Name

Although the appellation "the Great" (；) was given posthumously to almost every ruler of Goryeo and Joseon, this title is usually associated with Gwanggaeto and Sejong.

Early life

Sejong was born on 15 May 1397, the third son of King Taejong. When he was twelve, he became Grand Prince Chungnyeong (충녕대군). As a young prince, Sejong was favored by King Taejong over his two older brothers.

As the third son of Taejong, Sejong's ascension to the throne was unique. Taejong's eldest son, Yangnyeong, was named heir apparent in 1404. However, Yangnyeong's free spirited nature as well as his preference for hunting and leisure activities resulted in his removal from the position of heir apparent in June 1418. Though it is said that Yangnyeong abdicated in favor of his younger brother, there are no definitive records regarding Yangnyeong's removal. Taejong's second son Grand Prince Hyoryeong became a monk upon the elevation of his younger brother Sejong.

Following the removal of Yangnyeong as heir apparent, Taejong moved quickly to secure his youngest son's position as heir apparent. The government was purged of officials who disagreed with the removal of Yangnyeong. In August 1418, Taejong abdicated in favour of Sejong. However, even in retirement Taejong continued to influence government policy. Sejong's surprising political skill and creativity did not become apparent until after Taejong's death in 1422.

While making Hangul, Sejong slowly lost his sight. However, King Sejong continued to study and create Hangul, and until shortly before his death, he devoted himself to Hangul and passed away.

Governance

Religion

King Sejong reorganized the Korean government by appointing people from different social classes as civil servants. Furthermore, he performed official government events according to Confucianism, and he encouraged people to behave according to the teachings of Confucianism. As a result, Confucianism became the social norm of Korea at the time.

He suppressed Buddhism by banning outside Buddhist monks from entering Seoul and reduced the seven schools of Buddhism down to two, Seon and Gyo, drastically reducing the power and wealth of the Buddhist hierarchy.

In 1427, Sejong also ordered a decree against the Huihui (Korean Muslim) community that had had special status and stipends since the Yuan dynasty. The Huihui were forced to abandon their headgear, to close down their "ceremonial hall" (Mosque in the city of Kaesong) and worship like everyone else. No further mention of Muslims exist during the era of the Joseon.

Foreign policy

He collaborated closely with the Chinese Ming Dynasty. In relationship with Jurchen people, he installed 10 military posts, 4 counties and 6 garrisons (hangul: 사군육진 hanja: 四郡六鎭), in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula.

He opened three ports to trade with Japan. However, he also launched the Ōei Invasion to crush Japanese pirates (Wokou) in the East China Sea.

Military

King Sejong was an effective military planner. He created various military regulations to strengthen the safety of his kingdom, supported the advancement of Korean military technology, including cannon development. Different kinds of mortars and fire arrows were tested as well as the use of gunpowder.

In May 1419, King Sejong, under the advice and guidance of his father Taejong, embarked upon the Gihae Eastern Expedition, the ultimate goal of this military expedition to remove the nuisance of Japanese pirates who had been operating out of Tsushima Island. During the expedition, 245 Japanese were killed, and another 110 were captured in combat, while 180 Korean soldiers were killed. 146 Chinese and 8 Korean kidnapped were liberated by this expedition. In September 1419 a truce was made and the Korean army returned to Korea, but the Treaty of Gyehae was signed in 1443, in which the Daimyo of Tsushima promised to pay tribute to the King of Joseon; in return, the Joseon court rewarded the Sō clan with preferential rights regarding trade between Japan and Korea.

In 1433, Sejong sent Kim Jongseo (hangul: 김종서, hanja: 金宗瑞), a prominent general, north to destroy the Jurchens (later known as the Manchus). Kim's military campaign captured several castles, pushed north, and expanded Korean territory, to the Songhua River. 4 counties and 6 garrisons were established to safeguard the people from the Jurchens.

