Government to Hold First "Open Forum for All" with 200 Citizens on "Bilingual Signboard for Gwanghwamun in Korean Script"

Hosted by Ministry of Culture and Ministry of the Interior on July 26 at Yonsei University
In-depth Debate on Cultural Heritage Preservation and the Value of Hangul

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on July 23 that the first "Open Forum for All" will be held on July 26 at Baekyangnuri Hall at Yonsei University, under the theme of "Bilingual Signboard for Gwanghwamun in Korean Script."

The Open Forum for All is an inter-ministerial policy communication event designed to incorporate a wide range of public opinion into the policy-making process. For this forum, 200 citizens, selected in advance through an open recruitment process, will participate and share their various perspectives. The forum will also address policy issues from multiple angles, including history and culture, as participants seek practical policy directions.

The forum will feature expert presentations, small group discussions with citizen participation, and plenary discussions. Participants will share their views and jointly consolidate their final positions. The event will be broadcast live via KTV's YouTube channel, and participants will be able to express their opinions in real time through on-site mobile voting.

At the 'National Launch Ceremony for the Installation of Gwanghwamun Hunminjeongeum-style Korean Script Signboard in Commemoration of March 1st' held in front of Gwanghwamun on March 1, a prototype of the sample signboard was unveiled. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Before the main presentations and discussions, Lee Sangyeol, Director of the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, will present a summary of the public deliberation process and the results of collected opinions thus far. Subsequently, Park Hyunmo, President of the Sejong National Governance Institute; Chung Jaehwan, Co-Representative of the Hangeul Cultural Solidarity; Kim Hyunkyung, Professor at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage; and Bae Woongkyu, Professor at Chung-Ang University, will participate in the presentations and discussions. Yang Hyunmi, Professor at Sangmyung University, will serve as the moderator.

During the forum, citizens and experts will discuss the following key topics: whether Gwanghwamun should be viewed as a symbolic space representing the nation or as a cultural heritage that must be preserved in its original form; whether it is appropriate to display a Korean script signboard at Gwanghwamun, and whether the value of the Korean script should be distinguished from the issue of installing the signboard; and whether cultural heritage preservation should be regarded as strictly maintaining the original form, or as incorporating the values of each era, among other issues.

The government stated that it intends to broadly reference the diverse opinions expressed at the forum in future policy reviews. In addition, it announced plans to further develop the Open Forum for All as a leading deliberative platform that enables the public to participate directly in the policy-making process.

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