WEBVTT - The King's Alphabet 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:04.560 Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 0:00:04.600 --> 0:00:13.080 and Mild from Aaron Mankie listener Discretion advised June Jungpil 0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:16.639 had to move quickly, but without bringing too much attention 0:00:16.760 --> 0:00:20.759 to himself or his mission. He had ten thousand one 0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:25.440 on him, which was enough money to buy several beautiful homes, 0:00:26.079 --> 0:00:30.240 but that money was for something far more valuable than 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:34.959 a city block of mansions, something far more precious than 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:39.120 he could let on. June headed south from Seoul towards 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:42.479 the city of Endong with his cash in tow and 0:00:42.600 --> 0:00:47.040 his mind set on purchasing one of the most important 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:52.279 documents in Korean history. The year was nineteen forty and 0:00:52.479 --> 0:00:57.760 Korea was in its thirtieth year under official Japanese imperial control. 0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:03.400 As is fashionable for imperial rulers to do, the Japanese 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:07.760 government had made it a policy to suppress the Korean 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:12.120 people and Korean culture, going so far as to outlaw 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:16.520 Korean names. The government had also been chipping away at 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:22.119 Korean heritage and history through a variety of programs, including 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:28.160 taking national artifacts from the Korean peninsula to mainland Japan. 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:33.640 If the government knew about the existence of John's desired possession. 0:01:34.120 --> 0:01:37.760 They would surely seize it and whisk it away, perhaps 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:42.080 even destroy it. As a collector of Korean antiques and 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:46.000 artifacts and an ardent believer in the beauty of Korean 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:50.960 art and history, June could not let Japan's colonial regime 0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:56.880 steal an item so essential to Korean heritage. So as 0:01:56.920 --> 0:02:00.720 he traveled out of Seoul, June tried to contain his 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:06.640 excitement and his anxiety. Once in Endong, John headed for 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:11.480 the antique dealer's store. The ten thousand one he carried 0:02:11.919 --> 0:02:15.840 felt heavier and heavier the closer he got, and June 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:19.040 couldn't help but look over his shoulder every time he 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:23.640 turned a corner. The anticipation was gnawing at him. Was 0:02:23.760 --> 0:02:28.120 the document actually real? Could someone have beaten him to it? 0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:32.040 What if he was too late? His thoughts went silent 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:36.080 as he stepped into the shop. Before the door could 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:39.480 even close behind him, June made eye contact with the 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:44.840 shopkeeper and introduced himself. The antique dealer disappeared into a 0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:50.400 back room and returned moments later holding a book. He 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:54.399 flipped open the pages of the book and explained it 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:58.120 was an heirloom of the House of Kim, Therein and Dong, 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:02.120 but John already knew that. He also knew that they 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:05.400 had only been asking one thousand wan for the book, 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:10.120 but John had sent a telegram ahead promising ten thousand 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:14.000 if they held it for him. After admiring the book 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:17.320 for a few moments, June handed the man the money 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:21.639 and watched as the shopkeeper carefully wrapped the book up 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:25.720 for him. Now that the document was his, he wouldn't 0:03:25.800 --> 0:03:28.840 let it out of his sight. He would protect it 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:33.400 with his life. As he headed back to Seoul, June 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:37.040 couldn't believe what he was now holding. What was now his, 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:41.960 This piece of Korean heritage was worth far more than 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:44.720 the ten thousand one he had shelled out for it. 