Science, technology, and agriculture

Sejong promoted the sciences. He wanted to help farmers so he decided to create a farmer's handbook. The book—the Nongsa jikseol (hangul: 농사직설, hanja: 農事直說)—contained information about the different farming techniques that he told scientists to gather in different regions of Korea. These techniques were needed in order to maintain the newly adopted methods of intensive, continuous cultivation in Korean agriculture.

One of his close associates was the great Korean inventor Jang Yeong-sil (hangul: 장영실, hanja: 蔣英實). Jang was naturally a creative and smart thinker as a young person. Sejong noticed Jang's skill and immediately called him to his court in Seoul. Upon giving Jang a government position and funding for his inventions, officials protested, believing a person from the lower classes should not rise to power among nobles. Sejong instead believed Jang merited support because of his ability. Jang created new significant designs for water clocks, armillary spheres, and sundials.

In 1442, Jang made one of the world's first standardized rain gauges named Cheugugi. This model has not survived, since the oldest existing Korean rain gauge is one made in 1770, during the reign period of King Yeongjo. According to the Daily Records of the Royal Secretariat (hangul: 승정원일기；hanja: 承政院日記), King Yeongjo wanted to revive the glorious times of King Sejong the Great, and so read chronicles of Sejong's era. When he came across mention of a rain gauge, King Yeongjo ordered a reproduction. Since there is a mark of the Qing Dynasty ruler Qianlong (r. 1735–1796) of China, dated 1770, this Korean-designed rain gauge is seen as having been imported from China.

Sejong also wanted to reform the Korean calendar system, which was at the time based upon the longitude of the Chinese capital. Sejong had his astronomers create a calendar with the Joseon capital of Seoul as the primary meridian. This new system allowed Korean astronomers to accurately predict the timing of solar and lunar eclipses.

In the realm of traditional Korean medicine, two important treatises were written during his reign. These were the Hyangyak jipseongbang and the Euibang yuchwi, which historian Kim Yongsik says represents "Koreans' efforts to develop their own system of medical knowledge, distinct from that of China."

Humanitarianism

In 1426, Sejong the Great enacted a law that granted government nobi women 100 days of maternity leave after childbirth, which, in 1430, was lengthened by one month before childbirth. In 1434, Sejong also granted the husbands 30 days of paternity leave.

In order to provide equality and fairness in taxation for the common people, Sejong the Great issued a royal decree to administer a nationwide public opinion poll regarding a new tax system called Gongbeop in 1430. Over the course of 5 months, the poll surveyed 172,806 people, of which approximately 57% responded with approval for the proposed reform.

Sejong depended on the agricultural produce of Joseon's farmers, so he allowed them to pay more or less tax according to fluctuations of economic prosperity or hard times. Because of this, farmers could worry less about tax quotas and work instead at surviving and selling their crops. Once the palace had a significant surplus of food, King Sejong then distributed food to poor peasants or farmers who needed it.

Literature

In 1429 Nongsa-jikseol (hangul: 농사직설, hanja: 農事直說, "Explanations of Agriculture") was compiled. It was the first book about Korean farming, dealing with agricultural subjects such as planting, harvesting, and soil treatment.

Most government officials opposed usage of hangul, preferring to continue to use Hanja.

Sejong was also a writer. He composed the famous Yongbi Eocheon Ga ("Songs of Flying Dragons", 1445), Seokbo Sangjeol ("Episodes from the Life of Buddha", July 1447), Worin Cheon-gang Jigok ("Songs of the Moon Shining on a Thousand Rivers", July 1447), and the reference Dongguk Jeong-un ("Dictionary of Proper Sino-Korean Pronunciation", September 1447).

In 1420 Sejong established the Hall of Worthies (; ; Jiphyeonjeon) at the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It consisted of scholars selected by the king. The Hall participated in various scholarly endeavors, of which the best known may be the compilation of the Hunmin Jeongeum.

Hangul

King Sejong the Great profoundly affected Korean history with his personal creation and introduction of hangul, the native phonetic writing system for the Korean language. Although it is widely assumed that King Sejong ordered the Hall of Worthies to invent Hangul, contemporary records such as the Veritable Records of King Sejong and Jeong Inji's preface to the Hunminjeongeum Haerye emphasize that he invented it himself.

