From the time he was a child, King Sejong loved to read. As a young prince, he read through the bitterly cold nights in winter. He read through the hot, humid nights in summer. He read every book in the palace, and some he read many times. The prince loved to read so much that his father, King Taejong, worried for his son's health. He ordered the removal of all books from his son's room. One book, however, was accidentally left behind. The young prince found it and and read it over and over again. Seeing this, King Taejong realized that he couldn't stop his son from reading. So he gave up and returned the prince's books.
When he became king in 1418, Sejong was still thinking about books. He understood that books were a powerful tool to educate his people. Agriculture was very important to the country, so he was dismayed that there were no modern books on farming. And there weren't any books written for farmers in Korea. The king ordered scholars to travel the kingdom and study local farming practices. The scholars compiled their knowledge into the Nongsajikseol (Plain Explanation of Farming Matters). The book was distributed to government offices throughout the country, along with the king's personal wish for it to help farmers.
The king not only hoped to improve the kingdom's economic well-being but also his subjects' moral well-being. In 1432, the Samganghaengsildo (Guide to the Three Relationships) was published. This book explained the relationships between subjects and kings, children and parents, and husbands and wives. These were the most important human relationships, according to thinking at the time. It included illustrations so that everyone could learn from the book—even those who couldn't read.
The king was also determined to increase literacy in his kingdom. At the time very few men, and even fewer women, were literate. Only elite people like nobles, officials, and scholars could read and write. The Korean language was written using Chinese characters, hanja, which were difficult to learn and did not reflect the sounds of the Korean language well. If most people could not read or write, books had no meaning for them. The well-educated court officials didn't mind this. Reading and writing gave them power. However, the king had long recognized that this was a problem—and he liked to solve problems.
Anticipating that the palace elite would oppose him, the king secretly began to work on a way to spread literacy to all his people. He had an ambitious goal: he wanted to create a new writing system. He carefully studied Chinese characters and their sounds. He analyzed the sounds of the Korean language and the way people's speech organs make those sounds. He also examined different writing systems for ideas. Though the king worked in secret, he received help from his son, Crown Prince Munjong, and possibly his other children as well.
When his writing system was completed in 1443, the king unveiled his alphabet of 28 letters to the court as his personal creation. He called his writing system Hunminjeongeum, which means "Correct Sounds for the Instruction of People."
The king's letters were simple and elegant. The designs of the consonants were based on the shapes of human speech organs when making these sounds. The vowel shapes were meant to represent the earth, the heavens, and humans. Best of all, the system was designed to be easy for anyone to learn. The king was pleased with his creation, but the court officials were not.
Nonetheless, when the king ordered scholars to help him, they had no choice. King Sejong created the Eonmuncheong, an office devoted to working on the alphabet. Its first task was to develop a guide to the alphabet.
Meanwhile the king had turned his attention to using the new alphabet. In 1444 he wanted to publish the Samganghaengsildo again, this time using his new alphabet. But the project didn't take place during his lifetime. The next year he oversaw the publication of the Yongbieocheonga (Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven). This book celebrates the king's ancestors and was the first new book written with the king's alphabet.
After several years the Eonmuncheong scholars completed a document entitled Hunminjeongeum. It was released on October 9, 1446, and contained an introduction written by the king, like a letter to the people: Because our nation's speech is different from that of China, hanja are not suited for it. Therefore illiterate people who wish to learn encounter great difficulty, and their ability to communicate is limited. This saddened me, so I have created 28 new letters. I wish for all to learn and use them, and they be convenient for daily use.
Just as King Sejong wished, his new alphabet caught on with commoners and women of all classes. But scholars and elites were still using hanja when King Sejong died in 1450.
Slowly, over the centuries, more and more people used King Sejong's alphabet for everyday communication and published works. Even the upper classes used it, though they never fully abandoned hanja. Despite the growing popularity of the alphabet, at various times it was outlawed. However, by the twentieth century, King Sejong's alphabet was widespread and had become known as Hangeul.
Every year on October 9, Hangeul Day celebrates the gift of King Sejong's alphabet to the public. Hangeul continues to be admired around the world as a unique writing system. And it remains King Sejong the Great's lasting and most important legacy.