Editing Hunminjeongeum (section)

==History==
Before Hangul, the Korean alphabet, was created, Chinese characters were used to transcribe Korean words through systems such as [[Idu script|''idu'']], ''[[hyangchal]]'' and ''[[gugyeol]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.korean.go.kr/eng_hangeul/setting/001.html|title=알고 싶은 한글|website=[[National Institute of Korean Language]]|access-date=2020-04-28}}</ref> Since Chinese language and Korean language share few similarities, borrowing Chinese characters proved to be inefficient to reflect the spoken language.<ref name=":0" /> In addition, at the time when [[Sejong the Great]] was inventing Hangul the Ming dynasty had just come to power in China, which changed the pronunciation of Chinese characters, making it harder for Koreans to learn the new standard pronunciation to record their words.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Lee|first=Sang Gyu|title=The World's Preeminent Writing System: Hangeul|url=https://issuu.com/the_korea_foundation/docs/2007_03_e_b_a|journal=Koreana |volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=8–15 |date=Autumn 2007}}</ref> The illiteracy level also stayed high since reading and learning Chinese characters was restricted among the ordinary people. They were generally used in official documents by the ruling class.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1075/wll.00027.pae|title=More than an alphabet|year=2019|last1=Pae|first1=Hye K.|last2=Bae|first2=Sungbong|last3=Yi|first3=Kwangoh|journal=Written Language & Literacy|volume=22|issue=2|pages=223–246|s2cid=216548163}}</ref> The ruling class took advantage of this and learning the Chinese characters became a symbol of power and privilege.<ref name=":0" /> In order to make written language more accessible for common people, Sejong the Great started creating Hangul secretly, since the ruling class would be appalled by the news.<ref name=":0" />

[[Hangul]] was personally created by Sejong the Great, the fourth king of the Joseon dynasty, and revealed by him in 1443.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kim-Renaud|first1=Young-Key|title=The Korean Alphabet: Its History and Structure|date=1997|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=9780824817237|page=15|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nonRl2cerIgC&pg=PA15|access-date=16 May 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=알고 싶은 한글|url=http://www.korean.go.kr/hangeul/setting/002.html|website=[[National Institute of Korean Language]]|access-date=4 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="CHA">{{cite web |title=Hunminjeongeum Manuscript |url=http://english.cha.go.kr/cop/bbs/selectBoardArticle.do?ctgryLrcls=CTGRY168&nttId=57977&bbsId=BBSMSTR_1205&mn=EN_03_03 |website=[[Cultural Heritage Administration]] |publisher=[[Cultural Heritage Administration]] |access-date=28 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="Koreana">{{cite web|last1=Paik|first1=Syeung-gil|title=Preserving Korea's Documents: UNESCO's 'Memory of the World Register'|url=http://koreana.kf.or.kr/view.asp?article_id=664&lang=English|website=[[Koreana (magazine)|Koreana]]|publisher=The Korea Foundation |date=Winter 1997 |access-date=February 28, 2019|archive-date=August 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809092445/http://koreana.kf.or.kr/view.asp?article_id=664&lang=English|url-status=dead}}</ref> Although it is widely assumed that Sejong the Great ordered the Hall of Worthies to invent Hangul, contemporary records such as the ''[[Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty|Veritable Records of King Sejong]]'' and [[Chŏng Inji]]'s preface to the ''[[Hunminjeongeum Haerye]]'' emphasize that he invented it himself.<ref name=":0" /> This is stated in Book 113 of The Annals of King Sejong (Sejongsillok) on the 9th month and the 28th year of reign of King Sejong and at the end of ''An Illustrated Explanation of Hunminjeongeum'' ({{transliteration|ko|rr|Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon}}; ''Hunminjeongeum Haerye'').<ref name=":1" /> Afterward, King Sejong wrote the preface to the ''Hunminjeongeum'', explaining the origin and purpose of Hangul and providing brief examples and explanations, and then tasked the Hall of Worthies to write detailed examples and explanations.<ref name="CHA" /> The head of the Hall of Worthies, [[Chŏng Inji]], was responsible for compiling the ''Hunminjeongeum''.<ref name="Koreana" /> The ''Hunminjeongeum'' was published and promulgated to the public in 1446.<ref name="CHA" /> The writing system is referred to as Hangul today but was originally named as ''Hunminjeongeum'' by King Sejong. "Hunmin" and "Jeongeum" are respective words that each indicate "to teach the people" and "proper sounds."<ref name=":1" /> Together ''Hunminjeongeum'' means "correct sounds for the instruction of the people."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lee|first= Ji-young|title=Hangeul|url=https://intl.ikorea.ac.kr:40666/korean/UserFiles/UKS1_Hangeul_eng.pdf|journal=The Understanding Korea Series |publisher=[[Academy of Korean Studies]] Press |date=December 2013 |url-status=unfit |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210309030136/https://intl.ikorea.ac.kr:40666/korean/UserFiles/UKS1_Hangeul_eng.pdf |archive-date= March 9, 2021 }}</ref>