Sejong, King
(1397–1450), Choson dynasty ruler. King Sejong was the fourth king of the Choson dynasty (1392–1910) of Korea. He is remembered for his contributions to Korean culture, such as establishing the Hall of Worthies (Chiphyonjon), a group of scholars in the king's employment. King Sejong assigned these scholars the task of inventing a native writing system to replace literary Chinese as the official writing system and may have personally participated in this effort. This new script was promulgated in 1446 as Hunmin chongum (Proper Sounds to Instruct the People) and developed into the modern Korean alphabet/syllabary known as hangul. King Sejong had hoped to enable the masses to become literate and toward that end also commissioned many classics and Buddhist texts to be translated into the native script. But because literati shunned the new writing system, it was used mostly by upper-class women and commoners of both sexes.
King Sejong's other cultural accomplishments included the commissioning of numerous histories such as Koryo sa (History of Koryo), annals, geographies, and manuals. He was also a patron of the arts and sciences, promoting advances in agriculture, astronomy, meteorology, medicine, movable type, and military technology. King Sejong also reformed government and defended Choson against Japanese pirate raids. Because of these varied accomplishments, he is considered one of Korea's most important kings.
Further Reading
Saccone, Richard. (1993) Koreans to Remember: 50 Famous People Who Helped Shape Korea. Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym.
Eckert, Carter J., Ki-baik Lee, Young Ick Lew, Michael Robinson, and Edward W. Wagner. (1990) Korea Old and New: A History. Seoul: Ilchogak.
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