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:49.200 He now owned the only known copy of The Human 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:54.160 Jingham Hera, first published in fourteen forty six, the text 0:03:54.320 --> 0:04:00.920 that explains King Sejong's greatest invention, a new alphabet quote. 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:04.280 The spoken language of our country is different from that 0:04:04.360 --> 0:04:08.320 of China and does not suit the Chinese characters. Therefore, 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:12.760 amongst uneducated people, there have been many who, having something 0:04:12.840 --> 0:04:16.000 they wished to put into words, have been unable to 0:04:16.080 --> 0:04:20.440 express their feelings in writing. I am greatly distressed because 0:04:20.440 --> 0:04:23.960 of this, and so I have made twenty eight new letters. 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:27.440 Let every one practice them at their ease and adapt 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:31.960 them to their daily use. End quote. While his creation 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:37.599 was underappreciated at the time, King Sijung's new alphabet, now 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:42.760 called Hengul, was a revolutionary way to codify human language. 0:04:43.440 --> 0:04:47.200 Never before had humans invented a script for which the 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:52.240 exact reasoning behind each aspect of it could be articulated. 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:59.720 Modern scholars, but especially modern linguists, recognize King Sijung's alphabet 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:04.919 to be one of humanity's greatest achievements. With his purchase 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:09.479 of the human jingom heire Jung Jungpil saved in artifact 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:14.000 not only crucial to Korean history, but also to our 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:21.000 understanding of one of humanity's most ingenious creations. I'm Danish schwartz, 0:05:21.240 --> 0:05:29.320 and this is noble blood. Only one monarch in Korean 0:05:29.400 --> 0:05:33.880 history bears the moniker the Great Sejong the Great, fourth 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:38.000 monarch of the Josian dynasty. He ruled over Korea for 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:42.960 thirty two years from fourteen eighteen to fourteen fifty, and 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:46.120 is still heralded as a ruler who put the well 0:05:46.160 --> 0:05:51.160 being of his subjects before all else. For our American listeners. 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:56.040 His status in Korean society can be compared to George Washington's. 0:05:56.440 --> 0:06:00.799 He is a foundational figure in Korea's collective of conchas. 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:05.720 Sijong inherited the throne at a crucial point in the 0:06:05.800 --> 0:06:10.720 Josian Dynasty's history. The Josian dynasty, which controlled modern day 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:15.279 North and South Korea, had toppled the previous dynasty just 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:20.040 thirty years earlier, which in dynasty times is pretty much nothing, 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:24.080 and most of the turmoil that came with the dissolution 0:06:24.360 --> 0:06:27.560 of one dynasty and the rise of another had by 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:32.000 this point pretty much subsided. So now Sejong needed to 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:36.039 establish the identity of the Josian dynasty and weave it 0:06:36.120 --> 0:06:40.919 together with that of Koreas. Fortunately, Seijong was up to 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:45.520 the task. Despite being young when he first rose to power, 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:50.479 he was an incredibly wise ruler. His mentality is summed 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:53.560 up well by this quote attributed to him, which is, 0:06:54.080 --> 0:06:57.720 if the people prosper, how can the king not prosper 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:01.240 with them? And if the people do not prosper, how 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:05.760 may the king prosper without them? That quote captures exactly 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:10.280 how Seijung's