Introduction

The Korean Alphabet, known as Hangeul (한글, "great script"), is considered to be one of the most efficient and logical writing systems in the world. It is also one of the very few alphabets that were created artificially, having not evolved from earlier hieroglyphics or ideographs, unlike most modern written languages.

Although it may appear to be ideographic to some westerners, similar to Chinese characters, the Korean alphabet is exactly that, an alphabet. Each individual block represents the sound of one syllable, with each block itself made up of individual letters (called jamo (자모/字母) ), much like the letters in the Latin alphabet, meaning that Hangeul is very easy to learn.

The shapes of the consonants are based upon the position and shape of the mouth and throat when pronounced, the vowels on the other hand, are based on the philosophy of the I Ching (commonly known as the "Book of Changes"), with the vertical line representing man, the horizontal line signifying Earth, and the dot (now in fact a short stroke) representing heaven.

Use of Chinese Writing

Korean has traditionally been written using Chinese characters, known as 'Hanja' (한자/漢字), which have been in use in Korea for over 2000 years. The widespread use of Chinese characters originated during the 2nd century BC, due to the occupation of large parts of northern Korea by the Chinese Han dynasty. This was aided by the introduction of the great Chinese text "Cheonjamun" (천자문/千字文) or the "Thousand Character Classic." Use of Hanja was also promoted with the rise of Buddhism in Korea.

By around 400 AD, classical Chinese was used exclusively for writing. This meant that while people spoke Korean, it had to be translated before being written down. This meant that to be literate, people had to learn classical Chinese and then had to be able to translate spoken Korean into Chinese. This approach proved unsatisfactory. Not only was it difficult, problems arose when trying to translate purely Korean words and concepts. In addition, the writing was that of a foreign language, and did in no way reflect Korean grammar or language.

To overcome this, three separate systems were developed for writing Korean with Chinese characters: Hyangchal (향찰/鄕札), Gugyeol (구결/口訣), and Idu (이두/吏讀)). Similar to those developed later in Japan, all three attempted to adapt Chinese writing for Korean use. The Hyangchal system used various Chinese characters to represent phonetically all the sounds of the Korean language, but never gained widespread use, and was mainly used in poetry. The Idu system, on the other hand, readily gained acceptance, and was used for several centuries, even after the invention of Hangeul.

Idu was a complicated system using Chinese characters along with special symbols to represent Korean verb endings and grammar markings. Characters were selected on their Chinese sound, their adapted Korean sound, or their meaning, while others were given a completely new sound and meaning. At the same time, 150 new Korean characters were invented, mainly for names of people and places. This process led to the Koreans borrowing large numbers of Chinese words, and made the Idu system overly complicated. Due to its complexity, eventually the Idu system made writing even more difficult to learn, and as such, only a very small minority of the male aristocracy ever gained literacy.

The Invention of Hunmin Jeongeum

By the 15th Century, most Koreans were illiterate. The Idu system made learning to write a long and difficult process, which involved years of study. According to legend, King Sejong (세종/世宗, reign 1418-1450), fourth King of the Joseon (조선/朝鮮) dynasty, a benevolent king, thought that it was unjust that the common people had no way of recording their thoughts and feelings, and that a new system of writing, based on the sounds of the Korean language would help them communicate. It was then, in 1442, that he and his scholars (it is unlikely that Sejong himself was involved in the actual design, it is more likely that he simply commissioned the work) went to work on the design of what eventually became Hunmin jeongeum (훈민정음 / 訓民正音), the "correct sounds for teaching the people." Hunmin jeongeum was invented in 1444 and officially proclaimed in 1446. Teachers were sent into the countryside to teach peasants in its use. For the first time, a large part of the Korean population could read and write.

The new writing system immediately came under attack from the intellectuals and the aristocracy, and was labelled Amgeul, (암글) "female script" as women were traditionally considered to be inferior to men and the writing was so easy it could be learnt by a woman; Ahaegeul (아해글) "childish script" because it could be easily learnt by a child; and Eonmun (언문/諺文) "vulgar or vernacular script;" among many others.

The writing system quickly fell out of favour after the end of Sejong's reign. So much so, that later Kings actually banned Hunmin jeongeum completely, and Idu, yet simplified, continued to be used by the government and the aristocracy.

Modern Use of Hangeul and Hanja

It was not until the 19th Century that a slightly modified version of Hunmin jeongeum started to rise in popularity again. Korea was no longer separated from the rest of the world, and the writing system represented national pride and independence. Around this time, Hunmin jeongeum was renamed to the current name of Hangeul (한글), which means "great or Korean script," and a society began to record the writing system. By this time, around four letters had been lost due to changes in the spoken language.

In 1894, Hangeul was once again used in official documents, after pressure from pro-Japanese politicians under the Gabo reform. Korea was then annexed by Japan in 1910, at which point Hangeul was again banned, although it continued to be taught (unofficially) in schools until 1937. During this period, most symbols of Korean nationalism were banned, and the Japanese culture was to be adopted and used instead.

At the end of World War II, Korea was liberated from Japan. At this point, the country was split between Soviet influenced North, and the US influenced South, and this division led to the Korean War (1950-53). In 1949, North Korea reinstated Hangeul as its exclusive writing system, and banned the use of Hanja completely. South Korea, on the other hand, reinstated Hangeul, but used it along side Hanja. Since the 1950s, however, the use of Hanja has dramatically dropped, and the number of characters taught in High School has fallen from a required 12,000 in 1956, to a now uncompulsory 1,800. Most commercial and unofficial documents and newspapers are now almost completely written in Hangeul, with Hanja used 1) where space is limited; 2) to prevent confusion between homophones written in Hangeul; or 3) as an abbreviation. Government documents still tend to use a mixture of Hanja and Hangeul. There has been widespread debate as to the future of Hanja in South Korea.

The decline in the use of Hanja also relates to the strong sense of pride that Koreans have in their country and their culture, especially since the end of Japanese occupation; Hanja, being foreign in origin, is sometimes said to represent the influence and domination of foreign cultures over Korea. Hangeul is seen as a key national symbol of Korean independence. This is shown in the pride that Koreans have for Hangeul, with both North and South having national holidays in its honour. (15th January and 9th October respectively).