[Article] The Road from Speaking to Writing: On Reading Korean Language, Its Turbulent History and Vitality / Yom Mu-woong
The Quarterly Changbi 190, Winter 2020
Abstract
Director of the National Museum of Korean Literature Yom Mu-woong provides frank comments about the book Korean Language, Its Turbulent History and Vitality, which is based on, while significantly expanding on, the “dialogue” in the summer issue of Changbi, offering us rich food for thought about the evolution of the Korean language. Since the creation of the Hangeul writing system, Korean language and writing have undergone many radical changes. In particular, on the threshold of modern times, they have encountered many challenges related to the Korean people’s need to establish a modern writing style in step with modern national tasks. This article invites our readers into a critical process in which we look into the trajectory of our past handling of these challenges and our need to meet current pressing tasks.