SEOUL, February 04 (AJP) - Poetries were read and choir songs sung, but not aloud at Modu Art Theater in Seodaemun, western Seoul on Feb. 3.
At 2 p.m., the 6th Korean Sign Language Day commemorative ceremony, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, began not with applause, but with raised hands, flowing gestures and attentive silence.
Each movement carried rhythm.
Each pause held meaning.
Here, language was not spoken — it was performed.
Korean Sign Language Day, observed annually on Feb. 3, is a statutory anniversary designated to promote Korean Sign Language as the unique language of the deaf, with equal status to spoken Korean. Beyond recognition, the day serves as a reminder that communication takes many forms — and that all deserve respect.
This year’s ceremony, held at Modu Art Theater in Seoul, was themed: “Today connected by language, tomorrow continued by culture!”
The message resonated through every performance.
On stage, performers translated emotions into space. Love, longing, humor and hope traveled through fingertips and wrists. Poems were not read, but shaped in the air. Songs were not sung, but drawn with palms and arms. The audience followed each story with their eyes, learning to listen without sound.
For many participants, Korean Sign Language is more than a tool — it is a mother tongue, a bridge to identity, and a living archive of shared memory. Organizers emphasized that it is also a cultural asset belonging to society as a whole, not only to the deaf community.
Between performances, moments of stillness lingered. A raised hand. A gentle nod. A collective breath.
In those pauses, the essence of the day became clear.
Language does not always arrive through ears.
Sometimes, it reaches the heart through hands.
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