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96-695: Sejong ( Korean :  세종 ; Hanja :  世宗 ; 15 May 1397 – 30 March 1450), personal name Yi To ( 이도 ; 李祹 ), commonly known as Sejong the Great ( 세종대왕 ; 世宗大王 ), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea . He is regarded as one of the greatest rulers in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangul , the native alphabet of the Korean language . Initially titled Grand Prince Chungnyeong ( 충녕대군 ; 忠寧大君 ), he

192-484: A Korean influence on Khitan. The hypothesis that Korean could be related to Japanese has had some supporters due to some overlap in vocabulary and similar grammatical features that have been elaborated upon by such researchers as Samuel E. Martin and Roy Andrew Miller . Sergei Starostin (1991) found about 25% of potential cognates in the Japanese–Korean 100-word Swadesh list . Some linguists concerned with

288-480: A core vowel. The IPA symbol ⟨ ◌͈ ⟩ ( U+0348 ◌͈ COMBINING DOUBLE VERTICAL LINE BELOW ) is used to denote the tensed consonants /p͈/, /t͈/, /k͈/, /t͡ɕ͈/, /s͈/ . Its official use in the extensions to the IPA is for "strong" articulation, but is used in the literature for faucalized voice . The Korean consonants also have elements of stiff voice , but it is not yet known how typical this

384-493: A later founder effect diminished the internal variety of both language families. Since the establishment of two independent governments, North–South differences have developed in standard Korean, including variations in pronunciation and vocabulary chosen. However, these minor differences can be found in any of the Korean dialects , which are still largely mutually intelligible . The Chinese language , written with Chinese characters and read with Sino-Xenic pronunciations ,

480-521: A possible relationship.) Hudson & Robbeets (2020) suggested that there are traces of a pre- Nivkh substratum in Korean. According to the hypothesis, ancestral varieties of Nivkh (also known as Amuric ) were once distributed on the Korean Peninsula before the arrival of Koreanic speakers. Korean syllable structure is (C)(G)V(C), consisting of an optional onset consonant, glide /j, w, ɰ/ and final coda /p, t, k, m, n, ŋ, l/ surrounding

576-411: A satisfactory level for Sejong. In the 26th year of his reign, he had the cannon foundry Hwapojujoso ( 화포주조소 ; 火砲鑄造所 ) built to produce a new standard cannon with outstanding performance, and in the following year, he undertook a complete overhaul of the cannon. The Chongtongdeungnok ( 총통등록 ; 銃筒謄錄 ) compiled and published in the 30th year his reign, was an illustrated book that described

672-534: A subject's duty is to serve his superior with honesty and not to tolerate deceit. However, people all around the world worship the Buddha, serve spirits at their houses, and yet reproach others for worshiping the very ghosts and Buddha they themselves revere; I find this highly reprehensible. In 1427, Sejong issued a decree against the Huihui ( Korean Muslim ) community that had enjoyed special status and stipends since

768-469: Is also an account of Sejong's having a disease that roughly translates to palsy ( 풍증 ; 風症 ) and essential tremor ( 수전증 ; 手顫症 ), but terminology of the 15th century Korean traditional medicine does not translate well. Sejong died on 8 April 1450, on the Gregorian calendar, at the residence of Grand Prince Young-eung at the age of 52. He was buried at Yeongneung ( 영릉 ; 英陵 ), in

864-619: Is also generated by longstanding alliances, military involvement, and diplomacy, such as between South Korea–United States and China–North Korea since the end of World War II and the Korean War . Along with other languages such as Chinese and Arabic , Korean is ranked at the top difficulty level for English speakers by the United States Department of Defense . Modern Korean descends from Middle Korean , which in turn descends from Old Korean , which descends from

960-656: Is an agglutinative language . The Korean language is traditionally considered to have nine parts of speech . Modifiers generally precede the modified words, and in the case of verb modifiers, can be serially appended. The sentence structure or basic form of a Korean sentence is subject–object–verb (SOV), but the verb is the only required and immovable element and word order is highly flexible, as in many other agglutinative languages. Question 가게에 gage-e store- LOC 가셨어요? ga-syeo-sseo-yo go- HON . PAST - CONJ - POL 가게에 가셨어요? gage-e ga-syeo-sseo-yo store-LOC go-HON.PAST-CONJ-POL 'Did [you] go to

1056-511: Is closer to a near-open central vowel ( [ɐ] ), though ⟨a⟩ is still used for tradition. Grammatical morphemes may change shape depending on the preceding sounds. Examples include -eun/-neun ( -은/-는 ) and -i/-ga ( -이/-가 ). Sometimes sounds may be inserted instead. Examples include -eul/-reul ( -을/-를 ), -euro/-ro ( -으로/-로 ), -eseo/-seo ( -에서/-서 ), -ideunji/-deunji ( -이든지/-든지 ) and -iya/-ya ( -이야/-야 ). Some verbs may also change shape morphophonemically. Korean

