Korea certifies first 20 braille teachers as Hunminjeongeum braille turns 100

The culture ministry said Wednesday that 20 people have become South Korea's first nationally certified braille teachers, a qualification created when the Braille Act was revised and took effect in 2025. The certification arrives in the year that Hunminjeongeum braille, the Korean braille system, marks the centenary of its proclamation, and a ceremony commemorating the anniversary was held the same day.

The certificate is a state qualification under Article 11 of the Braille Act, a law enacted in 2016. Candidates had to accumulate at least 300 hours of braille teaching experience, hold a grade 3 or higher qualification as a braille transcriber or proofreader, and pass a basic braille proficiency test before completing a training course introduced this year that added more than 120 hours of instruction. A grade 1 certificate requires a total of 300 hours of braille teaching experience after obtaining grade 2, with up to 120 hours recognized per year.

Kim Yun-mi, the office manager at the Songam Braille Library, received certificate No. 1. "I am very happy to become the first braille teacher in this meaningful year that marks the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of Korean braille," she said, according to the ministry. "I will keep researching teaching materials and methods and do my best so that more visually impaired people can feel the joy of learning through braille without giving up," she added.

The ministry said it plans to keep training and supporting braille teachers so that every visually impaired person who needs braille instruction receives a quality education.