In 1894 Hangeul was declared to be the official script of the Joseon dynasty. In 1907 the National Language Research Institute, dedicated to the study of Hangeul, was established. With the Japanese colonization of Korea in 1910, the use of the Korean language and Hangeul was officially banned, but research and education in Hangeul continued, thanks to the efforts of scholars.
In the digital environment of computers and smartphones, we spend our lives reading, writing, seeing, and feeling Hangeul, whether we are in the street, in school, at home, or on the subway. Today more than ever, our daily lives and culture are rooted in Hangeul, which has evolved to become much more than just an alphabet.