March 1995 No. 1
March 1995 No. 1 
Culture
One of the forms of expression of the Korean language is in the form of calligraphy. In Korea, as in China and Japan, calligraphy is an art form to be displayed and admired like a painting. In fact, painting in Korea is greatly influenced by calligraphy in terms of its vitality, rhythm and economy of strokes.
Few examples of Korean calligraphy survived the Japanese invasions in the 16th century. Those stone monuments and tablets which did survive show a vigorous angular style of the 5th century, a product of the military state which ruled the north, or a more regular, squarish style which was prevalent in the Shilla and Koryo Kingdoms.
Not until the 18th century, with its greater interest in all things Korean, did calligraphers adopt a dynamic style of their own. With the Japanese domination of the country in the early 20th century, calligraphy took on the Japanese influence and after World War II survived only as a minor art. Since 1960, however, there has been renewed interest in calligraphy including experimentation with the Korean alphabet.