commitment to his subject's well being drove both 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:15.520 his politics and his personal actions. We have the incredibly 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:20.160 detailed and organized siloc Or annals of the Josian dynasty 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:24.840 to thank for such specific quotes from King Sejung, as 0:07:24.880 --> 0:07:28.840 well as for detailed descriptions of his life. While we 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:32.480 should take the writings in those annals with a grain 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:35.760 of salt, given that they were written for the express 0:07:35.840 --> 0:07:40.320 purpose of recording for posterity the king's greatness, they are 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:45.720 useful sources in that they demonstrate which traits and accomplishments 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:50.840 King Sejung valued and therefore wanted to be portrayed as being. 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:56.120 And having done, I will say King Sejung did have 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:59.640 a lot of accomplishments to be proud of. He was 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:04.360 a thoughtful politician, careful not to over tax his subjects, 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:09.600 and compassionate in his policies. He also strengthened the country's 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:14.680 army with innovative and improved weaponry. But that's not all. 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:19.000 Sijung was also accomplished outside the areas typically within a 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:23.120 monarch's purview. He had a deep regard for wisdom, and 0:08:23.200 --> 0:08:27.200 he formed a royal academy known as the Hall of Worthies, 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:31.760 where scholars would provide lectures for him and participate in 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:36.120 debates with him. The scholars could write books, conduct research, 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:39.480 and they would invent any number of things that would 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:44.160 better the lives of everyday Koreans. Some of those inventions 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:50.120 include the world's first standardized rain gage, an updated calendar system, 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:54.520 and a new type of printing press. Scholars in the 0:08:54.559 --> 0:09:00.000 Hall of Worthies also published treatises on farming specifically in Korean, 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:06.080 as well as on traditional Korean medicinal knowledge. While scholars 0:09:06.080 --> 0:09:09.280 in the Hall of Worthies ultimately created many of the 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:13.679 achievements attributed to Sejong's reign, we can't ignore that it 0:09:13.720 --> 0:09:19.080 was Seijong's patronage that fostered their creativity. Artists were also 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:23.960 beneficiaries of Seijung's support, as his patronage resulted in the 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:28.160 publication of many books, the creation of hundreds of new 0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:32.880 musical compositions, and the invention of a new musical instrument. 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:38.440 But one of his contributions stands head and shoulders above 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:45.520 the rest. Of all of King Sejong's inventions and contributions. 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:49.839 There's one that's the most dazzling, the invention of an 0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:55.600 entirely new writing system. Hangul is a script whose modern 0:09:55.800 --> 0:10:02.280 version contains twenty four basic letters, fourteen consonants, and ten vowels. 0:10:03.000 --> 0:10:08.840 The script is both alphabetic since specific symbols symbolize certain sounds, 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:14.480 and syllabic because symbols can get combined to create a 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:20.280 syllabic unit. Traditionally, Hangle was written like other Asian scripts, 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:25.320 top to bottom, right to left, but nowadays Hangul is 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:30.160 typically written left to right. You might be asking yourself, Dana, 0:10:30.400 --> 0:10:33.240 why do I care that King Sejun created a new 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:36.360 script in the fifteen hundreds? Out of everything he did, 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:40.720 it seems pretty cool, but otherwise not particularly life changing, 0:10:41.480 --> 0:10:44.680 And you'd be right that perhaps creating a new writing 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:49.000 system isn't the most consequential thing a monarch can do. 