I am a huge fan of Hangeul, the Korean writing system. Often said to be the most logical writing system in the world, it is certainly the most unique, in the sense that it was invented under the supervision of one man: King Sejong the Great.
Dating back to the 1400s, when Korean elites were using Hanja (Chinese characters) to record and read information, King Sejong had the vision to have everyone being able to read and write, which was not the case for the lower classes at that time. It is said that King Sejong had to develop Hangeul in secret out of fear from massive betrayal from the elites, who were opposed to the idea of mere peasants being able to read and write. Many myths have evolved around that era and some hold a part of the truth. Therefore, it is no wonder that in nowadays’s Korea, King Sejong is a national hero. On one of the most central places in Seoul, the promenade that leads up to the most famous palace, there is a statue commemorating King Sejong and Hangeul, which he helped to create.
For all his revolutionary doings, King Sejong, the Great would not see his writing system flourish in his lifetime. However, centuries later, he is celebrated as the hero as he is and his writing system has revolutionized the Korean language. The system is so intuitive and easy to learn that even some tribes in Indonesia, who lacked their own writing system have adopted Hangeul. Not surprisingly, the superiority of Hangeul is celebrated with Hangeul Day, a national Holiday in South Korea, every year on October 9, the date when the original text which described what would later become Hangeul, was published more than 500 years ago.
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