SK Telecom (017670) is using artificial intelligence to analyze records of the Korean language and surface native Korean words that have faded from everyday use, marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangeul Day.
The company said on the 7th that it is running the campaign "2026 Malmoi" together with the National Institute of Korean Language and the National Hangeul Museum. The campaign was designed around the idea of bringing Korean-language records preserved in writing and sound back into daily use.
SK Telecom analyzed the complete scanned manuscript of "Malmoi," the Korean dictionary left behind by the scholar Ju Si-gyeong and his students, along with native Korean words in the National Institute of Korean Language's Standard Korean Dictionary and its open dictionary Urimalsam, using its in-house AI foundation model A.X K2. Based on that work, it created a typeface called Malmoi, and after review by the institute, it compiled "100 Beautiful Native Korean Words Gathered by Artificial Intelligence," to be distributed on the 8th.
The AI called up native Korean words that remain in dictionaries but have drifted out of everyday speech. A.X K2 selected 100 words from the Standard Korean Dictionary and Urimalsam based on three criteria: words whose definitions carry lyrical or positive imagery, words that do not sound awkward in current use, and words usable in titles, names and subtitles.
SK Telecom is turning the list into a booklet and donating it to the National Hangeul Museum. The 100 selections include "yunseul," ripples glittering in sunlight or moonlight; "sunnun," freshly fallen snow still untouched where it lies; "putnat," an acquaintance close enough only to recognize each other's face; and "bolumul," literally a well dug into the cheek, meaning a dimple.
Customers can also join the campaign by collecting words of the day on SK Telecom's official social media accounts. The company will release Reels and card news featuring regional dialects and slang from different generations, and will award special editions of the "2026 Malmoi" book and "2026 Malmoi" typeface keycaps to participants selected by lottery.
"We organized this campaign so that the Korean words our ancestors gathered more than a century ago can be carried forward with AI and shared through a typeface and words anyone can use," said Lee Seung-yeol, head of SK Telecom's strategic communications office. "We will continue working to ensure AI is used to protect the value of our language and our culture."