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1152-490: Is featured on the 10,000 won banknote of the South Korean won , along with various scientific tools invented under his reign. Sejong was first portrayed in the 1000- hwan bill as part of the 15 August 1960 currency reform , replacing the portrait of former president Syngman Rhee . Sejong was also featured on the 500- hwan bill the following year. Both bills were decommissioned in 1962. Sejong's portrait returned with

1248-399: Is mainly reserved for specific circumstances such as newspapers, scholarly papers and disambiguation. Today Hanja is largely unused in everyday life but is still important for historical and linguistic studies. The Korean names for the language are based on the names for Korea used in both South Korea and North Korea. The English word "Korean" is derived from Goryeo , which is thought to be

1344-399: Is of faucalized consonants. They are produced with a partially constricted glottis and additional subglottal pressure in addition to tense vocal tract walls, laryngeal lowering, or other expansion of the larynx. /s/ is aspirated [sʰ] and becomes an alveolo-palatal [ɕʰ] before [j] or [i] for most speakers (but see North–South differences in the Korean language ). This occurs with

1440-544: Is the native language for about 81 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the national language of both North Korea and South Korea . Beyond Korea, the language is recognized as a minority language in parts of China , namely Jilin , and specifically Yanbian Prefecture , and Changbai County . It is also spoken by Sakhalin Koreans in parts of Sakhalin , the Russian island just north of Japan, and by

1536-747: Is well attested in Western Old Japanese and Northern Ryukyuan languages , in Eastern Old Japanese it only occurs in compounds, and it is only present in three dialects of the Southern Ryukyuan language group . Also, the doublet wo meaning "hemp" is attested in Western Old Japanese and Southern Ryukyuan languages. It is thus plausible to assume a borrowed term. (See Classification of the Japonic languages or Comparison of Japanese and Korean for further details on

1632-521: The Koryo-saram in parts of Central Asia . The language has a few extinct relatives which—along with the Jeju language (Jejuan) of Jeju Island and Korean itself—form the compact Koreanic language family . Even so, Jejuan and Korean are not mutually intelligible . The linguistic homeland of Korean is suggested to be somewhere in contemporary Manchuria . The hierarchy of the society from which

1728-527: The yangban aristocracy, who looked down upon it too easy to learn. However, it gained widespread use among the common class and was widely used to print popular novels which were enjoyed by the common class. Since few people could understand official documents written in classical Chinese, Korean kings sometimes released public notices entirely written in Hangul as early as the 16th century for all Korean classes, including uneducated peasants and slaves. By

1824-603: The Jongmyo Jerye (memorials honoring the kings of Joseon). In 1418, during Sejong's reign, scholars developed the Pyeongyeong ( 편경 ; 編磬 ), a lithophone modeled on the Chinese bianqing . The Pyeongyeong is a percussion instrument consisting of two rows of 8 pumice slabs hung on a decorative wooden frame with a 16-tone range and struck with an ox horn mallet. It was manufactured using pumice mined from

1920-536: The Veritable Records of King Sejong and Jeong In-ji 's preface to the Hunminjeongeum Haerye emphasize that Sejong invented it himself. Before the creation of the new alphabet, the people of Joseon primarily used Classical Chinese to write, alongside a few writing systems like idu , hyangchal , gugyeol , and gakpil —which used Chinese characters to approximate sounds of

2016-484: The ' Jongmyo court music ' , which was used for royal ancestral rituals and is now inscribed as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Hertiage . King Sejong profoundly affected Korea's history with the creation and introduction of hangul , the native phonetic writing system for the Korean language . Although it is widely assumed that he ordered the Hall of Worthies to invent the script, contemporaneous records such as

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2112-478: The Bannam Park clan was Left State Councilor . Their relationship was hostile, and there were frequent disputes between them. Meanwhile, Taejong had abdicated and become king emeritus ( 상왕 ; 上王 ), although he still retained significant power, with important decisions still requiring his approval. Since the founding of Joseon, Taejong had frequently clashed with scholar-officials like Chŏng To-jŏn over

2208-473: The Cheongsong Sim clan  [ ko ] , who would later become Queen Soheon . In 1412, Yi To was granted the title Grand Prince Chungnyeong ( 충녕대군 ; 忠寧大君 ). In 1414, he had his first son, who would later become Munjong . As Taejong's eldest son, Grand Prince Yangnyeong was to inherit the throne. However, Taejong, as well as court officials, increasingly deemed Yangnyeong unsuitable for

2304-521: The Goryeo period, monks wielded strong political and economic influence. However, in Joseon, Buddhism was considered a false philosophy and the monks were viewed as corrupted by power and money. Likewise, Sejong continued Joseon's policies of "worshiping Confucianism and suppressing Buddhism " ( Korean :  승유억불 ; Hanja :  崇儒抑佛 ). He banned monks from entering Hanseong and reduced