Before the creation of Hangul, people in Korea (known as Joseon at the time) primarily wrote using Classical Chinese alongside phonetic writing systems based on Chinese script that predated Hangul by hundreds of years, including idu, hyangchal, gugyeol, and gakpil. However, due to the fundamental differences between the Korean and Chinese languages, and the large number of characters that needed to be learned, there was much difficulty in learning how to write using Chinese characters for the lower classes, who often lacked the privilege of education. To assuage this problem, King Sejong created the unique alphabet known as Hangul to promote literacy among the common people.

King Sejong created the Korean alphabet (which numbered 28 letters at its introduction, of which four letters have become obsolete), with the explicit goal being that Koreans from all classes would read and write. Each consonant letter is based on a simplified diagram of the patterns made by the human speech organs (the mouth, tongue and teeth) when producing the sound related to the character, while vowels were formed by combinations of dots and lines representing heaven (a circular dot), earth (a horizontal line) and humanity (a vertical line). Morphemes are built by writing the characters in syllabic blocks. The blocks of letters are then strung together linearly.

Hangul was completed in 1443 and published in 1446 along with a 33-page manual titled Hunmin Jeong-eum, explaining what the letters are as well as the philosophical theories and motives behind them. The Hunmin Jeong-eum purported that anyone could learn Hangul in a matter of days. People previously unfamiliar with Hangul can typically pronounce Korean script accurately after only a few hours of study.

Death

Sejong was blinded years later by diabetes complications that eventually took his life in 1450. He was buried at the Yeong Mausoleum (; ). His successor was his first son, Munjong. Sejong judged that his sickly son, Munjong, was unlikely to live long and on his deathbed asked the Hall of Worthies scholars to look after his young grandson, Danjong. As predicted, Munjong died two years after his accession, and political stability enjoyed under Sejong disintegrated when Danjong became the sixth king of Joseon at the age of twelve. Eventually, Sejong's second son, Sejo, usurped the throne from Danjong in 1455. When the six martyred ministers were implicated in a plot to restore Danjong to throne, Sejo abolished the Hall of Worthies, and executed Danjong and several ministers who served during Sejong's reign.

Family

• Father: King Taejong of Joseon (13 June 1367 – 30 May 1422) (조선 태종)

　• Grandfather: King Taejo of Joseon (27 October 1335 – 18 June 1408) (조선 태조)

　• Grandmother: Queen Shinui of the Anbyeon Han clan (September 1337 – 21 October 1391) (신의왕후 한씨)

• Mother: Queen Wongyeong of the Yeoheung Min clan (11 July 1365 – 10 July 1420) (원경왕후 민씨)

　• Grandfather: Min Je (1339 – 1408) (민제)

　• Grandmother: Lady Song of the Yeosan Song clan (1342 – 1424) (여산 송씨)

• Consorts and their Respective Issue(s):

• Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan (12 October 1395 – 19 April 1446) (소헌왕후 심씨)

• # Princess Jeongso (1412 – 1424) (정소공주)

• # Yi Hyang, Crown Prince Hyang (15 November 1414 – 1 June 1452) (왕세자 향)

• # Princess Jeongui (1415 – 11 February 1477) (정의공주)

• # Yi Yu, Grand Prince Suyang (2 November 1417 – 23 September 1468) (이유 수양대군)

• # Yi Yong, Grand Prince Anpyeong (18 October 1418 – 18 November 1453) (이용 안평대군)

• # Yi Gu, Grand Prince Imyeong (6 January 1420 – 21 January 1469) (이구 임영대군)

• # Yi Yeo, Grand Prince Gwangpyeong (2 May 1425 – 7 December 1444) (이여 광평대군)

• # Yi Yu, Grand Prince Geumseong (5 May 1426 – 7 November 1457) (이유 금성대군)

• # Yi Im, Grand Prince Pyeongwon (18 November 1427 – 16 January 1445) (이임 평원대군)

