Gwanghwamun Square hosts Hangeul Week from 6 October
Published on 10/04/2026 at 00:34 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul will host Hangeul Week from 6 October 2026, bringing the Hangeul Hanmadang festival, performances and exhibitions to the public square. The programme links the city centre with South Korea's 100th anniversary of Hangeul Day and continues at other venues through 17 October.
Hangeul Week brings performances to Gwanghwamun Square
The main event at the square is 2026 Hangeul Hanmadang - Gwanghwamun, running from 6 to 8 October. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is organising Hangeul Week with Hangeul-related organisations, language culture centres and local governments, under the theme Hangeul by My Side.
The three-day programme includes the musical By My Side, The Man in Durumagi, the performance God-Geul and the poetry, song and story concert Read, Walk, and Sing. Indie bands Far East Asia Tigers and Yangbandeul are also scheduled to perform. More than 20 activity zones will cover the Children's Hangeul Playground, calligraphy exhibitions and workshops, a Hangeul Garden and programmes connected with the National Hangeul Museum. The announced Hangeul Week programme places these activities at Gwanghwamun Square from 6 October 2026.
Hangeul projections connect the square with its history
The Hangeul Day Eve Festival begins at 7pm on 8 October with 100 lamps, performances by At Heart and Broccoli, You Too?, and a reading by foreign students from King Sejong Institute programmes and citizens. The evening is due to conclude with Twenty-Four, Universe, a media facade projected onto the exterior wall of Gwanghwamun.
The projection is scheduled for 8 to 11 October, from 8pm to 11pm each night. Its subject is the 24 consonants and vowels of Hangeul, while the artwork's final image incorporates the dancheong decoration of Gwanghwamun. This makes the square more than a festival venue during the programme: its central monument becomes part of the work's visual subject. A Hangeul Cultural Industry Exhibition will run at the square from 6 to 8 October, with media art, K-pop content, furniture, daily goods and stationery. The official square guide describes the site as a central urban space connected with history, culture and Cheonggyecheon Stream.
Seoul square gives Hangeul Week a civic setting
Gwanghwamun Square stands in Jongno-gu in central Seoul, in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace. The square contains the statues of King Sejong the Great and Admiral Yi Sun-sin, as well as public areas, water features and underground exhibition spaces.
Its connection with Hangeul is particularly direct through the statue of King Sejong and the Story of King Sejong exhibition area beneath the square. The 2026 programme therefore places performances, hands-on activities and a large-scale projection beside a site already associated with the Korean writing system and its royal history.
Visiting Gwanghwamun Square: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Hangeul Hanmadang festival takes place at Gwanghwamun Square from 6 to 8 October 2026. The Hangeul Day Eve Festival is scheduled for 8 October 2026.
- The Twenty-Four, Universe media facade is planned for 8 to 11 October 2026, from 8pm to 11pm each night, on the exterior wall of Gwanghwamun.
- Gwanghwamun Square is in central Seoul, in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace, and is served by Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul Subway Line 5.
- The square includes statues of King Sejong the Great and Admiral Yi Sun-sin, water features, lawns and underground exhibition spaces.
- South Korea's official language is Korean and its national currency is the won.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Gwanghwamun Square on social platforms
These links open searches for Gwanghwamun Square on each platform.
Frequently asked questions about Gwanghwamun Square
When does Hangeul Week take place at Gwanghwamun Square?
The Gwanghwamun Hanmadang programme runs from 6 to 8 October 2026, while Hangeul Week continues at venues in South Korea through 17 October 2026.
What is projected at Gwanghwamun Square from 8 October 2026?
The Twenty-Four, Universe media facade is scheduled for the exterior wall of Gwanghwamun from 8 to 11 October 2026, from 8pm to 11pm each night.
Where is Gwanghwamun Square and how do you get there?
The square is in Jongno-gu in central Seoul, in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul Subway Line 5 serves the square.