2400-466: The Gyeonggi Province and was primarily used for ceremonies. Sejong's contribution to the arts continued long after his death; he had always wanted to use Korean music rather than Chinese music for ancestral rituals, but conservative court officials stopped his efforts. However, when Sejong's son, King Sejo , rose to the throne, he modified the ritual music composed by his father and created

2496-604: The King Sejong Institute , the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts , Sejong Science High School , and Sejong University also bear his name. A 9.5-meter-high (31 ft) bronze statue of King Sejong , unveiled in 2009 in celebration of the 563rd anniversary of the invention of the Korean alphabet, now sits on a concrete pedestal on the boulevard of Gwanghwamun Square and directly in front of

2592-537: The Korean alphabet , encouraged advancements in science and technology, and introduced measures to stimulate economic growth. He launched military campaigns to the north and implemented a relocation policy ( 사민정책 ; 徙民政策 ), establishing settlements in the newly conquered areas. He also ordered the Occupation of Tsushima island. From 1439, he became increasingly ill and his eldest son, Crown Prince Yi Hyang , acted as regent . Sejong died on March 1450. Sejong

2688-589: The Proto-Koreanic language , which is generally suggested to have its linguistic homeland somewhere in Manchuria . Whitman (2012) suggests that the proto-Koreans, already present in northern Korea, expanded into the southern part of the Korean Peninsula at around 300 BC and coexisted with the descendants of the Japonic Mumun cultivators (or assimilated them). Both had influence on each other and

2784-560: The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. The pedestal contains one of the several entrances to the 3,200 m underground museum exhibit entitled "The Story of King Sejong". In 2007, the South Korean Chief of Naval Operations officially announced the naming of its Sejong the Great -class destroyers , further explaining that Sejong's name was chosen as he was the most beloved figure among South Koreans. A portrait of Sejong

2880-588: The Songhua River . Sejong promoted the sciences. In 1420, Sejong created an institute within Gyeongbokgung known as the Hall of Worthies . The institute was responsible for conducting scientific research with the purpose of advancing the country's technology. The Hall of Worthies was designed to host Joseon's best and brightest thinkers, with the government offering grants and scholarships to encourage young scholars to attend. In 1428, Sejong ordered

2976-568: The Three Kingdoms of Korea (not the ancient confederacies in the southern Korean Peninsula), while " -eo " and " -mal " mean "language" and "speech", respectively. Korean is also simply referred to as guk-eo , literally "national language". This name is based on the same Han characters ( 國語 "nation" + "language") that are also used in Taiwan and Japan to refer to their respective national languages. In North Korea and China ,

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3072-578: The Treaty of 1910 , hangul was outlawed again until the liberation of Korea in 1945. Sejong suffered from eye diseases and deteriorating vision and likely had health issues linked to excessive meat consumption all throughout his life. Sejong's love for meat is clear from a comment by King Emeritus Taejong . When Sejong stopped eating fish and meat to mourn after the death of Jeongjong —Sejong's uncle and Taejong 's older brother— Taejong remarked that Sejong had always found it hard to eat without meat since he

3168-522: The Treaty of Gyehae , the daimyo of Tsushima was obliged to pay tribute to the Joseon monarch, and in turn the Sō clan was allowed to serve as a diplomatic intermediary between Korea and Japan, as well as receive exclusive trade rights. In 1433, Sejong sent Kim Jong-seo to the north to destroy the Jurchens . The military campaign captured several fortresses, pushed north, and expanded Korean territory, to

3264-454: The Yuan dynasty 's rule over Goryeo . The Huihui were forced to abandon their headgear, close down their "ceremonial hall" (a mosque in the city of Gaegyeong, in present-day Kaesong ), and worship like everyone else. No further records of Muslims exist during the Joseon era. In the early years of the Joseon dynasty, the economy operated on a barter system, with cloth, grain, and cotton being

3360-590: The casting methods , gunpowder usage, and specifications of the guns. The publication of this book is considered a remarkable achievement that marked a new era in the manufacture of artillery during the Joseon Dynasty. In June 1419, under the advice and guidance of his father, Sejong ordered the third and last occupation of Tsushima , known as Daemado Jeongbeol ( 대마도 정벌 ) in Korean and Ōei Invasion in Japanese. The ultimate goal of this military expedition

3456-421: The princess consort of Chungnyeong (later King Sejong ), he included his daughter, resulting in her selection. When Chungnyeong ascended the throne in 1418, Shim's daughter, Lady Shim ( 심씨 ; 沈氏 ), became Queen Soheon , and Shim On was appointed to the highest civil position in the royal court, Chief State Councilor . When Shim On was appointed as Chief State Councilor, Park Eun ( 박은 ; 朴訔 ) of

