US professor honored for spreading Korean literature globally

Mark Peterson, right, professor emeritus at Brigham Young University, receives the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit, the third-highest national medal in culture, from Prime Minister Kim Min-seok during the Hangul Day ceremony at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Seoul, Thursday. Peterson was recognized for advancing Korean language pedagogy in the U.S. and translating traditional Korean literature. Yonhap

Mark Peterson, professor emiritus at Brigham Young University / Korea Times file

Mark Peterson, a professor emeritus at Brigham Young University in Utah, will receive one of the nation’s highest honors for his exceptional contributions to the Korean language and the global spread of traditional Korean literature, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday.

Professor Peterson is one of two individuals to earn the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit, the third-highest national medal in culture, on the 579th Hangul Day, which falls Thursday, according to the culture ministry. The awardees are being recognized for their efforts in advancing the Korean alphabet, or Hangeul, and the Korean language.

Peterson is recognized for his long career as a Korean language educator, his efforts to advance Korean language pedagogy as a member of key associations, and his dedicated work in translating and introducing sijo, the three-line Korean poetic form, to the world. Peterson is also a columnist for The Korea Times.

Sharing the top honor is Jang Hyung-doo (1906-49), a former professor at Seoul National University, who will be posthumously awarded the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit. The late botanist made a significant contribution by assigning native Korean names to indigenous plants such as baramkkot (windflower) and aegittongpul (greater celandine) in an effort to preserve the Korean language.

“The awardees dedicated themselves to teaching and spreading Hangeul in Korea and around the world, raising its value and standing globally,” a culture ministry official said.

Children take selfies in front of a Hangeul mural at Gyeonggi Children’s Museum in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday, one day before Hangul Day. Yonhap

They are two of the 10 recipients — nine individuals and one organization — who will be celebrated at the 2025 Hangul Day ceremony. These awardees hail from diverse countries including the U.S., Russia, Australia, Canada and Rwanda, demonstrating Hangeul's growing global reach across diverse fields.

The Culture Merit Medals recognize Lee Ki-sik for his pioneering work in Hangeul informatization and Darima Tsydenova of Buryat State University in Russia for her decade of work promoting Hangeul.

The Prime Minister Citation goes to Andrew David Jackson, professor of Korean Studies at Monash University in Australia, for expanding Korean language and culture programs and establishing master’s and doctoral degree courses at the university, and to Justin Murwanashyaka, principal of GS Bugarura School in Rwanda, for introducing Korean-language education in public schools and training new Korean language instructors.

The Korean Language School of Greater Montreal in Canada is selected as the organization to receive the honor. It is being recognized for its active role in spreading Hangeul in Canada over the past 46 years through Korean language and culture education, hosting Korean language speaking and writing contests and organizing training sessions for Korean language teachers.

Hangeul was created and promulgated in 1446 by King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The king’s intention was to ensure literacy for people who previously had no easy way to communicate using the complex Chinese characters known as Hanja.

Hangul Day is a national holiday in Korea observed Oct. 9 each year to celebrate the invention and proclamation of Hangeul.