Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Wikipedia: [King] Sejong the Great


Early life

Sejong was born on May 6, 1397, the third son of King Taejong[4] When he was twelve, he became Grand Prince Chungnyeong' (충녕대군忠寧大君) and married a daughter of Shim On (심온沈溫) of Cheongsong (청송靑松), commonly known as Lady Shim (심씨沈氏), who later was given the titleQueen Soheon (소헌왕후昭憲王后).
Sejong's ascension to the throne was different from those of most other kings. The eldest son, Yangnyeong (양녕대군), viewing himself as lacking in the requisite skills for kingship, believed that Sejong was destined to become king. He believed it was his duty to place Sejong as king, so he acted extremely rudely in the court, and soon were banished from Seoul. This plot ultimately brought Sejong to the throne. The eldest prince became a wandering traveler and lived in the mountains. The second son traveled to a Buddhist temple, where he became a monk.
In August of 1418, following Taejong's abdication two months earlier, Sejong ascended the throne. However, Taejong still retained certain powers at court, particularly regarding military matters, until he died in 1422.

[edit]Strengthening of the Korean military

King Sejong was an effective military planner. In May of 1419, King Sejong, under the advice and guidance of his father Taejong, embarked upon the Gihae Eastern Expedition, the ultimate goal of this military expedition to remove the nuisance of Japanese pirates who had been operating out ofTsushima. During the expedition, 243 Japanese were killed, and another 110 were captured in combat, while 180 Korean soldiers were killed. 146 Chinese and 8 Korean kidnapped were liberated by this expedition. In September of 1419 the Daimyos of Tsushima and Sadamori capitulated to the Joseon court.
The Treaty of Gyehae was signed in 1443, in which the Daimyo of Tsushima recognized and obeyed the suzerainty of the King of Joseon; in return, the Joseon court rewarded the Sō clan preferential rights regarding trade between Japan and Korea.[5]
On the northern border, Sejong established four forts and six posts (hangul: 사군육진 hanja: 四郡六鎭) to safeguard his people from Manchurian nomads living in Manchuria. He also created various military regulations to strengthen the safety of his kingdom.[6] King Sejong supported the advancement of Korean military technology, and cannon development increased. Different kinds of mortars and fire arrows were tested as well using gunpowder.
In 1433, Sejong sent Kim Jong-seo (hangul: 김종서, hanja: 金宗瑞), a prominent general, north to destroy the Manchu. Kim's military campaign captured several castles, pushed north, and restored Korean territory, roughly the present-day border between North Korea and China.[7]

Science and technology

Sejong is credited with technological advances during his reign. He wanted to help farmers so he decided to create a farmer's handbook. The book—the Nongsa jikseol(hangul: 농사직설, hanja: 農事直說)—contained information about the different farming techniques that he told scientists to gather in different regions of Korea.[8] These techniques were needed in order to maintain the newly-adopted methods of intensive, continuous cultivation in Korean agriculture.[8]
During his rule, Jang Yeong-sil (hangul: 장영실, hanja: 蔣英實) became known as a prominent inventor. Jang was naturally a creative and smart thinker as a young person. However, Jang was at the bottom of the social class. Taejong, the father of Sejong, noticed Jang's skill and immediately called him to his court in Seoul. Upon giving Jang a government position and funding for his inventions, officials protested, believing a person from the lower classes should not rise to power among nobles. Sejong instead believed Jang merited support because of his ability. Jang created new significant designs for water clocksarmillary spheres, and sundials.[9] However, his most impressive invention came in 1442, the world's first rain gauge (source?); this model has not survived, since the oldest existent East Asian rain gauge is one made in 1770, during the reign period of King Yeongjo. According to the Daily Records of the Royal Secretariat (hangul: 승정원일기, hanja:承政院日記) King Yeongjo wanted to revive the glorious times of King Sejong the Great, and so read chronicles of Sejong's era. When he came across mention of a rain gauge, King Yeongjo ordered a reproduction. Since there is a mark of the Qing Dynasty ruler Qianlong (r. 1735–1796) of China, dated 1770,[10] this Korean-designed rain gauge is sometimes misunderstood as having been imported from China.