3552-482: The "benefit of the feudalist ruling class ". Contrastingly, in a column from its 15 December 2001 issue, North Korean news outlet Tongil Sinbo reported that Sejong the Great greatly contributed to Korean science during his reign of 30 years. Hangul Day is also celebrated in North Korea, albeit on a different date. Sejong and his primary consort Soheon had ten children together: the most for any queen consort of

3648-836: The 17th century, the yangban had exchanged Hangul letters with slaves, which suggests a high literacy rate of Hangul during the Joseon era. In the context of growing Korean nationalism in the 19th century, the Gabo Reform of 1894 abolished the Confucian examinations and decreed that government documents would be issued in Hangul instead of literary Chinese. Some newspapers were published entirely in Hangul, but other publications used Korean mixed script , with Hanja for Sino-Korean vocabulary and Hangul for other elements. North Korea abolished Hanja in writing in 1949, but continues to teach them in schools. Their usage in South Korea

3744-408: The 20th century. The script uses 24 basic letters ( jamo ) and 27 complex letters formed from the basic ones. When first recorded in historical texts, Korean was only a spoken language . Since the turn of the 21st century, aspects of Korean culture have spread to other countries through globalization and cultural exports . As such, interest in Korean language acquisition (as a foreign language )

3840-436: The Great is considered one of the most influential monarchs in Korean history, with the creation of Hangul considered his greatest legacy. Sejong is widely renowned in modern-day South Korea. In a 2024 survey by Gallup Korea , Sejong was nominated as the second most respected figure by South Koreans, only to be surpassed by Yi Sun-sin . The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture evaluates the reign of Sejong "the most shining period of

3936-419: The Joseon period. Historian Lee Han argues it is unclear if their relationship had genuine love; while they had numerous children together, and there is evidence of the two caring for and treating each other respectfully, Taejong had the queen's father executed, and Sejong dutifully consented to this. Korean language Korean ( South Korean : 한국어 , Hanguk-eo ; North Korean : 조선어 , Chosŏnŏ )

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4032-433: The Korean language—that had been in use since hundreds of years before hangul. However, due to the fundamental differences between the Korean and Chinese languages, and the large number of Chinese characters required, lower-class people of Joseon lacked the privilege of education and were illiterate. To promote literacy, King Sejong created hangul (which initially had 28 letters, four of which are no longer in use). Hangul

4128-530: The Ministry of Military Affairs who defied his authority. This incident occurred approximately 10 days before Shim On was scheduled to leave for the Ming Empire as an emissary. In the aftermath, many officials from the Ministry of Military Affairs, including Kang Sang-in and Minister Park Seup, were imprisoned. Taejong took an active role in handling the case. After a few days of interrogation, Kang Sang-in

4224-507: The ability to read and write would allow them to find and abuse loopholes within the law. Others felt that hangul would threaten their families' positions in court by creating a larger pool of civil servants. The Joseon elite continued to use the Chinese hanja long after Sejong's death. Hangul was often treated with contempt by those in power and received criticism in the form of nicknames, including eonmun ("vulgar script"), amkeul ("women's script"), and ahaekkeul ("children's script"). It

4320-455: The beginnings of words. /l/ becomes alveolar flap [ɾ] between vowels, and [l] or [ɭ] at the end of a syllable or next to another /l/ . A written syllable-final ' ㄹ ', when followed by a vowel or a glide ( i.e. , when the next character starts with ' ㅇ '), migrates to the next syllable and thus becomes [ɾ] . Traditionally, /l/ was disallowed at the beginning of a word. It disappeared before [j] , and otherwise became /n/ . However,

4416-576: The capital Hanyang, then to Suwon . In Suwon, he was tortured into admitting to his crimes and was forced to drink poison to death. After Shim On was executed for his fabricated crimes, Park Eun was promoted to Chief State Councilor. Many of the Shim family were condemned, and even the Queen Soheon was threatened to be stripped of her title as queen. However, King Sejong tried to protect her, and succeeded. King Taejong also supported Queen Soheon, telling

4512-557: The case and summoned those involved again. New suspects were identified, including Shim Jeong, the brother of Shim On. Shim On was accused of being the ringleader. According to Park Seup's confession, Shim On, Kang Sang-in, and others had discussed splitting military authority was impossible, which led to reporting directly to Sejong. Shim On was arrested in Uiju on his way back from the Ming Empire as emissary and taken under custody to

4608-461: The exchange rate dropped below the coin's intrinsic value. In 1445, Sejong consolidated the various sujoji records, previously managed by various government offices, and placed them under the administration of the Ministry of Taxation ( Hojo ) to improve transparency in Joseon's fiscal policies. King Sejong was an effective military planner and created various military regulations to strengthen

4704-399: The first Korean dynasty known to Western nations. Korean people in the former USSR refer to themselves as Koryo-saram or Koryo-in (literally, " Koryo/Goryeo persons"), and call the language Koryo-mal' . Some older English sources also use the spelling "Corea" to refer to the nation, and its inflected form for the language, culture and people, "Korea" becoming more popular in

