King Sejong the Great of Korea, Scholar and Leader

Sejong the Great (May 7, 1397–April 8, 1450) was king of Korea during the Choson Kingdom (1392–1910). A progressive, scholarly leader, Sejong promoted literacy and was best known for developing a new form of writing to allow Koreans to communicate more effectively. Fast Facts: Sejong the Great Known For: Korean king and scholarAlso Known As:  Yi Do, Grand Prince Chungnyeong  Born: May 7, 1397 in Hanseong,  Kingdom of JoseonParents:  King Taejong and Queen Wongyeong of JoseonDied: April 8, 1450 in Hanseong,  JoseonSpouse(s): Soheon of the Shim clan, and three Royal Noble Consorts, Consort Hye, Consort Yeong, and Consort ShinChildren: Munjong of Joseon, Sejo of Joseon, Geumseong, Jeongso, Jeongjong of Joseon, Grand Prince Anpyeong, Gwangpyeong, Imyeong, Yeongeung, Princess Jung-Ui, Grand Prince Pyeongwon, Prince Hannam, Yi Yeong, Princess Jeonghyeon, Princess JeonganNotable Quote: If the people prosper, how can the king not prosper with them? And if the people do not prosper, how may the king prosper without them? Early Life Sejong was born under the name Yi Do to King Taejong and Queen Wongyeong of Joseon on May 7, 1397. The third of the royal couples four sons, Sejong impressed all of his family with his wisdom and curiosity. According to Confucian principles, the eldest son—named Prince Yangnyeong—should have been the heir to the Joseon throne. However, his behavior at court was rude and aberrant. Some sources claim that Yangnyeong behaved this way purposefully because he believed that Sejong should be king in his place. The second brother, Prince Hyoryeong, also removed himself from the succession by becoming a Buddhist monk. When Sejong was 12 years old, his father named him Grand Prince Chungnyeong. Ten years later, King Taejong would abdicate the throne in favor of Prince Chungnyeong, who took the throne name King Sejong. Background to Sejongs Succession to the Throne Sejongs grandfather King Taejo overthrew the Goryeo Kingdom in 1392 and founded Joseon. He was assisted in the coup detat by his fifth son Yi Bang-won (later King Taejong), who expected to be rewarded with the title of crown prince. However, a court scholar who hated and feared the militaristic and hot-headed fifth son convinced King Taejo to choose his eighth son, Yi Bang-seok, as successor instead. In 1398 while King Taejo was mourning the loss of his wife, the scholar hatched a conspiracy to kill off all of the kings sons besides the crown prince in order to secure Yi Bang-seoks position (and his own). Hearing rumors of the plot, Yi Bang-won raised his army and attacked the capital, killing two of his brothers as well as the scheming scholar. The grieving King Taejo was horrified that his sons were turning on each other in what became known as the First Strife of Princes, so he named his second son, Yi Bang-gwa, as the heir apparent and then abdicated the throne in 1398. Yi Bang-gwa became King Jeongjong, the second Joseon ruler. In 1400, the Second Strife of Princes broke out when Yi Bang-won and his brother Yi Bang-gan began to fight. Yi Bang-won prevailed, exiled his brother and his family, and executed his brothers supporters. As a result, the weak King Jeongjong abdicated after ruling for just two years in favor of Yi Bang-won, Sejongs father. As king, Taejong continued his ruthless policies. He executed a number of his own supporters if they became too powerful, including all of his wife Wong-gyeongs brothers, as well as Prince Chungnyeongs (later King Sejongs) father-in-law and brothers-in-law. It seems likely that his experience with princely strife and his willingness to execute troublesome family members helped encourage his first two sons to step aside without a murmur and allow King Taejongs third and favorite son to become King Sejong. Sejongs Military Developments King Taejong had always been an effective military strategist and leader and continued to guide Joseon military planning for the first four years of Sejongs reign. Sejong was a quick study and also loved science and technology, so he introduced a number of organizational and technological improvements to his kingdoms military forces. Although gunpowder had been used for centuries in Korea, its employment in advanced weaponry expanded markedly under Sejong. He supported the development of new types of cannons and mortars, as well as rocket-like fire arrows that functioned in a similar way to modern rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Gihae Eastern Expedition Just one year into his reign in May 1419, King Sejong dispatched the Gihae Eastern Expedition to the seas off Koreas east coast. This military force set out to confront the Japanese pirates, or wako, who operated out of Tsushima Island while harrying shipping, stealing trade goods, and kidnapping Korean and Chinese subjects. By September of that year, the Korean troops had defeated the pirates, killing nearly 150 of them, and rescuing almost 150 Chinese kidnap victims and eight Koreans. This expedition would bear important fruit later in Sejongs reign. In 1443, the daimyo of Tsushima pledged obedience to the King of Joseon Korea in the Treaty of Gyehae in exchange for what he received as preferential trading rights with the Korean mainland. Marriage, Consorts, and Children King Sejongs queen was Soheon of the Shim clan, with whom he eventually would have a total of eight sons and two daughters. He also had three Royal Noble Consorts, Consort Hye, Consort Yeong, and Consort Shin, who bore him three, one, and six sons, respectively. In addition, Sejong had seven lesser consorts who had the misfortune of never producing sons. Nevertheless, the presence of 18 princes representing different clans on their mothers sides ensured that in the future, the succession would be contentious. As a Confucian scholar, though, King Sejong followed protocol and named his sickly eldest son Munjong as Crown Prince. Sejongs Achievements in Science, Literature, and Policy King Sejong delighted in science and technology and supported a number of inventions or refinements of