The Korean Language (한글)

Overview: 

The Korean Language is a language spoken by most people in Korea. It was created by King Sejong 1443, and became widely used in 1446. King Sejong wanted his people to be able to read and write easier.

King Sejong and Hangul

Purpose: 

The purpose of this was to help common people write and understand. Women also could not use Japanese, so this language was created. These people could now write letters and anything others could. Women were not allowed to use the Chinese characters in the older version of Korean, so they started using Hangul.

Problem: 

Many wealthy and important people wanted the language gone, because they felt that knowing Japanese made them better than the peasants. King Sejong still felt that it was important for all of the people in his nation to be equal, so he kept the language.

History and Future: 

Hangul only became the official language at the end of the 19th century when King Kojong passed the Gabo reform. It was legal until the Japanese banned it in 1938. However, some people kept it alive during World War 2, and brought it back after the war ended. It is widely used in Korea today, and South Korea has a literacy rate of 98.8%. It will be continually used.

Hangul