Some elderly arch-conservatives bemoan the decline of Hanja use in Korean society. I’m sure many academics also feel the same. I see this sort of similar as some conservative Catholics bemoaning not doing Latin Mass.

One reason I’ve heard is that many Korean words (same for Japanese) have roots in Chinese and not knowing the Hanja representation means you lose some of that connection.

Whether that connection is really worth anything of practical value, is a matter of debate. I lean towards…no.