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:54.440 But King Sejung and his Hall of worthies accomplished something 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:59.520 never done before, inventing a script for which the theory 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:04.560 and motives for it are fully articulated. Okay, if you're 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:07.880 not a linguistics nerd, let me walk out why this 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:12.720 is so cool. So almost all other alphabets and scripts 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:17.080 that humans have used have evolved over thousands of years 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:23.840 with no overarching theoretical guidelines dictating its structure. Hangoul is 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:28.720 the first alphabet of its kind. There's a systemic reasoning 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:32.719 behind each facet of the script, and we know all 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:37.120 of those reasons. Furthermore, the theory behind the script is 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:42.880 pretty impressive. The symbols represent the shape that human speech 0:11:43.000 --> 0:11:47.080 organs like the tongue and throat make when various sounds 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:52.240 are made. So technically, if one knows what sound every 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:57.280 symbol represents, one could write many different languages using Hangoul. 0:11:58.120 --> 0:12:02.520 Most linguists and scholars agree that Hengele is an immensely 0:12:02.679 --> 0:12:08.160 creative achievement that should be counted among humankind's greatest creations, 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:12.320 which is some pretty high praise. I should note that 0:12:12.559 --> 0:12:16.080 the more commonly used name for this script, and the 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:19.920 name I'll be using, Hangul, was actually coined in nineteen 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:25.120 twelve by Korean linguist Jews Sai Jung. Hangoule's original name 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:30.440 was human Jiongam, which translates to quote correct sounds for 0:12:30.559 --> 0:12:34.719 the instruction of the people. If you recall, the document 0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:38.320 that Jong Jung pill traveled across Korea to buy in 0:12:38.360 --> 0:12:42.920 the introduction to this episode was called the Human jiong Hoay, 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:48.000 which translates to quote explanations and examples of the proper 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:53.440 sounds for the instruction of the people. The translation of 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:59.480 Hangoule's original name illuminates King Sejung's motivation behind his invention. 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:04.240 I mean, most monarchs dedicated their free time to leading 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:09.880 hunting expeditions or luxuriating with their mistresses, not personally having 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:13.800 a hand in creating a new writing system unlike anything 0:13:13.880 --> 0:13:18.480 seen before in human history. But King Seijun's motivation as 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:22.000 a king was to better the lives of his subjects, 0:13:22.400 --> 0:13:26.520 and he believed that a writing system custom designed for 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:30.840 the Korean language would be a crucial tool for achieving 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:36.120 betterment through education. At the time he lived, the vast 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:40.760 majority of published material in Korea was written in Chinese. 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:46.040 If we're being more specific, Koreans were reading classical Chinese 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:50.640 texts and writing new text in the Chinese language or 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:57.120 in Hanga, a Chinese script retrofitted to represent the Korean language, 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:01.599 So in order to be literate, one had to memorize 0:14:02.000 --> 0:14:06.880 thousands of Chinese characters. It should be no surprise then, 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:11.280 that literacy was a difficult skill to achieve and a 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:16.640 skill reserved for the elites in Korea. King Sejung hoped 