Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to Hold 6th Korean Sign Language Day Ceremony

At 2:00 p.m. on the 3rd at Modu Arts Theater

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the '6th Korean Sign Language Day' ceremony at 2:00 p.m. on February 3, Korean Sign Language Day, at the Modu Arts Theater to promote the value and importance of Korean Sign Language.

Korean Sign Language Day is a legally designated commemorative day established to widely publicize that Korean Sign Language is the unique language of the Deaf, holding equal status with the Korean language, and to raise public awareness of Korean Sign Language. This year’s ceremony is themed “Today Connected by Language, Tomorrow Linked by Culture!” and is designed to highlight that Korean Sign Language is not only the native language of the Deaf community but also a valuable linguistic and cultural asset for society as a whole.

During the ceremony, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism will present commendations to individuals who have contributed to the dissemination and development of Korean Sign Language. Awards will be given to Pyo Minae, head of the Dangjin City branch of the Chungnam Association of the Deaf, for her work in early childhood sign language education and advancing the right to know and language rights for Deaf individuals with little or no formal education, as well as to 'Sign Language Dandelion,' the nation’s only organization specializing in sign language literature.

In addition, an award ceremony will be held for the first-ever 'Korean Sign Language Day Sign Language Design Contest,' launched to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the enactment of the Korean Sign Language Act. Out of 65 participating teams, a total of 11 teams will be selected, including one grand prize winner, two first prize winners, three excellence award winners, and five encouragement award winners. The winners will receive the President of the Korean Association of the Deaf Award and prize money.

A policy official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, “Through Korean Sign Language Day, we hope to shed new light on the linguistic and cultural value of Korean Sign Language and lay the groundwork for a society where the Deaf and hearing communities come together. The Ministry will continue to provide policy support so that Korean Sign Language is more widely used in everyday life and is established as a respected language that connects cultures.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.