King Seonjo's 1593 letter: first official document to use Hangeul only

The original copy of King Seonjo's letter/ Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration

In 1593, Joseon's King Seonjo wrote a letter from Euiju, North Pyeongan Province, where he had taken refuge during Japan's invasion of the Korean Peninsula.

In his letter, Seonjo urged people to join the fight against Japan by offering government positions to those who would provide military intelligence regardless of their social stature ― an unconventional move.

However, what got scholars interested in the letter was not the content but the language ― "Hangeul," the Korean alphabet invented by King Sejong.

"It is the first public document solely written in Hangeul (without Chinese characters)," Lee Ha-young, a researcher at the Gimhae Hangeul Museum where the original document is currently on display, said of its significance. "It is believed the king deliberately chose Hangeul to ensure commoners could understand the message and to prevent the Japanese from understanding it."

The exhibition is underway in celebration of Hangeul Day on Oct. 9 and will last until Sunday.

Hangeul was invented by King Sejong in 1443 and proclaimed in 1446. Despite its excellence as a phonetic alphabet and the king's efforts to promote it, Hangeul faced resistance from aristocrats at that time. It was treated as a second-class alphabet and aristocrats boycotted it for the rest of Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

The impact of the boycott can be found in royal archives and Joseon's other official documents which have no Hangeul. However, the fact that King Seonjo used Hangeul can show some other aspects of Joseon's upper class.

"It is true that Hangeul was boycotted. Kings did not use Hangeul for official documents due to opposition from aristocrats, but they learned and used it unofficially. Even Yeonsangun learned Hangeul and used it. Kings would have not boycotted Hangeul which was invented by their ancestors," Lee said. Yeonsangun, the 10th ruler of the kingdom, is also known for a Hangeul ban after discovering a complaint about him written in Hangeul in 1504.

Scholars say the boycott was quite a big movement among aristocrats and prominent intellectuals such as Jeong Yak-yong and Park Ji-won, two great thinkers of that time.

Initially named "Jeongeum," Hangeul was later given its current name by the linguist Ju Si-gyeong. King Sejong made arduous efforts to promote it. He published the alphabet guidebook, "Haerye," and asked scholars to translate existing Chinese books into Hangeul.

Unlike aristocrats, ordinary people liked to use Hangeul. Hangeul is frequently featured in story books, agriculture books and Buddhism-related books.

Toward the end of the Joseon era and during modernization, Hangeul found itself in a new standing in society. King Gojong acknowledged Hangeul as the national alphabet in its Gabo Revolution declaration in 1894. In 1896, Hangeul was used in Korea's first newspaper "Tognip Sinmun." In 1907, the first Korean language research center was founded, with scholars publishing grammar books and dictionaries.

The Japanese oppression fueled the popularity of Hangeul despite the ban. Many people secretly flocked to learn the alphabet. Nowadays, with the popularity of Korean culture, the number of people around the world learning Hangeul is growing.