Hangeul 한글, the official alphabet of South Korea, is far more than a writing system. When King Sejong the Great created it in 1443, he sparked a cultural and social revolution. A visionary at heart, King Sejong wanted every person—no matter their status—to be able to read and write the Korean language. His dream was to give everyone a voice and access to knowledge, especially those who had previously been left behind.

Before hangeul came along, Koreans used Chinese characters called hanja to write their language. Although these symbols could express complex ideas, they took years of dedicated study to master—something only the elite could afford. Meanwhile, most people, like farmers and common folk, had neither the time nor the resources to learn. These barriers kept them from reading, writing, and fully participating in public life.

Faced with this unfairness, King Sejong took action. He brought together a group of scholars from the Jiphyeonjeon (“Hall of Worthies”) and tasked them with devising an entirely new alphabet—one that would be logical, easy to grasp, and specifically tailored to Korean. After years of painstaking work, their creation, hangeul, was born.

What makes hangeul so special is its clear, scientific design. It has 14 consonants and 10 vowels, and each letter’s shape is based on the position of the mouth, tongue, or throat when pronouncing the sound. Take the consonant “ㄱ,” for example—it was crafted to mirror the tongue touching the back of the palate to form the “g” sound. This clever approach not only makes the alphabet straightforward to learn but also supports an intuitive grasp of pronunciation.

Yet hangeul isn’t just a practical tool; it’s deeply rooted in humanistic values. King Sejong’s core aim was to bring down the walls separating the literate from the illiterate so that every person, from commoners to royalty, could share their thoughts in writing. Because of this visionary project, literacy rates in Korea soared, and hangeul became central to the nation’s cultural pride and intellectual advancement.

Every year on October 9th, South Korea celebrates “Hangeul Day” (한글날) to honor this remarkable gift that transformed Korean history. Hangeul isn’t just an alphabet; it’s a powerful symbol of innovation, equality, and the compassion of a leader who believed in empowering his people. And King Sejong’s spirit lives on—captured in every stroke of these letters and in the resilient, creative culture they continue to shape.