previous technologies. For example, he encouraged the improvement of a moveable metal type for printing first used in Korea by 1234, at least 215 years before Johannes Gutenberg introduced his groundbreaking printing press, as well as the development of the sturdier mulberry-fiber paper. These measures made better-quality books much more widely available among educated Koreans. Books that Sejong sponsored included a history of the Goryeo Kingdom, a compilation of filial deeds (model actions for followers of Confucius to emulate), farming guides meant to help farmers improve production, and others. Other scientific devices sponsored by King Sejong included the first rain gauge, sundials, unusually accurate water clocks, and maps of the stars and celestial globes. He also took an interest in music, devising an elegant notation system for representing Korean and Chinese music, and encouraging instrument-makers to improve the designs of various musical instruments. In 1420, King Sejong established an academy of 20 top Confucian scholars to advise him called the Hall of Worthies. The scholars studied the ancient laws and rites of China and previous Korean dynasties, compiled historical texts, and lectured the king and crown prince on Confucian classics. In addition, Sejong ordered one top scholar to comb the country for intellectually talented young men who would be given a stipend to retreat for one year from their work. The young scholars were sent to a mountain temple, where they read books on a vast array of subjects that included astronomy, medicine, geography, history, the art of war, and religion. Many of the Worthies objected to this expansive menu of options, believing that a study of Confucian thought was sufficient, but Sejong preferred to have a scholar class with a wide range of knowledge. To aid the common people, Sejong established a grain surplus of approximately 5 million bushels of rice. In times of drought or flood, this grain was available to feed and support poor farming families to help prevent famine. Invention of Hangul, the Korean Script King Sejong is best remembered for the invention of hangul, the Korean alphabet. In 1443, Sejong and eight advisers developed an alphabetic system to accurately represent Korean language sounds and sentence structure. They came up with a simple system of 14 consonants and 10 vowels, which can be arranged in clusters to create all of the sounds in spoken Korean. King Sejong announced the creation of this alphabet in 1446 and encouraged all of his subjects to learn and use it: The sounds of our language differ from those of Chinese and are not easily communicated by using Chinese graphs. Many among the ignorant, therefore, though they wish to express their sentiments in writing, have been unable to communicate. Considering this situation with compassion, I have newly devised twenty-eight letters. I wish only that the people will learn them easily and use them conveniently in their daily life. Initially, King Sejong faced a backlash from the scholar elite, who felt the new system was vulgar (and who likely did not want women and peasants to be literate). However, hangul quickly spread among segments of the population that previously did not have access to enough education to learn the complicated Chinese writing system. Early texts claim that a clever person can learn Hangul in a few hours, while someone with a lower IQ can master it in 10 days. It is certainly one of the most logical and straightforward writing systems on Earth—a true gift from King Sejong to his subjects and their descendants, down to the present day. Death King Sejongs health began to decline even as his accomplishments mounted. Suffering from diabetes and other health problems, Sejong became blind around the age of 50. He passed away on May 18, 1450, at the age of 53. Legacy As King Sejong predicted, his eldest son and successor Munjong did not survive him by much. After just two years on the throne, Munjong died in May 1452, leaving his 12-year-old first son Danjong to rule. Two scholar-officials served as regents for the child. This first Joseon experiment in Confucian-style primogeniture did not last long, however. In 1453, Danjongs uncle, King Sejongs second son Sejo, had the two regents murdered and seized power. Two years later, Sejo formally forced Danjong to abdicate and claimed the throne for himself. Six court officials formed a plan to restore Danjong to power in 1456; Sejo discovered the scheme, executed the officials, and ordered his 16-year-old nephew burned to death so that he could not serve as a figurehead for future challenges to Sejos title. Despite the dynastic mess that resulted from King Sejongs death, he is remembered as the wisest and most capable ruler in Korean history. His accomplishments in science, political theory, military arts, and literature mark Sejong as one of the most innovative kings in Asia or the world. As shown by his sponsorship of Hangul and his establishment of the food reserve, King Sejong truly cared about his subjects. Today, the king is remembered as Sejong the Great, one of only two Korean kings honored with that appellation. The other is Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo, r. 391–413. Sejongs face appears on the largest denomination of South Koreas currency, the 10,000 won bill. His military legacy also lives on in the King Sejong the Great class of guided missile destroyers, first launched by the South Korean Navy in 2007. In addition, the king is the subject of the 2008 Korean television drama series Daewang Sejong, or King Sejong the Great. Actor Kim Sang-kyung portryed the king. Sources Kang, Jae-eun. The Land of Scholars: Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism. Paramus, New Jersey: Homa Sekey Books, 2006.Kim, Chun-gil. The History of Korea. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing, 2005.King Sejong the Great and the Golden Age of Korea. Asia Society.Lee, Peter H. William De Bary. Sources of Korean Tradition: From Early Times through the Sixteenth Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.