4800-427: The governance of the new dynasty. Taejong believed the king should be the sole authority of the kingdom and worked to curb the influence of powerful clans. Despite Taejong's decree to retain military authority as king emeritus, controversy erupted when Vice Minister of Military Affairs Kang Sang-in and other officials reported military-related matters directly to Sejong. Taejong responded by reprimanding officials from

4896-472: The history of our [the Korean] people." Sejong's creation of the Korean alphabet is celebrated every 9 October as Hangul Day , a national holiday. Multiple places in South Korea, including Sejong Street ( Sejongno ; 세종로, 世宗路), Sejong–Pocheon Expressway , and Sejong Special Autonomous City , South Korea's de facto administrative capital, are named after him. Various institutes such as King Sejong Station ,

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4992-479: The inflow of western loanwords changed the trend, and now word-initial /l/ (mostly from English loanwords) are pronounced as a free variation of either [ɾ] or [l] . All obstruents (plosives, affricates, fricatives) at the end of a word are pronounced with no audible release , [p̚, t̚, k̚] . Plosive sounds /p, t, k/ become nasals [m, n, ŋ] before nasal sounds. Hangul spelling does not reflect these assimilatory pronunciation rules, but rather maintains

5088-473: The introduction of Christianity in Korea in 1602. Hangul was brought into the mainstream culture in the 16th century, due to a renaissance in literature and poetry. It continued to gain popularity well into the 17th century, and gained wider use after a period of nationalism in the 19th century. In 1849, it was adopted as Korea's national writing system, and saw its first use in official government documents. After

5184-546: The introduction of the 10,000- won bill, when his portrait and Geunjeongjeon replaced Seokguram and Bulguksa as features of the bill, in 1973. In North Korea, Sejong is not as widely commemorated compared to the South. Vol. 16 of the Great Korean Encyclopedia asserts that " feudalist pressure and extortion" was strengthened during Sejong's reign, and that all of Sejong's policies were directed for

5280-408: The issue between Japanese and Korean, including Alexander Vovin, have argued that the indicated similarities are not due to any genetic relationship , but rather to a sprachbund effect and heavy borrowing, especially from Ancient Korean into Western Old Japanese . A good example might be Middle Korean sàm and Japanese asá , meaning " hemp ". This word seems to be a cognate, but although it

5376-587: The language is most often called Joseon-mal , or more formally, Joseon-o . This is taken from the North Korean name for Korea (Joseon), a name retained from the Joseon dynasty until the proclamation of the Korean Empire , which in turn was annexed by the Empire of Japan . In mainland China , following the establishment of diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1992, the term Cháoxiǎnyǔ or

5472-472: The language originates deeply influences the language, leading to a system of speech levels and honorifics indicative of the formality of any given situation. Modern Korean is written in the Korean script ( 한글 ; Hangeul in South Korea, 조선글 ; Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea), a system developed during the 15th century for that purpose, although it did not become the primary script until

5568-455: The late 1800s. In South Korea the Korean language is referred to by many names including hanguk-eo ("Korean language"), hanguk-mal ("Korean speech") and uri-mal ("our language"); " hanguk " is taken from the name of the Korean Empire ( 대한제국 ; 大韓帝國 ; Daehan Jeguk ). The " han " ( 韓 ) in Hanguk and Daehan Jeguk is derived from Samhan , in reference to

5664-423: The lower literary examination of gwageo in 1386 at the age of 12, though records of his government service only appear after Joseon's establishment in 1392. In 1411, during King Taejong 's reign, Shim On was appointed to govern the province of Hamgyong -do. Shim On steadily rose through the ranks and served as Minister of Industry, Civil Affairs and Agriculture . When the court began selecting candidates for

5760-471: The mention of a rain gauge, Yeongjo ordered a reproduction. Since there is a mark of the Qing dynasty ruler Qianlong (r. 1735–96), dated 1770, this Korean-designed rain gauge is sometimes misunderstood as having been imported from China. In 1434, Jang Yeong-sil, tasked by King Sejong, invented the gabinja ( 갑인자 ; 甲寅字 ), a new type of printing press . This printing press was said to be twice as fast as

5856-409: The minister not to mention the matter of stripping Queen Soheon's title. However, Shim-On's name became a taboo during the remainder of Taejong's presence. Even Sejong could not regain the dignity of the minister's name. However, when Sejong and Queen Soheon's son King Munjong rose to the throne, Shim-On was absolved of his crimes, and posthumously reinstated to the office of Chief State Councilor. He

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5952-477: The most common forms of currency. In 1423, under King Sejong's administration, the government attempted to introduce a national currency modeled after the Tang dynasty 's kaiyuan tongbao ( 開元通寶 ). The resulting Joseon tongbo ( 조선통보 ; 朝鮮通寶 ) was a bronze coin, backed by a silver standard, with 150 coins being equal to 600 grams of silver. However, production ceased in 1425 due to high manufacturing costs, as

