I have taught Korean to English speakers and I'd like to share my study materials with you.
Before we begin my Korean class today, I'd like to introduce the creator of Korean alphabets.
The Korean alphabet has been noticed as one of the most easiest alphabets to learn in the world.
Unlike many other alphabets which have been created and revised by many people, the Korean alphabet was officially created by the King and his scholars.
He was the fourth king of the Joseon-Dynasty. The Joseon-Dynasty was the last dynasty in Korea before the Japanese occupation of Korea.
In his time, there was no official Korean written language system. People used ancient Chinese characters but they were not very suitable for the Korean spoken language.
Also, ancient Chinese characters are very difficult to read and write so only high-level scholars and government scholars could use them. The literacy rate in Korea was very low.
Unlike many other kings who only cared about members of the aristocracy, Sejong The Great cherished the common people. Sejong reinforced Confucian ideas, realizing the importance of the education. He was surprised by the fact that most people in his country even cannot read and write simple sentences.
He started working on creating simple alphabets which can be compatible with the Korean spoken language.
Finally, he and his scholars announced the Hunminjeongeum document (훈민정음 in Korean).
The main text of the Hunminjeongeum has been designated as a UNESCO Memory of the World Register since October 1997.
The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize was established in 1989, with the support of the Government of the Republic of Korea.
Unfortunately, Hangul (한글 in Korean), his new writing system, was not popular with the Korean people at first. Most members of the aristocracy were against it, thinking the new system might make the common people overly educated. They also worried about the social status of high-level scholars can be unstable. Unlike the king's expectation, Hangul was only used by women or some common people during the Joseon-Dynasty. However, thanks to many Korean linguists, Hangul became the main written language system in Korea after the Japanese occupation. Therefore, Korea's literacy rate is higher than global average.
His statue has been placed in Gwanghawmun square (광화문 광장 in Korean).
He has been respected by Korean people for a long time and is the most popular king in Korean history.
1.Based on his popularity, the popular videogame "Civilization 5" featured him as a Korea's representative.
2.He was a huge fan of meat. He did not have a meal without meat dishes. An old story says, he made his servants kill his horse to eat it while traveling! Unsurprisingly, he died due to diabetes.
Thanks for reading. :)
In my next lesson, we'll learn how the Korean Alphabet (Hangul) works !