• # Yi Yeom, Grand Prince Yeongeung (23 May 1434 – 2 February 1467) (이염 영응대군)

• Royal Noble Consort Yeong of the Jinju Kang clan (영빈 강씨)

• # Yi Yeong, Prince Hwaui (1425 – 1460) (이영 화의군)

• Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Cheongju Kim clan (1406 – 4 September 1464) (신빈 김씨)

• # Unnamed daughter (? - 1426)

• # Yi Jeung, Prince Gyeyang (1427 – 16 August 1464) (이증 계양군)

• # Yi Gong, Prince Uichang (1428 – 1460) (이공 의창군)

• # Unnamed daughter (? - 1429)

• # Yi Chim, Prince Milseong (1430 – 1479) (이침 밀성군)

• # Yi Yeon, Prince Ikhyeon (1431 – 1463) (이연 익현군)

• # Yi Dang, Prince Yeonghae (1435 – 1477) (이당 영해군)

• # Yi Geo, Prince Damyang (1439 – August 1450) (이거 담양군)

• Royal Noble Consort Hye of the Cheongju Yang clan (? – 9 November 1455) (혜빈 양씨)

• # Yi Eo, Prince Hannam (5 October 1429 – 29 June 1459) (이어 한남군)

• # Yi Hyeon, Prince Suchun (1431 – 1455) (이현 수춘군)

• # Yi Jeon, Prince Yeongpung (17 September 1434 – 22 July 1456) (이전 영풍군)

• Royal Consort Gwi-in of the Miryang Park clan (귀인 박씨)

• Royal Consort Gwi-in of the Jeonju Choi clan (귀인 최씨)

• Royal Consort Suk-ui of the Jo clan (숙의 조씨)

• Royal Consort So-yong of the Hong clan (? – 4 February 1452) (소용 홍씨)

• Royal Consort Suk-won of the Lee clan (숙원 이씨)

• # Princess Jeongan (1438 – 1461) (정안옹주)

• Consort Sang-chim of the Song clan (1396 - 1463) (상침 송씨)

• # Princess Jeonghyeon (1425 - 1480) (정현옹주)

• Consort Sa-gi of the Cha clan (? – 10 July 1444) (사기 차씨)

• # An unnamed daughter (1430 – 1431)

• Lady Sangsik of the Hwang clan (상식 황씨)

• Lady Jeonchan of the Park clan (전찬 박씨)

Official posthumous titles

• Hanja: 世宗莊憲英文睿武仁聖明孝大王

• Hangul: 세종장헌영문예무인성명효대왕

• English: King Sejong Jangheon Yeongmun Yemu Inseong Myeonghyo the Great

Legacy

Statue and museum exhibit

A bronze statue of King Sejong was placed in 2009 on a concrete pedestal on the boulevard of Gwanghwamun Square and directly in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. The sculptor was Kim Young-won. The pedestal contains one of several entrances to the 3,200 square meter, underground museum exhibit entitled "The Story of King Sejong". It was dedicated on Hangul Day in celebration of the 563rd anniversary of the invention of the Korean alphabet by King Sejong.

Namesake from Sejong

The street Sejongno and the Sejong Centre for the Performing Arts, both located in central Seoul, are named after King Sejong.

In early 2007, the Republic of Korea government decided to create a special administrative district from part of the present Chungcheongnam-do Province, near what is presently Daejeon. The district was named Sejong Special Autonomous City.

Portrait in Korean currency

A portrait of Sejong is featured on the 10,000 won banknote of the South Korean won, along with various scientific tools invented under his reign.

Depiction in arts and media

The life of Sejong was depicted in the KBS Korean historical drama King Sejong the Great in 2008. Sejong is also depicted in the 2011 SBS drama Deep Rooted Tree and 2016 KBS1 drama Jang Yeong-sil.

• Portrayed by Han In Soo in the 1983 MBC TV series 500 Years of Joseon Dynasty:Tree with deep Roots.

• Portrayed by Song Jae-ho in the 1998-2000 KBS TV series King and Queen.

