‘Softly’ and ‘Layer upon Layer’ on a Sofa ... Hangul Broadens Its Reach into Everyday Industries

[Financial News] Marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangul Day, efforts to reinterpret Hangul as everyday products and content—from furniture and food and beverages to digital services—are gaining momentum. By incorporating Hangul’s visual forms and distinctive Korean expressions into brands and products, these efforts seek to use Hangul as industrial content beyond its status as a cultural asset.
 According to industry sources on the 8th, Alloso, Fursys Group’s high-end living brand, took part in the ‘2026 Hangul Culture Industry Fair,’ held at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul from the 6th through the 8th, unveiling its ‘Sofa Mood Words’ collection, which translates the emotions and movements expressed in Korean into furniture design.
 This year marks 100 years since the Korean Language Research Society designated ‘Kagyanal’ in 1926 to commemorate the 480th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum. Kagyanal was later renamed Hangul Day, and its date became fixed as October 9. This year also marks the 580th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum and 100 years since Park Du-seong introduced Korean Braille, ‘Hunmaengjeongeum,’ to the world.
 To mark the occasion, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is holding ‘2026 Hangul Week’ through the 17th under the theme ‘Hangul by My Side.’ The Hangul Culture Industry Fair at Gwanghwamun Square is part of the program. It focuses on exhibiting and selling a range of cultural products and content featuring Hangul, while highlighting its potential for industrial use.
 Alloso’s ‘Sofa Mood Words’ collection is another example of Hangul extending into everyday products. Planned in collaboration with the National Hangeul Museum, the collection translates everyday Korean words into design by connecting them to the emotions and movements people experience while sitting, leaning back and resting on a sofa.
 The project began with Cheongguyeongeon, a collection of sijo poems from the Joseon era. It connects the joys and sorrows that people of the past expressed in song lyrics with the time people today spend on sofas, reinterpreting them in various forms, including furniture, crafts, graphic design and textiles.
 Seven artists, including graphic designers, illustrators and craftspeople, took part. Each selected a Korean word expressing a mood or movement felt on a sofa—such as ‘softly,’ ‘humming’ and ‘layer upon layer’—and brought it to life through embroidery, printing, textile crafts and other techniques.
 Artist Bang Hyo-bin’s ‘Ha Ha Ha Sofa’ draws an image of a smiling face from the Hangul consonant ‘h’ and renders it in metal rings. Artist Jo Min-yeol’s ‘Layer upon Layer Sofa’ uses stacked layers of denim fabric to represent the six-dot system of Korean Braille, marking the 100th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunmaengjeongeum. Artist Yoon Hyung-taek’s ‘Doe-Dwae-Doet-Dwaet Sofa’ takes its cue from smartphone typos and carries a reassuring message: ‘You worked hard. It’s okay. You’re enough.’
 An Alloso representative said, “We hope this will extend the delicate language of feelings embodied in Hangul to the everyday furniture of a sofa, and offer an opportunity to explore each person’s emotions and moments through Korean words.”
 More companies are incorporating Hangul into everyday services and brand experiences. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangul Day, Naver is running its ‘Hangul for Everyone’ campaign through the 18th, showcasing records of Hangul from the past 100 years and how people in a range of occupations use it. Ediya Coffee is also running a customer-participation campaign through the end of the month, incorporating Hangul into its mobile app and some of its brand language.
[email protected] Kim Hyun-cheol Reporter