"Foreign Language Signs Made Readable for Everyone"… Gwangju Elementary Students Petition the National Assembly

'Hangul Signboard Act' Proposed Following Petition by Gwangju Elementary Students

Elementary school students in the Gwangju area who petitioned to "see pretty signs written in Hangul" will have a bill proposed.

On the 24th, Jeong Junho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Gwangju Buk-gu Gap), announced that he plans to submit the "Gakhwa-Bitgoul Hangul Signboard Act" (an amendment to the Outdoor Advertising Act) directly to the legislative office together with the petitioning elementary school students.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a letter arrived at Jeong's office in early July. It was a handwritten letter by 4th-grade students from Gakhwa Elementary School and Bitgoul Elementary School in Gwangju, containing a request to "create a law that allows Hangul to be displayed alongside foreign language signs on the streets, as many children and elderly people find it difficult to understand the many foreign language signs."

[Image provided by Jeong Jun-ho's office]

Kim Doyoon (Gakhwa Elementary, 4th grade) wrote in the letter, "There are many words I don't understand because they are written in languages other than our own, which has caused me inconvenience many times," and added, "I was unfairly unable to get to a meeting place. I hope there are many signs in Korean around us."

According to the Enforcement Decree of the Outdoor Advertising Act, foreign characters must be displayed together with Hangul unless there are special reasons. However, under Article 5 of the Enforcement Decree of the Management Act, signs with an area of 5㎡ or less installed on buildings of three floors or less are not subject to reporting or approval. As a result, practical management or regulation is difficult, rendering the legal provisions ineffective.

Moved by the children's sincere letter, Representative Jeong decided to propose an amendment to the Outdoor Advertising Act called the "Gakhwa Elementary Hangul Signboard Act" together with the students. The main points of the amendment are to lower the penalty level by replacing punishment with guidance through fines and to expand the mandatory application without limitation to all buildings, removing the exemption for buildings of 5㎡ or less and three floors or less.

Petition from Gakhwa Elementary and Bitgoeul students. [Image provided by Office of Assemblyman Jeong Junho]

The nine 4th-grade students from Gakhwa Elementary and Bitgoul Elementary who proposed the bill visited the National Assembly Communication Office on the 25th with Representative Jeong to explain and submit the bill in person. Representative Jeong said, "The elementary school students who petitioned directly experienced the process of proposing a bill, strengthening their democratic awareness," and added, "I will work hard to ensure the bill passes and serves as an opportunity to resolve the public's inconvenience."