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:20.800 to bring literacy to the masses with a writing system 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:25.560 that had a smaller number of symbols, therefore infinitely easier 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:30.720 to learn, and made specifically for the Korean language. So, 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:35.720 in fourteen forty three, Hungle was officially announced, and the 0:14:35.760 --> 0:14:39.400 books detailing the logic behind the script and how to 0:14:39.520 --> 0:14:42.680 read and write it were published a few years later 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:49.520 in fourteen forty six aka the book that Jong Yungpil bought. Interestingly, 0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:55.200 we aren't entirely certain who specifically invented Hengul, because there 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:58.720 is no record of the project before it was announced 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:04.120 as completed. Was it Sejung all by himself, or did 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:07.040 one or more of the scholars in the Hall of 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:11.520 Worthies invented at his behest, or maybe it was a collaboration. 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:17.120 Most scholars believe that Seijung and his scholars collaborated on 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:20.920 the language, but that the king did indeed play a 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:25.800 large personal role in creating the script. In fact, records 0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:32.240 indicate that Seijung pushed through neurologia, diabetes, and worsening eyesight 0:15:32.640 --> 0:15:35.280 in order to work on the language even after it 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:39.239 was announced, going so far as to bring his linguistic 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:42.560 books with him on a trip to Hot Springs when 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:46.560 he was trying to recover his health. As you might 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:50.800 be able to guess, Korean elites were not thrilled with 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:55.120 the King's new invention. The creation of a new script 0:15:55.400 --> 0:16:00.560 disrupted centuries of custom that privileged the Chinese life language 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:05.000 over Korean, which they knew. On top of that, they 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:08.800 weren't thrilled with the idea that the general population could 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:13.160 now have access to the politically powerful tools of reading 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:19.440 and writing. Such a change threatened their status. Now elites 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:23.000 couldn't just come out and say that they felt threatened 0:16:23.080 --> 0:16:27.960 by the language, so instead they crafted other arguments against 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:33.120 the new script. Famously, Choi Manly, an associate professor in 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:38.040 the Hall of Worthies, expressed this critique quote, since the 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:42.400 new alphabet is so easily understood, I fear that the 0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:47.080 people will fall into laziness and never make efforts to learn. 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:51.440 Those who do not use Chinese characters, but other letters 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:57.200 and alphabets are all barbarians without exception to use new letters, 0:16:57.360 --> 0:17:01.920 which surely make us barbarians ourselves. Why does your Highness 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:05.359 seek to alter a language that has been used since 0:17:05.440 --> 0:17:10.160 early antiquity and has no ill effects, and place alongside 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:13.840 it a set of course and vulgar characters of no 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:17.600 worth at all. In other words, if reading and writing 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:23.440 is easy, that'll make us lazy barbarians. But King Sejung 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:28.560 was not deterred by his critics. Beyond believing in his mission, 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:32.040 he was not about to abandon a project he dedicated 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:35.960 years to, and so the king stuck to his guns 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:40.359 and began publishing all of his royal edicts in both 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:46.000 