members are standing on the back of the stage.
There were several guests who celebrated the creation of the Korean alphabet: Carmen Montano, Hyun Chul Kang (Deputy Consul General of San Francisco), Mckean, Seung Chung (UN PEACEKOR president), and students from Adroit College. The guests shared the importance of the Korean language and culture accordingly. Montano has celebrated Korean language, and handed recognitions to KYAC youth commissioners. Elizabeth Huttchison, one of the students of Adroit College, shared how Hangul is convenient for foreign speakers to learn, and explained how she could have been connected to Korean customs and culture despite the cultural difference. The opening remark was closed by the performance of Dongwoo Kwak, one of the KYAC members, in which he sang “Spring of Hometown”.
Followed by the fashion show of royal costumes, which exhibited wedding clothes and the clothes of an emperor, the event shifted to celebration and recognition of KYAC members and their significant work for the Hangul creation day ceremony. Assemblyman Dr. Steven Choi and congressman Ro Khanna handed commendation and awards to the KYAC members including the MCs of the event. Before the end of the first phase of the ceremony, the attendees and attendants took a group photo, and Swift sang “Heaven” from Goblin.
Vice Mayor of the city of Milpitas, Carmel Montano, is wearing a Hanbok of a bride in the Hanbok booth during the ceremony of the creation of Hangul at the Milpitas Public Library.
Accordingly, booths exhibiting Korean traditional clothes (Hanbok), writing and Jikji (the oldest metal printing type), Korean traditional games, and Korean snacks. In Jikji booth, attendees wrote their own names and “한글”, Hangul in Korean, right next to Jikji using brush and indian ink. Photos were taken as soon as the attendees were done with writing. In the Hanbok booth, many guests, including Montano, tried putting royal clothes on and other emperor’s costumes. Dr. Koo took additional photos with the guests. In the booth where Korean traditional games were featured, many young attendees and KYAC members interacted with each other. In particular, the young attendees, guests, and the KYAC members played ddakji (a game in which people slap paper toys) and too-ho (a game in which people throw toy arrows towards a basket). Many of the guests learned how to play the Korean traditional games. Last but not least, in the food booth, people took a lot of snacks such as ginseng products, rice snacks, and much more.
Both attendees and attendants of the event surely learned about the importance of the Korean alphabet and how it influenced Korean culture. After all guests have left, the event ended accordingly. Happy birthday, Hangul!
Written by Jaehyeong Lim, KYAC officer
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