Jungnang-gu District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi dons scholar's robes for hanja Golden Bell

Jungnang-gu District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi stepped into the role of a traditional village schoolmaster for a day.

Drawing on his own childhood experience attending a seodang — a traditional private village school — Ryu organized the event to help children build skills connecting hanja (Chinese characters used in Korean) with everyday vocabulary.

The program was also designed to introduce young students to traditional Korean values and etiquette, with the aim of nurturing a more composed and well-rounded generation.

Jungnang-gu held the first Bangjeonghwan Seodang Civil Examination Hanja Golden Bell on Thursday at the Bangjeonghwan Education Support Center.

The event was organized in conjunction with "Bangjeonghwan Seodang," an elementary literacy program run by the center. It blended the format of the traditional civil service examination with the modern Golden Bell quiz format, allowing students to test the hanja knowledge and vocabulary they had built up over the course.

The competition was divided into two sessions by grade level: the first for 30 students in grades 2 and 3, and the second for 30 students in grades 4 through 6.

Participants wore yugon — traditional headwear symbolizing a young seonbi, or Confucian scholar — and tackled a range of questions covering hanja readings and meanings, hanja terms used in daily life, and four-character idioms.

Rather than ranking competitors, the event placed its emphasis on encouraging the process of learning and the courage to take on a challenge. All students who participated to the end received the "Best Seonbi Award."

Since April, Jungnang-gu has been running the Bangjeonghwan Seodang program monthly at the education support center to improve elementary students' vocabulary and literacy. The program moves away from rote memorization, instead focusing on helping children learn hanja naturally and enjoyably by connecting the characters to words they encounter in everyday life.

"Literacy is the foundation of all learning, and the ability to understand vocabulary precisely is a vital building block that helps children develop the power to read and think for themselves," Ryu said. "I hope this hanja Golden Bell gave children a sense of joy in learning and the confidence that comes from taking on a challenge and seeing it through. We will continue to support children in realizing their potential through a wide range of educational programs."