08/18/2025
In 1443 AD, a Korean king defied his own advisors to create a secret writing system—one so simple it threatened the power of the elite.
For centuries, literacy in Korea was reserved for the wealthy and powerful. They used thousands of complex classical Chinese characters, called Hanja, which took a lifetime to master, leaving the common person unable to read or write.
King Sejong the Great, of the Joseon dynasty, saw this as an injustice. He believed every one of his subjects deserved the dignity of literacy.
So, he and a team of trusted scholars from the Hall of Worthies worked to create a new alphabet. It was crafted with the people in mind, designed to be learned with ease. 📜
The result was an alphabet of 28 letters, so intuitive that a wise person could learn it in a morning, and even a slow learner could master it in just ten days.
But this noble project met with fierce opposition. The kingdom's elite scholars and nobles were horrified. They believed that giving the common people literacy would destroy the social order and undermine their privileged status.
They argued it was a vulgar and unnecessary invention, but King Sejong stood firm in his conviction. He pushed forward against the backlash from the powerful few for the benefit of the many.
In 1446 AD, the king officially published the new script, originally called Hunminjeongeum, or 'The Correct Sounds for the Instruction of the People'.
It was a revolution. For the first time, farmers, merchants, and women had access to the written word, empowering them to participate more fully in their society. The script's legacy endures today as Hangul, the official alphabet of Korea. 🇰🇷
Sources: Hunminjeongeum Haerye manuscript, The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty.