Korean celestial globe first made by the scientist Jang Yeongsil during the Joseon Dynasty under the reign of King Sejong
Sejong also wanted to reform the Korean calendar system, which was at the time based upon the longitude of the Chinese capital.[8] Sejong, for the first time in Korean history, had his astronomers create a calendar with the Korean capital of Seoul as the primary meridian.[8] This new system allowed Korean astronomers to accurately predict the timing of solar and lunar eclipses.[8][11]
In the realm of traditional Korean medicine, two important treatises were written during the reign of Sejong. These were the Hyangyak jipseongbang and theEuibang yuchwi, which historian Kim Yongsik says represents 'Koreans' efforts to develop their own system of medical knowledge, distinct from that of China.'[8] They were now separated.


In 1420 Sejong established the Hall of Worthies (집현전集賢殿; Jiphyeonjeon) at the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It consisted of scholars selected by the king. The Hall participated in various scholarly endeavors, of which the best known may be the compilation of the Hunmin Jeongeum.[12]


King Sejong the Great profoundly impacted Korean history with his introduction of hangul, the native phonetic alphabet system for the Korean language.[13]
King Sejong presided over the introduction of the 28-letter Korean alphabet, with the explicit goal being that Koreans from all classes would read and write. He also attempted to establish a cultural identity for his people through its unique script. First published in 1446, anyone could learn Hangul in a matter of days. Persons previously unfamiliar with Hangul can typically pronounce Korean script accurately after only a few hours study.
Each hangul letter is based on a simplified diagram of the patterns made by the mouth, tongue and teeth when making the sound related to the character. Morphemes are built by writing the characters in syllabic blocks. The blocks of letters are then strung together linearly.

[edit]Death and legacy

Sejong died by diabetes complications at the age of 54 and was buried at the Yeong Mausoleum (영릉英陵) in 1450. His successor was his first son,Munjong. Sejong judged that his sickly son Munjong was unlikely to live long and on his deathbed asked the Hall of Worthies scholars to look after his young grandson Danjong. As predicted, Munjong died two years after his accession, and political stability enjoyed under Sejong disintegrated when Danjongbecame the sixth king of Joseon at the age of twelve. Eventually, Sejong's second son Sejo usurped the throne from Danjong in 1455. When six martyred ministers were implicated in a plot to restore Danjong to throne, Sejo abolished the Hall of Worthies and executed Danjong and many ministers who served during Sejong's reign.
The street Sejongno and the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts– both located in central Seoul– are named after King Sejong, and he is depicted on theSouth Korean 10,000-Won note.[15]
In early 2007, the Republic of Korea government has decided to create a special administrative district out of part of the present Chungcheongnam-doProvince, near what is presently Daejeon. The new district will be named Sejong Special Autonomous City, and is to replace Seoul as the future capital of the Republic of Korea.
The life of Sejong was depicted in the KBS Korean historical drama King Sejong the Great (TV series) in 2008.[16]