• Portrayed by Kim Sang-kyung in the 2008 KBS2 TV series King Sejong the Great and in the 2016 KBS1 TV series Jang Yeong-sil.

• Portrayed by Lee Hyun-woo in the 2008 KBS2 TV series King Sejong the Great.

• Portrayed by Ahn Sung-ki in the 2008 film The Divine Weapon.

• Portrayed by Jeon Moo-song in the 2011 JTBC TV series Insu, The Queen Mother.

• Portrayed by Han Suk-kyu, Song Joong-ki and Kang San in the 2011 SBS TV series Deep Rooted Tree.

• Portrayed by Ju Ji-hoon in the 2012 film I Am the King.

• Portrayed by Yoon Doo-joon in the 2015 MBC TV series Splash Splash Love.

• Portrayed by Han Suk-kyu in the 2019 film Forbidden Dream

• Portrayed by Song Kang-ho in the 2019 film The King's Letters

• Portrayed by Jang Dong-yoon in the 2021 SBS TV series Joseon Exorcist

Depiction in video games

• Leader of the Korean civilization in Sid Meier's Civilization V

• Leader of the Korean civilization in Civilization Revolution 2

• King Sejong Station LE, a major tournament map in the game StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm

• Starting ruler of Korea in Europa Universalis IV

生平經歷

世宗生于1397年（洪武三十年，朝鮮太祖六年）四月十日，是朝鮮太宗與元敬王后閔氏的第三個兒子。1408年，（永樂六年，朝鮮太宗八年），12歲時被封為忠寧君，和沈氏（後來的昭憲王后）結婚。1413年進封忠寧大君。

世宗才華橫溢，很受太宗喜愛。相反世宗的兩位兄長卻毫無王者風範，並粗魯阻撓太宗傳位給世宗。兩人後來被逐出宮。太宗長子讓寧大君隱居深山，二子則剃髮出家。1418年，太宗禪讓，世宗即位，不過太宗在宮內仍掌握軍事大權直到其1422年去世。

世宗在位期間，朝鮮社會文化得到長足發展，國家繁榮強大。世宗被認為是朝鮮王朝的最出色的國王之一，因此被尊稱為「世宗大王」。

1450年世宗去世，初葬廣州獻陵，1469年睿宗將其移葬驪州城山英陵。

主要成就

鞏固軍事

1419年5月，世宗在太宗的建議下，發起己亥東征，目的是清除對馬海峽倭寇的侵擾。此役朝鮮軍擊斃倭寇700名、逮捕110名，並釋放了至少140名被倭寇抓走的中國人。朝鮮方面則有180人陣亡。1419年9月，對馬海峽倭寇首領平真盛被捉獲，並押到朝鮮王宮。1443年，癸亥條約簽訂，對馬海峽倭寇首領接受朝鮮王朝對該海域的宗主權，而朝鮮方面也給與平氏倭寇在對馬海峽與朝鮮的貿易優先權。

在北部邊疆，世宗下令修建了四郡六鎮以加強邊防。世宗還制定了諸多鞏固國防的法規，並倡導新武器的發明和發展。在世宗的帶領下，朝鮮研製出了許多火箭及火炮，如對神機箭的改造。

1433年，世宗派金宗瑞擊敗女真兀狄哈部落，鞏固了對朝鮮半島東北部咸鏡道等地方的統治。

目前朝鮮半島的領土基本上與世宗時期相符。

發展科技

世宗時期朝鮮的科學技術得到迅猛發展。世宗下令讓人整理朝鮮半島各地的農耕技術，並編定成書，以幫助農民提高農業產量。1429年在世宗監督下寫成的《農事直說》是朝鮮第一部農書，記錄了種植、收穫、播種和土壤處理等農業技術。世宗還根據朝鮮的經濟狀況，調節農稅。使農民可以用心耕作，不用擔心農民稅。宮廷儲糧有盈餘時，世宗還會將餘糧發放給窮人。

