(109) King Sejong the Great, Hangeul's invention

By Janet Shin

Koreans celebrate Hangeul Day every Oct. 9.

It was during the reign of King Sejong, the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) that Hangeul was created.

King Sejong is one of only two Korean rulers honored with the appellation “the Great,” and one of the most respected figures in Korean history along with General Yi, who led naval victories against the Japanese invasion. Sejong is credited not only with the creation of Hangeul but with technological advances during his reign. He supported technicians, such as Jang Yeong-sil, a prominent inventor who created water clocks, armillary spheres, sundials and the world’s first rain gauge. He also encouraged scholars to write books about farming for better planting, harvesting and soil treatment.

Sejong loved reading and studying from when he was young. Due to this nature, he supported literature and let high class officials study at the court. Even though those scholars were devoted to the writings of many books and the creation of Hangeul, Sejong himself was a major force for the national alphabet’s invention.

The technical and academic achievements during his reign were motivated by his love of the people. Hangeul is the greatest symbolic gesture of his compassion. Hangeul is a phonetic 28-letter system created with the aim that people from all classes would read and write. Owing to this, it was able to establish a cultural identity for Koreans.

Other than in written history, it is told that there was once an incident regarding the king’s saju. All royalty during the Joseon Dynasty were concerned about their saju, and whether they or not were born to be a king. During Sejong’s ascension to the throne, his curiosity got the better of him and ordered the saju of another man with his exact birth to be read. When he found that the man was an impoverished farmer, the King Sejong understood that it is not only one’s birth that determines destiny, but environment as well.

Although people study saju to learn their destiny, they must always consider the other factors in life. There was another incident regarding Sejong’s ascension to the throne. Different from precedent, Sejong was the third son, as opposed to the eldest. Rather than fighting over the crown, the eldest son (Yangnyeong) and the second son (Hyoryeong) trusted that Sejong would become an able king. They thus yielded the throne to their youngest brother, stepping aside to become a wandering traveler and monk, respectively.

Rulers in history are often deified by later generations and their ascension to the throne is largely justified by contemporary historians. As such, the episodes of Sejong’s crowning are at times disregarded as mere glorifications. Yet his achievements during his reign _ academically, politically and technologically ― are undeniable. Hangeul itself can be appraised as the greatest historical and cultural achievement in all of Korean history.

Now, we will look into King Sejong’s saju to see how his life was written.

Sejong was born with the energy of yang water, which is usually noted as a wise element. Born in the month of fire energy, the water day master must have been welcomed everywhere in life, and there were plenty of opportunities for him to demonstrate his competence.

There are also many career stars (earth – yellow) in his branches. (Note: The fire month and earth year branches combine to make the metal knowledge star).

We can see the presence of all colors ― the five elements are in his saju, except for metal (white). With the combination of the month and year branch to become metal energy (knowledge star), this is a crucial phenomenon that makes Sejong a knowledgeable person since his youth. It is even better in part because the supplemented missing energy of metal drains the powerful strength of earth (career star). It implies that he was wise enough to balance his power in order to care for his people.

Apart from history_ King Sejong’s contribution to the creation of Hangeul ― it is more meaningful how his power was harmonized and not overdriven by greed. This has great implications for us now.

Info : Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teachings of the “Four Pillars of Destiny”? A special saju workshop is held Saturdays in Itaewon. For more information, contact Janet at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin@hotmail.com.

The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea, and the author of “Learning Four Pillars” For more, visit www.fourpillarskorea.com