  • Father: King Taejong (태종)
  • Mother: Queen Wongyeong of the Yeoheung Min clan (원경왕후 민씨)
  • Consorts:
  1. Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan (소헌왕후 심씨)
  2. Royal Noble Consort Yeong of the Jinju Kang clan (영빈 강씨)
  3. Royal Noble Consort Sin of the Cheongju Kim clan (신빈 김씨)
  4. Royal Noble Consort Hye of the Cheongju Yang clan (혜빈 양씨)
  5. Park Gwi-in (귀인 박씨)
  6. Choi Gwi-in (귀인 최씨)
  7. Hong So-yong (소용 홍씨)
  8. Lee Suk-won (숙원 이씨)
  9. Song Sang-chim (상침 송씨)
  10. Cha Sa-gi (사기 차씨)
  • Issue:
  1. Royal Crown Prince (왕세자), 1st Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.
  2. Grand Prince Suyang (수양대군), 2nd Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.
  3. Grand Prince Anpyeong (안평대군), 3rd Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.
  4. Grand Prince Imyeong (임영대군), 4th Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.
  5. Grand Prince Gwangpyeong (광평대군), 5th Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.
  6. Grand Prince Geumseong (금성대군), 6th Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.
  7. Grand Prince Pyeongwon (평원대군), 7th son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.
  8. Grand Prince Yeongeung (영응대군), 8th Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.
  9. Prince Hwaui (화의군), Only Son of Royal Noble Consort Yeong of the Kang clan.
  10. Prince Gyeyang (계양군), 1st Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.
  11. Prince Uichang (의창군), 2nd Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.
  12. Prince Milseong (밀성군), 3rd Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.
  13. Prince Ikhyang (익현군), 4th Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.
  14. Prince Yeonghae (영해군), 5th Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.
  15. Prince Damyang (담양군), 6th Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.
  16. Prince Hannam (한남군), 1st Son of Royal Noble Consort Hye of the Yang clan.
  17. Prince Suchun (수춘군), 2nd Son of Royal Noble Consort Hye of the Yang clan.
  18. Prince Yeongpung (영풍군), 3rd Son of Royal Noble Consort Hye of the Yang clan.
  19. Princess Jeongso (정소공주), 1st Daughter of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.
  20. Princess Jeongui (정의공주), 2nd Daughter of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.
  21. 2 Daughters of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.
  22. Princess Jeongan (정안옹주), Only Daughter of Lee Suk-won.
  23. Princess Jeonghyeon (정현옹주), Only Daughter of Song Sang-chim.
  24. A Daughter of Cha Sa-gi.

[edit]His full posthumous name

  • Hangul : 세종장헌영문예무인성명효대왕
  • English : King Sejong Jangheon Yeongmun Yemu Inseong Myeonghyo daewang


  1. ^ http://www.google.co.il/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CAYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.koreanbuddhism.net%2Flibrary%2Facademic_essay%2Fdownload.asp%3Farticle_seq%3D711%26page%3D1%26search_key%3D%26search_value%3D&ei=rzhmTL-kAcjuObmdnbIP&usg=AFQjCNHOaekqK5QoKUo826eyDOxcEdvtng
  2. ^ http://www.ekoreajournal.net/archive/detail.jsp?BACKFLAG=Y&VOLUMENO=47&BOOKNUM=3&PAPERNUM=6&SEASON=A...&YEAR=null
  5. ^ (Korean)계해조약
  6. ^ <<책한권으로 읽는 세종대왕실록>>(Learning Sejong Silok in one book) ISBN 10 - 890107754X
  8. a b c d e f Kim (1998), 57.
  9. ^ (Korean)장영실 蔣英實
  10. ^ Kim (1998), 51.
  11. ^ (Korean)Science and Technology during Sejong the Great of Joseon
  12. ^ (Korean)Introduction to Sejong the Great
  13. ^ Kim Jeong Su(1990), <<한글의 역사와 미래>>(History and Future of Hangul) ISBN 10 - 8930107230
  14. ^ Hunmin Jeongeum Haerye, postface of Jeong Inji, p. 27a, translation from Gari K. LedyardThe Korean Language Reform of 1446, p. 258
  15. ^ (Korean)Tourguide - Tomb of Sejong the Great
  16. ^ Official website of the drama King Sejong the Great



[edit]Further reading

  • King Sejong the Great: the Light of Fifteenth Century KoreaYoung-Key Kim-RenaudInternational Circle of Korean Linguistics, 1992, softcover, 119 pages, ISBN 1-882177-00-2

[edit]External links




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