History of Korean Language

In the 15th century, the Koreans were suffering from illiteracy and the difficulty of Chinese. The wise King Sejong decided to limit the illiteracy of his people and also to create a language for his people so that the state would become its own entity and not belong to any kingdom.

He gathered the best scholars in his time and laid down the principles and bases of the language to be easy to learn and read. They invented the current Korean characters, known as "굴굴 هان" and also called "훈민정음 hoon-min-jeong-eum" which means authentic Korean characters.

In conjunction with the Hanghal industry, King Sejong issued a book explaining Hangel's principles and methods of use. This book was recorded in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The organization was awarded the King Sejong Award for the first time in 1989 and is awarded annually to those who contributed to the eradication of illiteracy in various countries of the world.