6048-531: The newly adopted intensive and continuous cultivation methods. One of Sejong's close associates was inventor Jang Yeong-sil . Jang, who was originally a government-owned nobi from Dongnae , was appointed as a court technician by Sejong in 1423. Upon giving Jang a government position and funding for his inventions, officials protested, believing a person from the lower classes should not rise to power among nobles. Sejong instead believed he merited support because of his ability. In 1442, Jang Yeong-sil made one of

6144-500: The officials objected and insisted that Taejong select a wise person as heir apparent. King Taejong asked the officials to propose an alternative. According to the Veritable Records , they gave an indirect response: "The father knows his sons best, as the king knows his subjects best." Taejong judged his second son, Grand Prince Hyoryeong , to have a disposition too soft for the role. He then proposed Chungnyeong, whom he felt

6240-499: The political stability enjoyed in the past decades disintegrated when Danjong became the sixth king of Joseon at the age of twelve. Eventually, Sejong's second son, Grand Prince Suyang (later known as King Sejo ), usurped the throne in 1455. When six court officials were implicated in a plot to restore his nephew, Sejo abolished the Hall of Worthies and executed Danjong along with several ministers who served during Sejong's reign. Sejong

6336-411: The population was illiterate. In the 15th century King Sejong the Great personally developed an alphabetic featural writing system , known today as Hangul , to promote literacy among the common people. Introduced in the document Hunminjeongeum , it was called eonmun ('colloquial script') and quickly spread nationwide to increase literacy in Korea. The Korean alphabet was denounced by

6432-419: The previous model and was composed of copper-zinc and lead-tin alloys. Sejong also wanted to reform the Korean calendar system, which was at the time based upon the longitude of the Chinese capital. He had his astronomers create a calendar with the Joseon capital of Hanseong as the primary meridian. This new system allowed Joseon astronomers to accurately predict the timing of solar and lunar eclipses . In

6528-577: The printing of one thousand copies of a "farmer's handbook". The following year, he published the Nongsa Jikseol ( 농사직설 ; 農事直說 ; lit.  'Straight Talk on Farming'), a compilation of various farming methods accommodative to Korea's climate and soil conditions. The book dealt with planting, harvesting, and soil treatment, and contained information about the different farming techniques that scientists gathered from different regions of Korea. These techniques were essential for maintaining

6624-488: The project—despite fierce opposition from his courtiers—and condemned the hypocrisy of those who privately worship the Buddha yet publicly rebuke others for doing so. 上謂承政院曰 孟子言 '墨子以薄爲道, 而葬其親厚'。大抵臣子之道, 宜以直事上, 不可容其詐。 然世人在家, 奉佛事神, 靡所不至, 及對人, 反以神佛爲非, 予甚惡之。 The King spoke to the Seungjeongwon , Mencius once said, ' Mozi regards austerity as a virtue and yet made a lavish burial for his parents.' Generally speaking,

6720-464: The proposed reform. Joseon's economy depended on the agricultural output of the farmers, so Sejong allowed them to pay more or less tax according to the fluctuations of economic prosperity and hard times. Because of this, farmers could worry less about tax quotas and instead work at maintaining and selling their crops. It is said that once, when the palace had a significant surplus of food, the king distributed it to poor peasants who needed it. Otherwise

6816-661: The realm of traditional Korean medicine , two important treatises were written during his reign. These were the Hyangyak Jipseongbang ( 향약집성방 ; 鄕藥集成方 ) and the Euibang Yuchwi ( 의방유취 ; 醫方類聚 ), which historian Kim Yong-sik says represents "the Koreans' efforts to develop their own system of medical knowledge, distinct from that of China". In 1426, Sejong enacted a law that granted government serfs ( 노비 ; 奴婢 ; nobi ) women 100 days of maternity leave after childbirth, which, in 1430,

6912-400: The role due to his erratic and irresponsible behavior. In a series of escalating events involving Yangnyeong's affair with Eori, a concubine of Kwak Sŏn, Yangnyeong was ultimately deposed as crown prince. In mid-1418, court officials petitioned Taejong to consider a new candidate for the throne. Following primogeniture, Taejong initially considered Yangnyeong's eldest son for the role. However,

7008-544: The safety of his kingdom. During his reign great technological advancements were made in the manufacture of gunpowder and firearms . Hand cannons, known as Wangu ( 완구 ; 碗口 ), first built in 1407 and 1418, were improved upon, and the Sohwapo ( 소화포 ; 小火砲 ), Cheonjetanhwan ( 철제탄환 ), Hwapojeon ( 화포전 ; 火砲箭 ) and the Hwacho ( 화초 ; 火초 ) were invented during his reign. None of these had yet reached

