Auburn University’s Korea Center-King Sejong Institute commemorated the 572nd anniversary of the Korean alphabet Hangul with a celebration of Korean culture.
“Our center’s most important purpose is teaching Korean language and culture,” said Sunmi Jang, Korean instructor. “Hangul is the basis of the Korean language and that’s why we need to celebrate this day. This is a holiday in Korea, as well. We are in the U.S., but we want to celebrate this holiday because we are using the Korean language and teaching Korean here.”
The event was intended to introduce and promote interest in Korean culture, the events of the night intended to represent how the Korean language and culture is found in unexpected parts of everyday life.
“I am really interested in Korean culture,” said Christopher Meininger, freshmen in neuroscience. “I speak pretty decent Korean so I came to have a good time and see what’s going on. I entered the art contest. It’s just something fun to do.”
The festival started with members of the Korea Center performing a Korean folk song in honor of a recently graduated student.
The awards ceremony of the Korean name-and-design competition followed. Isabella Trentacosti, a local high schooler, won first place with an anime-inspired drawing. Her love of the Korean culture motivated her to enter the competition.
“I like Korean culture and I really like to draw,” Trentacosti said. “For me, [my art] really feels like it represents what Korean culture is as a whole, including the Korean national flower and what it represents as a country. I just think everything about [Korean culture] is very beautiful, especially the clothing, the music, the art style. Even the lettering is very pretty.”
The competition was followed by a K-pop performance by two members of the Korean Center. Next, the performers called on their audience, which had been clapping along, to get up and learn how to do the dance, eliciting giggles and shouts from the children in attendance.
A dinner of Korean dishes followed, bringing people together to celebrate Korea through its cuisine.
“It’s just fun to meet new people especially because most of the people here are either Korean or have an interest in Korea,” said Catherine Johnson, sophomore in computer science.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
