Our question this time was who invented the Korean alphabet? The answer is Sejong. “Sejong (1397-1450) was a Korean king and inventor of the Korean alphabet. His long reign, 1418-1450, is generally acknowledged to have been the most brilliant period of the Yi dynasty.” To quote from the source about his alphabetical work:
“Sejong's greatest achievement was the alphabet. It was first announced late in 1443 and formally proclaimed in 1446. Sejong was not merely the patron of this alphabet but its actual theoretician and inventor. It reflects in its structure and graphic symbolism a very sophisticated understanding of linguistics. Although the script was coolly received by his officials and did not for many years completely replace the classical Chinese in which they wrote, it was a long-run success and is today the writing system of all Koreans.”
All in all a fascinating and obviously highly intelligent man. Find out all about his life with the help of Gale in Context: Biography. This database covers the world's most influential people, merging reference content with periodicals and multimedia, allowing users to search for people based on name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, gender, keyword and full text. A search on “Korean alphabet” lands you directly on the article in question. Find the database listed alphabetically under G on LAPL’s Research & Homework page and access it with your library card
Image is of the Statue of Sejong in the Toksugung Palace in Seoul. Taken from World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras (a different database you can access with your library card)
