There are many great influencers in South Korea. Many people probably think of Park Ji-sung, Kim Yuna and other professional athletes. Sejong the Great is also an influential figure in South Korea. He was born in 1397 and died at the age of 53 in 1450. He was the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty in South Korea. Sejong the Great was noted for inventing Hunminjeongeum, contributing to the development of astronomy, and inventing the rain gauge.

First, Sejong the Great invented Hunminjeongeum. Before he invented this, he considered that the people felt incompetent because they could speak but did not know how to write. Also, the reason why he created this was to ease the inconvenience of the people and to establish the independence and self-reliance of the Korean language. In December 1443, he created Hangul with his own phonetic alphabet. Later, in 1446, it was published in “Hunminjeongeum”. It consists of consonants and vowels, a collection of 11 characters.

Also, Sejong the Great contributed to the development of astronomy. Seowungwan was the main place where he used to study astronomy. He already has been set up to observe things at the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty. However, it was not used. So, he branched out this place into the construction of a large-scale astronomical statue.

▲ A rain(fall) gauge invented by Sejong the Great.

Sejong the Great also created a rain gauge. It was used to measure rainfall in the Joseon Dynasty. It was the world’s first meteorological observation service. Also, it was used for flood prevention and also used in agriculture. The relic was moved to Gwangmyeongmun Gate of Deoksugung Palace, which was currently under storage in 1938 and was designated as National Treasure No. 229, which reaches today. The artifact is on the drawing of the 10,000 won bills we are currently using and is our scientific heritage and a valuable relic with few remaining items worldwide.

While some of these inventions may not be necessary as technology has developed now, in the Joseon period, each invention was valuable and necessary for people. Also, the Korean alphabet Sejong the Great created was used not only in the Joseon period but is still used today.

In conclusion, Sejong the Great is the greatest influencer in South Korea by inventing Hunminjeongeum contributing to the development of astronomy and inventing the rain gauge. There is a quote that he said, “In order to achieve good politics, we must look at the well-governed world of the past and the history of the troubled world.” Like this quote, we are precious of having Hangul that has been passed until today.

By Sunkyung Lim