7104-501: The same mound as his wife, Queen Soheon , who died four years earlier. The tomb is located in Yeoju , South Korea. His successor was his first son, Yi Hyang (posthumously King Munjong ). Sejong was concerned that sickly Munjong would die early and leave his vulnerable young son to reign, so he asked scholars from the Hall of Worthies to look after his young grandson, Danjong . As predicted, Munjong died two years after his ascension, and

7200-472: The seven schools of Buddhism down to two, Seon and Gyo , drastically decreasing the power and wealth of the religious leaders. One of the key factors in this suppression was Sejong's reform of the land system. This policy resulted in temple lands being seized and redistributed for development and monks losing large amounts of economic influence. Furthermore, he performed government ceremonies according to Confucianism and encouraged people to behave according to

7296-669: The short form Cháoyǔ has normally been used to refer to the standard language of North Korea and Yanbian , whereas Hánguóyǔ or the short form Hányǔ is used to refer to the standard language of South Korea. Korean is a member of the Koreanic family along with the Jeju language . Some linguists have included it in the Altaic family, but the core Altaic proposal itself has lost most of its prior support. The Khitan language has several vocabulary items similar to Korean that are not found in other Mongolian or Tungusic languages, suggesting

7392-641: The state maintained a permanent grain dole, that existed since the days of Unified Silla. Sejong composed the famous Yongbieocheonga ("Songs of Flying Dragons"; 1445), Seokbo Sangjeol ("Episodes from the Life of Buddha"; July 1447), Worin Cheongang Jigok ("Songs of the Moon Shining on a Thousand Rivers"; July 1447), and Dongguk Jeongun ("Dictionary of Proper Sino-Korean Pronunciation"; September 1447). One of Sejong's closest friends and mentors

7488-518: The store?' Response 예/네. ye/ne AFF Shim On Shim On was born into the Cheongsong Shim clan (靑松 沈氏) in the late Goryeo period. His father, Shim Tŏk-bu, participated in the Wihwado retreat alongside General Yi Sŏng-gye and later became a merit subject ( 개국공신 ; 開國功臣 ; lit.  founding contributor) of the newly founded Joseon dynasty . Shim On passed

7584-459: The teachings of Confucius . At the same time, Sejong sought to alleviate religious tensions between Confucianism and Buddhism. The Seokbosangjeol ( 석보상절 ; 釋譜詳節 ), a 24-volume Korean-language biography of Buddha translated from Chinese Buddhist texts, was commissioned and published in Sejong's reign by Grand Prince Suyang , in mourning for Queen Soheon, a devout Buddhist. Sejong advocated

7680-441: The tense fricative and all the affricates as well. At the end of a syllable, /s/ changes to /t/ (example: beoseot ( 버섯 ) 'mushroom'). /h/ may become a bilabial [ɸ] before [o] or [u] , a palatal [ç] before [j] or [i] , a velar [x] before [ɯ] , a voiced [ɦ] between voiced sounds, and a [h] elsewhere. /p, t, t͡ɕ, k/ become voiced [b, d, d͡ʑ, ɡ] between voiced sounds. /m, n/ frequently denasalize at

7776-433: The thrall of the queen's clan, Taejong had Sejong's father-in-law, Shim On , executed on charges of treason. Other members of the queen's family were exiled or made commoners, which left Queen Soheon politically isolated and unable to protest. Despite inheriting significantly strengthened royal authority, Sejong did not suppress the press and promoted meritocracy through gwageo , the national civil service exam. During

7872-464: The underlying, partly historical morphology . Given this, it is sometimes hard to tell which actual phonemes are present in a certain word. The traditional prohibition of word-initial /ɾ/ became a morphological rule called "initial law" ( 두음법칙 ) in the pronunciation standards of South Korea, which pertains to Sino-Korean vocabulary. Such words retain their word-initial /ɾ/ in the pronunciation standards of North Korea. For example, ^NOTE ㅏ

7968-587: The world's first standardized rain gauges named cheugugi ( 측우기 ; 測雨器 ). This model has not survived, with the oldest existing Korean rain gauge being made in 1770, during the reign of King Yeongjo . According to the Daily Records of the Royal Secretariat ( 승정원일기 ; 承政院日記 ; Seungjeongwon Ilgi ), Yeongjo wanted to revive the glorious times of Sejong the Great, and started reading chronicles from that era. When he came across

8064-465: Was a child. Sejong also started having musculoskeletal pain at the age of 22. One day he was supposed to organize a farewell party for the emissaries to the Ming dynasty but was in too much pain to do so. Sejong said: "My waist and back are stiff and immobile, so it is hard to bend or straighten." There is speculation that he had diabetes, but there is inadequate evidence for a modern medical diagnosis. There

