Honoring pioneers who shaped Korea's alphabet and spread it globally

Long before digital typography defined everyday communication across smartphones and computer screens in East Asia, Korea relied heavily on imported Japanese typesetting. That changed when Seok Geum-ho founded Sandoll, pioneering an industry that produced more than 1,000 distinct Korean fonts over four decades and permanently altered the visual identity of the modern written language.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that the late font designer will posthumously receive the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit, Korea’s top cultural honor, on Friday during the upcoming 580th Hangul Day national ceremony at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul.

The annual awards recognize eight individuals and two organizations for significant contributions to the development, research, and international growth of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet created in 1443 by King Sejong the Great to promote popular literacy.

Joining Seok among top honorees is Baek Tae-hyeon, vice president of Korean Institute in Central Asia, who will receive the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit. Baek spent three decades expanding Korean language education and ethnic Korean historical studies across Central Asia, helping establish two Korean universities in Kyrgyzstan.

The recognition highlights a concerted effort by cultural authorities to support the script's global reach alongside its artistic evolution. Today, Hangeul has expanded far beyond the Korean Peninsula, driven by worldwide interest in Korean culture, media and scholarship.

"The long-standing dedication of these honorees has allowed Hangeul to be used creatively in daily life and established vibrant places of learning across the globe," said Myeong Su-hyun, director general of cultural policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. "The ministry will continue to nurture the inherent value of Hangeul and support educational and cultural exchange programs for learners worldwide."

Civilian merit medals will also go to Cho Su-jin, president of the National Association for Korean Schools (East-Mid Atlantic Chapter), for shaping overseas heritage language curriculum in the United States, and Choi Hong-sik, president of the King Sejong Memorial Society, for his interdisciplinary research on the phonetics and creation principles of Hunminjeongeum, the original name for the writing system known today as Hangeul.

Presidential and prime ministerial commendations were awarded to educators and institutions broadening Korean studies abroad, including Hirosaki University professor Lee Young-jun in Japan, the Australia National University Korea Institute, the Weekend Korean School of Tashkent in Uzbekistan and faculty at Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania and the National University of Singapore.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.