Hangul Day in South Korea Date in the current year: October 9, 2026

For a long time, the Korean language did not have its own writing system and used Chinese characters (Hanja), which were introduced to Korea in the first century BCE. However, Hanja were poorly suited to Korean phonology and difficult to learn, contributing to high illiteracy rates. To address this issue, King Sejong the Great initiated the development of a Korean script better suited to the language. The exact process of its creation is poorly documented, but some historians believe the king was personally involved in developing Hangul.

The script was first introduced in the 1446 work Hunminjeongeum and its commentary section, Hunminjeongeum Haerye. Some sources use the term Hunminjeongeum for both works, while others use Hunminjeongeum Haerye. The adoption of the new script was very slow, especially among the elite who looked down upon it. Hangul began to be accepted universally in the late 19th century, becoming the dominant script in South Korea in the second half of the 20th century following reforms that promoted Hangul-only writing.

The Korean Language Society held the first celebration of the anniversary of Hangul’s creation on February 1, 1924. However, Hangul Day wasn’t formally established until 1926. For the first two years, there was debate about the holiday’s name, as some KLS members preferred the term Hangul (Hangeul), while others preferred the term Chŏngum (Jeongeum). The name “Hangul Day” was officially adopted in 1928.

The date of Hangul Day has changed several times. Initially, it was celebrated on the 29th day of the 9th month in the Korean lunisolar calendar. In 1930, the holiday was fixed to October 28 on the Gregorian calendar. The following year, it was moved to October 29 due to confusion over the conversion of Korean calendar dates. In 1934, it was moved back to October 28.

Between 1937 and 1944, Hangul Day was not celebrated due to the tightening of Japanese colonial rule in Korea and the imprisonment of some KLS members in 1942 (the KLS Incident). During this period, the original copy of the Hunminjeongeum Haerye was rediscovered and dated to the first ten days of the ninth month of 1446. After Korea’s liberation, the decision was made to celebrate Hangul Day on the 10th day of the 9th month, which corresponded to October 9 in the Gregorian calendar.

The United States Army Military Government in Korea, which governed the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, officially designated Hangul Day as a public holiday in 1946. After South Korea was established, it became a public holiday in 1949. However, in 1990, it was demoted to a commemoration to reduce the number of non-working days. It regained its status as a public holiday in 2012.

North Korea also celebrates Hangul Day, or Chosŏn'gŭl Day as it is called there, but on January 15. The reason for this date is unclear, though it also allegedly commemorates the promulgation of Hangul.