8160-433: Was also made a lord, and is also known as Lord of Anhyo ( 안효공 ; 安孝公 ). The Shim family continued to prosper, with Shim-On's second son Shim Hwe becoming Chief State Councilor during King Sejo 's reign. 700 years after the incident, the Shim and Park families have still not reconciled about the incident, with the Shim family blaming Park Eun for the framing about treason. However, historians generally agree that Park

8256-464: Was born Yi To ( 이도 ; 李祹 ) on 15 May 1397, in Junsubang, Hanseong ( Seoul ), Joseon to Yi Pang-wŏn and a lady of the influential Yeoheung Min clan (later Queen Wongyeong ). While records of Yi's childhood are scarce, it is known that Yi was born outside Gyeongbokgung when his father, Yi Pang-wŏn , was not yet heir to the throne. In 1408, Yi's father arranged his marriage to Lady Sim of

8352-498: Was commonly used for areas like casual writing, prose and bookkeeping, especially by the urban middle class like administrators and bureaucrats. It notably gained popularity among women and fiction writers, with former usually often not having been able to get access to hanja education. In 1504, the study and publication of hangul was banned by Yeonsangun . Its spread and preservation can be largely attributed to three main factors: books published for women, its use by Buddhist monks, and

8448-404: Was completed in 1443 and published in 1446 along with a 33-page manual titled Hunminjeongeum , explaining what the letters are as well as the philosophical theories and motives behind them. King Sejong faced backlash from the noble class as many disapproved of the idea of a common writing system, with some openly opposing its creation. Many within the nobility believed that giving the peasants

8544-487: Was first introduced to Korea in the 1st century BC, and remained the medium of formal writing and government until the late 19th century. Korean scholars adapted Chinese characters (known in Korean as Hanja ) to write their own language, creating scripts known as idu , hyangchal , gugyeol , and gakpil. These systems were cumbersome, due to the fundamental disparities between the Korean and Chinese languages, and accessible only to those educated in classical Chinese. Most of

8640-596: Was intelligent and sharp in matters of politics. The officials welcomed the decision and confirmed that Chungnyeong had been their preferred choice. On 8 July 1418, Chungnyeong was made crown prince of Joseon. On 9 September 1418, Chungnyeong ascended the throne as King Sejong, following Taejong's abdication. However, Taejong retained military power and continued to make major political decisions as king emeritus ( 상왕 ; 上王 ) until his death. Sejong did not challenge Taejong's authority and deferred to his father during this period. Perpetually wary of royal authority falling into

8736-442: Was lengthened by one month before childbirth. In 1434, he also granted the husbands 30 days of paternity leave. In order to provide equality and fairness in taxation for the common people, Sejong issued a royal decree to administer a nationwide public opinion poll regarding a new tax system called Gongbeop in 1430. Over the course of five months, the poll surveyed 172,806 people, of which approximately 57% responded with approval for

8832-595: Was merely a tool in Taejong's master plan of royal totalitarianism. As Taejong was a conservative king, he did not want a queen's family gaining power and influence over the Joseon Dynasty. As his mindset was educated in the Goryeo Dynasty, he had come to believe in the danger of handing over power to another, non-royal family. With Sim On's political power and social influence that stem from his family's influence, along with his family's revered lineage (The Sim family

8928-483: Was pardoned due to his status as a merit subject of the kingdom's founding and was sent back to his hometown. The Ministry of Military Affairs was subsequently instructed to report all military matters to Taejong before anyone else. Although the Censorate wanted Park Seup and Kang Sang-in to face severe punishment, the case seemed to end with Kang Sang-in being demoted. However, about two months later, Taejong reopened

9024-569: Was the 15th century musician Bak Yeon . Together they composed over two hundred musical arrangements. Sejong's independent musical compositions include the Chongdaeop ('Great Achievements'), Potaepyeong ('Preservation of Peace'), Pongnaeui ('Phoenix'), and Yominrak ('A Joy to Share with the People'). Yominrak continues to be a standard piece played by modern traditional Korean orchestras, while Chongdaeop and Potaepyeong are played during

9120-558: Was the third son of King Taejong and Queen Wongyeong . In 1418, Sejong replaced his eldest brother, Yi Je , as crown prince ; a few months later, Taejong voluntarily abdicated the throne in Sejong's favor. In the early years of Sejong's reign, King Emeritus Taejong retained vast powers, most notably absolute executive and military power, and continued to govern until his death in 1422. Sejong reinforced Korean Confucian and Neo-Confucian policies, and enacted major legal amendments ( 공법 ; 貢法 ). He personally created and promulgated

9216-564: Was to remove the nuisance of Japanese pirates who had been operating from to the island. During the invasion, 245 Japanese were executed or killed and another 110 were captured, while 180 Korean soldiers died. Around 150 kidnapped victims (146 Chinese and 8 Koreans) were also freed. A truce was made in July 1419 and the Joseon army returned to the Korean Peninsula, but no official documents were signed until 1443. In this agreement, known as

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