A grand ceremony took place in central Seoul on Tuesday to celebrate the 566th anniversary of Hangeul Day with 3,000 officials and citizens in attendance.

During the ceremony, national awards of merit were presented to global scholars, researchers and others who have contributed to promoting the Korean language.

The event was followed by performances and a fashion show by designer Lie Sang-bong, who has won broad praise for beautifully incorporating Hangeul calligraphy into his fashion designs.

Hangeul was invented by King Sejong the Great in the 15th century to replace the Chinese characters that were used to at the time. Since then, it has been praised by linguists around the world as one of the most scientific and practical alphabets ever devised.