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Sa Min Pil Ji - Korea's first Hangeul textbook
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Kimball A. Hulbert, right, receives the Geumgwan medal from Prime Minister Chung Hong-won on behalf of his great-grandfather, during a ceremony in Seoul to mark Hangeul Day, Thursday. / Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
Dr. Homer B. Hulbert’s 1891 ‘Sa Min Pil Ji’ Courtesy of the Hulbert Memorial Society
By Do Je-hae
Dr. Homer B. Hulbert (1863-1949)’s Geumgwan Medal, Korea’s highest cultural award, on Hangeul Day renewed attention to one of the late American missionary’s key legacies — the nation’s first textbook in Hangeul or Korean alphabet.
Many remember Hulbert as a journalist and political activist who protested Japan’s actions to annex Korea in early years of 20th century. The Vermont native was in fact one of the pioneers in spreading Hangeul when most of Korea was still using Chinese letters for writing.
His 1891 ‘Sa Min Pil Ji’ was a landmark publication, as it was the nation’s first textbook on world geography.
With Hulbert’s Geumgwan medal, which his great-grandson Kimball A. Hulbert received on his behalf in Seoul Thursday, Koreans are revisiting the significance of the Sa Min Pi ji more than a century after its publication.
“There has not been sufficient research about Dr. Hulbert here, so his contribution in Hangeul promotion, culture and the arts is not well known,” the Hulbert Memorial Society said in a statement. “The medal provides an occasion to spread the legacy of Dr. Hulbert, a pioneer in modernizing Korea’s culture.”
At a time when much of Korea was ignorant about global affairs, Sa Min Pil Jil helped people learn of the outside world and contributed toward Korea’s modernization. The book is also a crucial source of reference for researchers of early usage of Hangeul.
Sa Min Pil Ji means “knowledge necessary for all.” As the nation’s first standard textbook in Korean, it was used by all schools in Korea. It contains geography, astronomy and industries of various countries.The textbook was later translated into Chinese. In 1906, it was re-published as “Geographical Gazetteer of the World.”
Consisting of five chapters, it contains the geography of Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas as well as a guide to the solar system. The book has detailed information on the cultures, industries, education systems and religions of various countries.
At a time when many Koreans were not using Hangeul due to the age-old practice of writing with Chinese characters, Hulbert left a unique legacy for introducing Hangeul to the masses by conducting arduous studies on Hangeul and founding a Hangeul research center.
Hulbert firmly believed in the excellence of Hangeul. Besides publishing Korea’s first textbook, he also helped Seo Jae-pil in establishing the Dok Lip Shin Mun, Korea’s first Hangeul newspaper, in 1896.
Some of his key publications include the 1905 “History of Korea” and the 1905 “Comparative Grammar of Korean and Dravidian” and a history book of Joseon Kingdom in 1903.
Hulbert authored more than 200 thesis and contributions in support of Korea’ independence from Japan.