Korean Hunminjeongeum (Hangul)

Timeline

1. 1443–1446Hanseong (Seoul) · Korean PeninsulaKing Sejong ordered scholars of the Jiphyeonjeon to design twenty-eight letters based on principles such as yin-yang, the five phases, and open vowels; in 1446 he promulgated the Hunminjeongeum and the Hunminjeongeum Haerye, explaining the structure and phonological rules of Hangul, proclaiming that one could 'know its sound and understand its meaning.'
2. 1446–1490The two capitals of the Joseon dynasty · Korean PeninsulaHangul was first used to gloss Chinese characters, translate Buddhist scriptures, and draft royal documents, while scholar-officials still regarded Chinese characters as the orthodox script. From the reign of King Seongjong, Hangul was used in some official notices and in women's writing, and it gradually appeared mixed into folk songs and letters.
3. 1491–1500Hanseong (Seoul) · Korea (South)From Yeonsan-gun to the early years of Jungjong, Hangul appeared more often in popular contracts, letters, and records of oral literature beyond court glossing. Although yangban scholar-officials upheld the orthodoxy of Chinese characters, Hangul's status as a literacy tool for commoners was already unshakable, laying the foundation for later Hangul literature and publishing.