"Use Easy Korean" ... Changwon Special City Urges, "Change Event Envelopes to Hangul Too"

Leading the Way in Spreading Proper Korean Usage
Through Integration with the Standard Korean Dictionary Website

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam has produced and distributed 'Hangeul Celebration Envelopes' on the 15th, which feature commonly used phrases for weddings and funerals written in easy-to-understand Korean.

Changwon Special City, "Let's change congratulatory and condolence envelopes to Hangul now."

This initiative is part of the '2025 Changwon Special City National Language Promotion and Regional Language Preservation Plan,' aiming to increase the use of Hangeul in everyday life, starting with frequently used celebration and condolence terms. Most celebration envelopes are written in difficult Chinese characters such as '祝 結婚' (congratulations on marriage) or '謹弔' (condolence), making them inconvenient for ordinary citizens. People often have to search multiple times to use unfamiliar or complicated characters, or they give up on handwriting altogether for fear of making mistakes.

To address this, the city has produced Hangeul envelopes with five phrases: 'Marriage,' 'Condolence,' 'First Birthday,' 'Thanks,' and 'Development,' so that anyone can easily read and write them. These envelopes are available at the civil service offices of the five district offices and the main office, and any citizen visiting these offices can use them freely.

The Hangeul celebration envelopes are expected to not only change the phrases but also encourage the use of Hangeul in daily life. The envelopes distributed this time have been carefully designed with readable and dignified fonts, demonstrating that Hangeul alone can convey a sense of elegance.

Along with the production of these envelopes, the city has also improved access to the National Institute of Korean Language's Standard Korean Dictionary so that all citizens can easily find correct Korean words. A shortcut to the dictionary has been placed at the top right of the city hall website, and the internet address has been posted on the internal administrative system for easy use by public officials.

Lee Dongho, Chief of Korean Language (Public Relations Officer), said, "It is important to start by changing commonly used expressions in daily life, like those on celebration envelopes, into correct Hangeul. Changwon City will continue to strive to create a culture that cherishes and widely uses Hangeul."