Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Holds Ceremony for the 5th Korean Sign Language Day

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Deaf Association, held the '5th Korean Sign Language Day' commemorative ceremony at 3 p.m. on the 3rd at the Swiss Grand Hotel in Seoul.

'Korean Sign Language Day' commemorates the enactment of the 'Korean Sign Language Act' (February 3, 2016), which recognized Korean Sign Language as an official language of the Deaf, equal in status to the Korean language.

Minister Yoo In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism visited the site to celebrate 'Korean Sign Language Day' and encourage those who have contributed to the development of Korean Sign Language. Additionally, National Assembly members Kim Ye-ji and Seo Mi-hwa also delivered congratulatory remarks on site.

[Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]

Awards were presented to those who contributed to the development of Korean Sign Language, followed by an award ceremony for the sign language video contest and a celebratory sign language performance.

This year’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation was awarded to Lee Jae-ho, head of the Jecheon City branch of the Chungbuk Deaf Association, who has worked as a sign language interpreter and educator for 35 years, contributing to improving awareness of sign language in the region and the enactment of an ordinance supporting the activation of Korean Sign Language in the Jecheon City Council; and to the Sejong Special Self-Governing City Hearing and Speech Disability Support Center, which opened the Yeongi County Sign Language Interpretation Center in 2006, has operated sign language classes for 18 years, and has led the 'Sejong Sign Language Culture Festival,' promoting the use of Korean Sign Language and improving disability awareness in the local community.

In the sign language video contest held from the 14th to the 22nd of last month, a total of 43 teams submitted works, and awards were presented on this day to one grand prize team, two excellence award teams, three merit award teams, and five encouragement award teams.

Minister Yoo In-chon stated, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is conducting projects to support sign language interpretation in the public sector, including the cultural and artistic fields, but more awareness and efforts are needed across various sectors of society to create an environment where Deaf people can communicate freely in daily life. As the ministry responsible for the Korean Sign Language Act, we will do our best to create an environment where Deaf people can access information without discrimination and communicate confidently in their native language, Korean Sign Language."