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Hunminjeongeum (Hangul)

Type Object Region East Asia Time 1443

Hunminjeongeum (now called Hangul) is a phonetic writing system created by Joseon king Sejong in the mid-15th century, completed in 1443 and promulga…

Timeline

  1. 1443–1446Hanseong · Joseon dynastySejong ordered scholars of the Jiphyeonjeon to create 28 basic letters forming a syllabic writing system; in 1446 Hunminjeongeum was promulgated explaining the principles and use of the letters, declaring 'Hunminjeongeum, the correct sounds for the people,' aiming to make them easy for the common people to learn and use.
  2. 1471–1480Joseon dynasty · Korean PeninsulaFrom the 1470s to 1480s, Hunminjeongeum was gradually promoted in court documents, vernacular translations, and some educational settings, used alongside Chinese characters; King Seongjong's reign continued to support vernacular script use, laying the foundation for the later development of written Korean.
  3. 1894Korean Peninsula · Korean PeninsulaSince the late 19th century, Hunminjeongeum (Hangul) gradually replaced Chinese characters as the main writing system of Korean; through standardization and typeface design evolution, it is today the official script of both South and North Korea, and is also inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

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