Chinese Hunga and in Hungoul. He commissioned classical works of 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:51.399 literature transcribed into Hungul and made Hungul a required portion 0:17:51.640 --> 0:17:55.480 of the state exam. For the remainder of his reign, 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:59.439 Sejung went out of his way to promote Hangoul in 0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:02.760 the hopes that his fellow nobles would come to see 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:10.880 the beauty and benefits of his greatest creation. Unfortunately, despite 0:18:10.880 --> 0:18:15.359 his best efforts, when King Sejong passed away in fourteen fifty, 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:19.720 so too died the push to use Hangul. The script 0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:23.640 fell into disuse by the elites, who gave the language 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:28.720 nicknames that translate to quote the vulgar Script, the woman's Script, 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:34.800 and the children's Script. Eventually, things went beyond just social 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:40.320 ostracism when in fifteen o four, an anonymous writer published 0:18:40.440 --> 0:18:45.600 criticisms of the then king in Hangul. The king was 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:50.120 so furious with this publication that he outlawed the script. 0:18:50.640 --> 0:18:55.280 So for the four centuries after Hungul was created, the 0:18:55.320 --> 0:18:59.920 nobility in Korea relegated the language to the dusty storage 0:19:00.400 --> 0:19:06.920 of history. But listener, fear not, King Sejung's magnificent creation 0:19:07.320 --> 0:19:11.320 was not lost to society entirely, and we can thank 0:19:11.480 --> 0:19:16.600 religious minorities, women and my favorite people, writers and artists 0:19:16.680 --> 0:19:20.800 for that. Like I just mentioned, one of the supposedly 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:26.280 derogatory nicknames for hangoul used to be the quote Women's script. 0:19:27.000 --> 0:19:30.720 Looking past the fact that being associated with women was 0:19:30.760 --> 0:19:35.600 supposedly a bad thing, this nickname actually reveals that women 0:19:36.000 --> 0:19:40.520 were substantial in keeping Hungoul in use. Further, it appears 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:46.320 that women across social classes used hangoul from records referencing 0:19:46.680 --> 0:19:50.399 intercept personal notes, we know that women in the royal 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:55.160 family used hangoul for their everyday writing, so too did 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:59.320 women in lower classes, who were less likely to receive 0:19:59.359 --> 0:20:06.320 an education in the complicated Chinese characters. Additionally, Korean Buddhists 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:10.800 were some of the first advocates of hangoul after King Sejung, 0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:14.879 and they played a large role in the preservation of 0:20:14.920 --> 0:20:20.080 hangoul from King Sejung's time onward. Although the official policy 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:26.280 of the Josian dynasty was to promote Confucianism and repress Buddhism, 0:20:26.600 --> 0:20:31.280 Buddhism still managed to maintain a significant foothold amongst the 0:20:31.359 --> 0:20:36.840 general population when translating and printing scripture meant to serve 0:20:36.920 --> 0:20:42.080 the common people. Buddhist monks used hangoul. Thus in their 0:20:42.119 --> 0:20:46.440 efforts to bring people to Buddhism. These monks preserved and 0:20:46.720 --> 0:20:52.400 taught hangoul throughout Korea. European missionaries also relied on hangoul 0:20:52.480 --> 0:20:57.240 to teach the Bible and teach Christian practices, ultimately spreading 0:20:57.280 --> 0:21:01.639 Hangol in the same way Buddhist monks did. While those 0:21:01.800 --> 0:21:06.480 with religious motivation saw the usefulness of hangoul, they weren't alone. 0:21:07.080 --> 0:21:10.840 Starting in the late sixteenth century, there was a renaissance 0:21:10.880 --> 0:21:14.359 of literature and poetry in Korea, and many of those 0:21:14.400 --> 0:21:20.000 forms utilized hangoul. Gasa and Sizo forms of poetry in particular, 0:21:20.240 --> 0:21:25.760 used the language. A continuation of that renaissance, hangoul novels 0:21:25.880 --> 0:21:30.320 came into popularity in the seventeenth century. Korean readers were 0:21:30.359 --> 0:21:34.719 looking for stories similar to those from Chinese novels of 0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:39.359 the time that told love stories and adventures. Some of 0:21:39.400 --> 0:21:44.480 those first novels were just translations of Chinese stories into Hangoul, 0:21:44.800 --> 0:21:49.760 but soon a flourishing industry of original Hangoul novels developed. 