[Edaily Starin JOO MEE_HEE Reporter] To mark the 100th anniversary of Hangul Day, actor Kim Nam-gil and Professor Seo Kyung-deok of Sungshin Women’s University lent their support to educational programs teaching Hangul overseas.

On the 9th, Professor Seo announced via his social media that he and Kim Nam-gil had donated educational equipment and Hangul learning materials to a Hangul school in the Basque region of Spain. The donated items included laptops, projectors, and screens.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of “Gagya Day,” the origin of Hangul Day. The Korean Language Research Society designated the 29th day of the ninth lunar month in 1926 as “Gagya Day” to commemorate the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum, and later changed the name to “Hangul Day” in 1928.
This donation is part of Professor Seo’s “Hangul Globalization Campaign.” The project seeks out weekend schools teaching Hangul overseas, as well as foreign nationals who have formed their own study groups to learn Korean, and provides them with supplies needed to improve their educational environments.
Through this campaign, educational supplies have been delivered to Hangul schools around the world, including New York City in the U.S., Vancouver in Canada, Budapest in Hungary, Mexico City in Mexico, and Auckland in New Zealand.
Professor Seo noted that demand for learning Hangul is growing alongside the global spread of the Korean Wave.
“As K-pop and K-dramas have spread widely across the globe, the number of foreigners and overseas Koreans seeking to learn Hangul and the Korean language has increased,” he said, explaining the purpose of the support. “I wanted to contribute, even in a small way, to their education.”
Kim Nam-gil, who participated as a sponsor of this campaign, also expressed his intention to consistently support Korean language education overseas, rather than limiting his support to a one-time contribution.
Kim Nam-gil said, “I will seek out organizations working to promote Hangul education around the world and continue to support them consistently.”