[Moneyverse] Let Us Commemorate Sejong's Birthday

Published 14 May.2026 11:15(KST)

Updated 14 May.2026 14:50(KST)

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For Lee Bangwon, Joseon was a nation he established by eliminating the forces that sought to support Goryeo alongside his father Lee Seonggye. Thus, laying the foundations for the newly founded Joseon was of utmost importance. King Taejong, Lee Bangwon, appointed his third son, Grand Prince Chungnyeong, who was the most intelligent, as crown prince. Even after passing the throne to Grand Prince Chungnyeong, Taejong, as the retired king, sought to solidify his son’s royal authority. As part of this, Taejong executed Shim On, King Sejong’s father-in-law, in 1418.

There were calls to depose the queen, as she was the daughter of a traitor, but opinions in favor of Queen Soheon, who had a good relationship with King Sejong and conducted herself wisely, prevailed. Under the stern gaze of her father-in-law, the 23-year-old Queen Soheon endured the harsh period, suppressing the shock and grief of her father’s execution. In the heart of King Sejong, watching his wife, feelings of devastation and guilt were intertwined.

Queen Soheon passed away in 1446 at the age of 51. In his sorrow, King Sejong composed and compiled Korean-language verse extolling the virtues of the Buddha, publishing the book “Worin Cheongang Jigok.” Since Joseon was founded on Confucian ideology, his ministers strongly opposed this. Nevertheless, King Sejong published the book both to pray for his wife’s repose and to widely promote Hangul through familiar Buddhist stories for the people. The preface includes sentences such as, “I would ask the words of the Buddha; although they are words from thousands of years ago, please listen as if you are hearing them now,” which is interpreted as King Sejong’s words dedicated to Queen Soheon. The intention to publicize the usage of Hangul was expressed by printing Hangul in large type and, in the case of Sino-Korean words, printing the Chinese characters in smaller type.

The final consonants of some words in this book used consonants such as ㅊ and ㅌ, which were not allowed under the regulations of that time. For example, the word referring to ‘face’ was written as ‘nat’ (using ㅏ instead of the old vowel arae-a). The standard spelling at that time was ‘nat.’ The relevant rule stated, “Eight letters (ㄱ, ㅇ, ㄷ, ㄴ, ㅂ, ㅁ, ㅅ, ㄹ) are sufficient for final consonants.”

These final consonants were corrected after printing but before the book was bound. Someone added a stroke to the character for ‘nat,’ as if stamping a seal, correcting it to ‘nach.’ In the same way, ‘nad’ was corrected to ‘nat.’ This is a modern orthographic method for indicating the stem of a word.

During a publication process led by the king, who would dare violate orthographic rules and make such corrections? Linguist Ahn Byeonghee speculated, “It appears to have been due to King Sejong’s personal orthographic preferences.” As such, Sejong’s understanding of Hangul orthography was profound. Although his ministers established the rule that “eight consonants are sufficient for final sounds,” Sejong did not adhere to this regulation. The fact that Sejong devoted such care to the use of final consonants is evidence that he personally created Hunminjeongeum.

Worldwide interest in Korean culture continues to grow day by day, with the Korean language and Hangul at its core. Efforts to promote the language and Hangul globally should be centered around King Sejong. This approach is appropriate both in terms of meaning and effectiveness.

Curiously, there is a proliferation of misinformation and alternate versions about King Sejong and Hunminjeongeum even within Korea. These include the theory that scholars of the Hall of Worthies jointly created Hangul with King Sejong, the claim that opposition was fierce because the creation of an independent script would provoke Chinese repression, and the assertion that Hangul was invented to precisely transcribe Sino-Korean sounds.

As one way to properly honor King Sejong at home and abroad, I propose designating May 15 as “King Sejong’s Birthday.” This can be celebrated in tandem with the existing “Teachers’ Day.”