0:21:50.280 --> 0:21:54.520 Hangoul novels specifically meant for a female audience were also 0:21:54.640 --> 0:21:59.520 quite popular and further helped disseminate the language to populations 0:21:59.720 --> 0:22:04.679 even less likely to be literate. While books and religious 0:22:04.800 --> 0:22:09.880 texts are some of the easiest artifacts Demonstratinghungul's usage, there 0:22:09.880 --> 0:22:14.360 were other less remarkable ways that people preserved and used Hungoul. 0:22:14.800 --> 0:22:18.359 The script was popular amongst the urban middle class of 0:22:18.480 --> 0:22:27.920 bureaucrats and administrators for records and bookkeepings. All of these groups, poets, Buddhists, women, Christians, 0:22:28.200 --> 0:22:32.560 the middle class, bureaucrats, and more kept Hungul alive and 0:22:32.720 --> 0:22:38.760 in use for centuries after Sejung's passing in the nineteenth century, 0:22:39.119 --> 0:22:43.800 as nationalism in Korea rose, so too did people's usage 0:22:43.840 --> 0:22:48.520 of Hangoul. Finally, in eighteen forty nine, the script was 0:22:48.560 --> 0:22:52.840 adopted as the national writing system of Korea, and it 0:22:52.920 --> 0:22:56.000 was used for the first time in the modern era 0:22:56.440 --> 0:23:01.600 for official government documents. There was the period under Japanese 0:23:01.640 --> 0:23:06.639 colonial rule when Hangoul was outlawed, but since Korea's liberation 0:23:06.920 --> 0:23:11.280 in nineteen forty five, Hangoul has been the official writing 0:23:11.359 --> 0:23:16.080 system of Korea, now North Korea and South Korea respectively. 0:23:16.760 --> 0:23:20.919 In South Korea specifically, the country's literacy rate at the 0:23:21.000 --> 0:23:24.080 end of World War II was roughly twenty two percent. 0:23:24.760 --> 0:23:28.120 Now the country has a literacy rate of ninety seven 0:23:28.320 --> 0:23:32.600 point nine percent. Now, I'm not attempting to attribute that 0:23:32.680 --> 0:23:36.520 growth to just Hangoul becoming the official writing system by 0:23:36.560 --> 0:23:39.880 any means. I only mention it because all I can 0:23:39.960 --> 0:23:43.639 think is that King Seijung would be so proud to 0:23:43.720 --> 0:23:48.040 note just how many people use his creation every day, 0:23:48.600 --> 0:23:53.000 just like he wanted. Anyone who quote having something they 0:23:53.040 --> 0:23:56.480 wished to put into words, is now able to express 0:23:56.560 --> 0:24:02.600 their feelings in writing. Keep listening after a brief sponsor break, 0:24:02.760 --> 0:24:05.800 to hear about the current court case going on in 0:24:05.880 --> 0:24:10.040 South Korea over the second known copy of the Human 0:24:10.160 --> 0:24:14.960 Juniam Here and the fire which threatened its very existence. 0:24:20.520 --> 0:24:24.359 As I mentioned in the introduction to today's episode, until 0:24:24.440 --> 0:24:27.600 June Jungpil found a copy of The Human jing and 0:24:27.720 --> 0:24:32.040 Here in nineteen forty that important part of Korean history 0:24:32.520 --> 0:24:36.359 was believed to have been lost to history forever, and 0:24:36.560 --> 0:24:40.960 until two thousand and eight, Jones copy was believed to 0:24:41.040 --> 0:24:44.440 be the only remaining copy of that text in the world. 0:24:45.040 --> 0:24:50.280 That is, until another collector stepped forward with a second copy. 0:24:50.960 --> 0:24:54.359 In two thousand and eight, Bei Ikji, a rare book 0:24:54.400 --> 0:24:59.280 collector and scholar with a specialization in classic Chinese literature, 0:24:59.680 --> 0:25:03.080 declared declared to the world that he had found a 0:25:03.240 --> 0:25:07.480 copy of The Human Jingham here tucked away amongst two 0:25:07.640 --> 0:25:11.600 boxes of ancient books that he had found earlier that year. 0:25:12.359 --> 0:25:17.080 After Bay went public with his find, South Korea's Cultural 0:25:17.200 --> 0:25:22.840 Heritage Administration, also known as the CHA, visited his home 0:25:23.000 --> 0:25:29.520 to inspect the document. The CHA ultimately validated that document's legitimacy. 0:25:29.920 --> 0:25:33.600 They declared it to be quote authentic, in good shape, 0:25:33.800 --> 0:25:38.119 and even has a footnote. The administration even went so 0:25:38.280 --> 0:25:41.320 far as to compare it to the copy found in 0:25:41.400 --> 0:25:45.720 nineteen forty quote. This copy seems to be in better 0:25:45.760 --> 0:25:49.960 condition than the current National treasure, despite its loss of 0:25:50.040 --> 0:25:53.119 four pages of the preface and one page of the 0:25:53.240 --> 0:25:58.040 latter part. The footnote on the newly discovered version was 0:25:58.119 --> 0:26:02.840 particularly exciting because the copy Jong had purchased in nineteen 0:26:02.920 --> 0:26:07.239 forty did not have that footnote. It appears to have 0:26:07.280 --> 0:26:10.879 been written by a scholar contemporary with King Sei Jung, 0:26:11.320 --> 0:26:16.200 therefore adding to our understanding of how scholars interpreted Hangul 0:26:16.320 --> 0:26:22.480 when it was first announced. But unfortunately, almost everybody has 0:26:22.560 --> 0:26:27.080 been unable to see that footnote because Bey's copy of 0:26:27.119 --> 0:26:31.879 The Human jingam Here has courted controversy almost from the 0:26:31.960 --> 0:26:36.760 moment its existence became public knowledge. As I mentioned, Bee 0:26:36.800 --> 0:26:40.879 claimed that he had found the manuscript essentially hidden away 0:26:41.000 --> 0:26:44.359 and forgotten about, in a box of rare books that 0:26:44.440 --> 0:26:48.000 he happened to buy. A month after the announcement of 0:26:48.040 --> 0:26:52.400 the manuscript's discovery, the antique dealer who had sold him 0:26:52.520 --> 0:26:56.399 that box of books came forward and stated that the 0:26:56.680 --> 0:27:00.000 Human jingam Here was not supposed to be in those boxes. 