The government has honored people and organizations that have contributed to promoting and advancing the Korean language abroad.

The honors were bestowed in a Hangeul Day ceremony held on Friday’s 563rd anniversary of the creation of the Korean "Hangeul” alphabet.

Kyung Hee University's emeritus professor Kevin O'Rourke received an Order of Cultural Merits for translating two-thousand Korean classical and modern literary works into English and distributing them in Europe and the United States since 1974.

Professor Choi Hee-soo from Tianjin Foreign Studies University in China was also awarded an order of Cultural Merits in recognition of his efforts to propagate the Korean language abroad by publishing 24 Korean language learning textbooks and materials since 1982.

KBS World Radio, the overseas broadcasting arm of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), was awarded a presidential citation in recognition of its efforts to propagate the Korean language internationally.