世宗時期朝鮮有一位有名的發明家蔣英實。蔣英實天資聰明但出身低微。世宗的父親太宗發現蔣英實的才華後立即將其叫到宮中授予官職，並命其進行發明。太宗此舉受到宮內大臣的抗議，認為像蔣英實出身這麼低微的人是不可以給與此地位的。但世宗卻對蔣英實充滿信心。在世宗的支持下，蔣英實參考中國和阿拉伯典籍研製出朝鮮王朝自己的水鐘、渾天儀和日晷。

蔣英實最著名的發明是他1442年發明的朝鮮半島歷史上第一個雨量計，一個用于測量雨水的標準體積的容器。不過他的發明並沒有保留下來。現存最早的雨量計是1770年朝鮮英祖時期製作的。據《承政院日記》記載，朝鮮英祖希望恢復朝鮮在世宗時期的繁榮。在世宗時期的年鑑中，英祖發現了雨量計，于是下令複製。

世宗還下令改革曆法，將朝鮮曆法緯度從北京改為漢城。新的曆法使朝鮮天文學家更加準確預定日食和月食的時間。

世宗時期，朝鮮傳統醫學也得到很大發展。《醫方類聚》和《鄉藥集成方》的發表被一些歷史學者認為是朝鮮傳統醫學與中醫的分水嶺。

文化

語言文學

世宗大力倡導朝鮮臣民學習文學。世宗在景福宮建立集賢殿，親自選拔人才進行各種的學術研究。

其中最著名的是1443年的《訓民正音》的編輯和諺文書寫系統的發明。

朝鮮諺文的發明大大提高了朝鮮平民的文化普及，世宗參觀海印寺看到門窗的花格創造出獨特且方便的書寫文字，逐漸形成今天的朝鮮語。

世宗本人的文學水平很高，著有《龍飛御天歌》及《釋譜詳節》等書。

取締伊斯蘭教

1427年農曆四月初四，禮曹建議取締伊斯蘭教服裝、祝頌禮，世宗表示贊成。高麗時期，元朝穆斯林隨蒙古人進入高麗，傳播伊斯蘭教，李朝初期，沿襲了高麗的做法，允許伊斯蘭教禮儀朝賀，惟因憂慮影響朝鮮的儒教文化，至此被取締。此後伊斯蘭教在韓國幾乎不存在。在20世紀大韓民國成立後，為引進外來勞工才重新引入。

家庭成員

王后

後宮

子女

子

女

後世紀念

由於世宗對韓國的影響之大，今日的韓國，有許多事物以紀念世宗大王來命名。的正面圖案即為世宗大王頭像。在韓國首都首爾，以世宗命名的設施有世宗文化會館、世宗路等。

韓國國軍的世宗大王級驅逐艦以世宗命名。

韓國的南極科學考察站世宗科學基地以世宗命名。

韓國從2007年起籌建的新行政首都也以世宗之名稱為「世宗特別自治市」。

國際跆拳道聯盟共有二十四套拳法，其中的一個套路也為紀念他而命名為「世宗」。

相關影視作品

• 世宗大王：1970年KBS電視劇，南一祐飾

• 世宗大王：1978年電影，飾

• 朝鮮王朝五百年－：1983年MBC電視劇，飾

• 龍之淚：1996年KBS電視劇，安在模飾

• 王與妃：1998年KBS電視劇，飾

• 大王世宗：2008年KBS電視劇，李玹雨、金相慶飾

• 神機箭：2008年電影，安聖基飾

• 根深蒂固的樹：2011年SBS電視劇，宋仲基、韓石圭飾

• 仁粹大妃：2011年JTBC電視劇，全茂松飾

• 我是王：2012年電影，朱智勳飾

• 撲通撲通LOVE：2015年MBC特別劇，尹斗俊飾

• 六龍飛天：2015年KBS電視劇，南多凜飾

• 蔣英實：2016年KBS電視劇，金相慶飾

• 朝鮮驅魔師：2021年SBS電視劇，張東潤飾

• 王的文字：2019年韓國電影 宋康昊 飾