0:27:00.800 --> 0:27:05.359 Bey had stolen it from him. The antique dealer promptly 0:27:05.400 --> 0:27:10.439 filed civil and criminal suits against Bey. In the criminal case, 0:27:10.520 --> 0:27:14.240 it was initially ruled that Bey was guilty and should 0:27:14.320 --> 0:27:18.320 serve ten years in jail. However, the case was appealed 0:27:18.800 --> 0:27:22.840 all the way to South Korea's Supreme Court, who declared 0:27:22.960 --> 0:27:27.280 Bee innocent. The civil case, on the other hand, turned 0:27:27.280 --> 0:27:31.680 out in the antique dealer's favor. That antique dealer named 0:27:31.800 --> 0:27:36.720 Joe ultimately one, and judges from the lower courts all 0:27:36.800 --> 0:27:39.960 the way to the Supreme Court ruled that the document 0:27:40.240 --> 0:27:45.800 should be returned to Joe upon being awarded legally recognized 0:27:45.840 --> 0:27:50.000 ownership of the human Jingham here. In twenty eleven, Joe 0:27:50.040 --> 0:27:54.280 announced that he would donate the document to the CCHA, 0:27:54.920 --> 0:27:59.400 and in twenty twelve they held a donation ceremony shortly 0:27:59.440 --> 0:28:04.000 before Joe passed away. So if Joe donated the book 0:28:04.119 --> 0:28:09.400 to CHA, why haven't many people seen it? The donation 0:28:09.640 --> 0:28:15.399 ceremony was purely ceremonial. None of them actually had the book. 0:28:16.400 --> 0:28:20.480 Despite the fact that Bee was found legally responsible for 0:28:20.680 --> 0:28:25.840 returning the rare document to Joe, Bee refused and he 0:28:26.000 --> 0:28:32.080 hid the manuscript away. CCHA has conducted multiple raids on 0:28:32.160 --> 0:28:36.320 Bey's home and office, but they've been unable to find anything. 0:28:36.920 --> 0:28:41.000 To this day, Be still has the document hidden away. 0:28:42.000 --> 0:28:44.880 But I am not done regaling you with the journey 0:28:45.000 --> 0:28:48.880 of this human Jingham Here. Things got even messier in 0:28:48.960 --> 0:28:53.120 twenty fifteen when a fire broke out in Bey's home, 0:28:53.440 --> 0:28:58.000 where he was presumably hiding the document Be claims that 0:28:58.160 --> 0:29:01.400 he broke into his home while was on fire so 0:29:01.440 --> 0:29:05.120 that he could save the document. To prove his claim, 0:29:05.440 --> 0:29:08.920 he released a photo to the news showing the human 0:29:09.000 --> 0:29:13.400 Jingham here, still intact, but with its edges seared by 0:29:13.400 --> 0:29:18.640 the flames. After releasing those photos, Bey hid the document 0:29:18.680 --> 0:29:22.040 away again, and it is still in his possession to 0:29:22.280 --> 0:29:27.080 this day, despite many attempts by the CHA to recover it. 0:29:27.800 --> 0:29:32.200 Negotiations between Bey and the CHA over the document are 0:29:32.280 --> 0:29:37.120 still ongoing, but constantly stall out, with Bey asking for 0:29:37.520 --> 0:29:41.800 only one hundred billion wand which is only one tenth 0:29:42.000 --> 0:29:47.000 of the documents supposed one trillion one value, but the 0:29:47.400 --> 0:29:51.920 CHA is only offering him one hundred million one. We 0:29:52.040 --> 0:29:55.200 will have to stay tuned to see what twists and 0:29:55.320 --> 0:29:58.920 turns come next in the drama surrounding the document, but 0:29:59.000 --> 0:30:01.440 we can all hope that now one day it'll be 0:30:01.520 --> 0:30:05.000 available to the public to anyone who wishes to see 0:30:05.040 --> 0:30:09.560 a critical part of Hanghoul's history. After all, the language 0:30:09.600 --> 0:30:13.840 itself was meant to empower the people, its documents, and 0:30:13.920 --> 0:30:17.680 its history should be available, in my opinion, to the 0:30:17.720 --> 0:30:27.560 people as well. Noble Blood is a production of iHeart 0:30:27.640 --> 0:30:31.560 Radio and Grim and mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood 0:30:31.640 --> 0:30:35.440 is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and 0:30:35.560 --> 0:30:40.080 research by Hannah Johnston, Hannaswick, Courtney Sender, Amy Hit and 0:30:40.160 --> 0:30:44.840 Julia Melaney. The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk, 0:30:45.200 --> 0:30:50.960 with supervising producer rima il KLi and executive producers Aaron Manke, 0:30:51.320 --> 0:30:55.840 Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 0:30:56.080 --> 0:31:00.440 visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 0:31:00.440 --> 0:31:01.440 to your favorite shows.