1. Krizandra Halal Option C - Korea - Hangul
As one of the most renowned rulers in Korean history, King Sejong, better known as Sejong the Great, was a scholarly emperor who is credited with producing groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
Through his benevolence, dedication and passion for knowledge, he was able to contribute greatly to the Chinese culture and prosperity of the nation, making Korea the most scientifically developed country in East Asia.1 He is credited with helping produce the cheugugi (an instrument that gauges rainfall) and jagyeongnu (device designed to measure time by observing a flow of water). However, the most revolutionary creation, by far, was his invention of the Korean alphabet - Hangul.
Hangul contains 24 phonetic symbols. The consonants are patterned after speech organs and the vowels were created in representation of the sky, earth and man. Prior to the creation of Hangul, Koreans were utilizing Chinese characters, which were not commonly understood by the public.
The production of Hangul was initially met with resistance from government officials and upper-class citizens who viewed these Chinese characters as superior and utilized them as a means of asserting their power. Thus, by inventing Hangul, Sejong the Great sought to eliminate the hardships of the illiterate and enhance their lives in the hopes of establishing universal literacy.
Language is at the core of cultural legacy - it molds national spirit and the way its citizens think.2 Therefore, it is obvious that Hangul is more than just an alphabet - it is the Korean identity. Before Hangul, Korea was culturally and intellectually colonized by China. Thus, its creation established a foundation of the Korean identity, creating higher levels of literacy and education nationwide.
Hangul became a tool for true Korean literature and works exemplify Korea's classic prose and poetry. Novels in Hangul expressed ideas in far more depth than could have even been using Chinese characters. Additionally, from 1910-1945, Japan colonized Korea and banned Chinese and Korean scripts. Therefore, Hangul served as a means of resistance to the Japanese colonial government and using the alphabet was considered patriotic.
Today, Koreans use Hangul exclusively. The alphabet has developed into one of world's most logical, concise and artistic languages. As a result, the country has become one of the most advanced nations in the world possessing one of the highest rates of literacy and education.
2. Jeong Hyun Min Hangul In Korea- Option C
Hangul is a unique alphabetic system that is used by the Koreans and was established during the reign of King Sejong. He is one of the most popular and innovative leaders or kings in Korea, Asia, and the world due to his unwavering support towards critical aspects such as the creation of policies, literature, military, science, and technology which would improve the living standards and conditions of the citizens primarily the ordinary people.
However, King Sejong is mostly remembered for inventing the Hangul which was meant to replace the Chinese characters that were earlier being used as a form of writing in Korea. The Hangul constitutes of twenty-four alphabets in which ten of them are vowels and the rest fourteen characters are consonants. The alphabets in the Hangul were depicting the different sounds of the Korean language thus facilitating effective writing through the constructive structuring of the sentences (Szczepanski, 2017).
Hangul was initially established in 1443 through a close working relationship between King Sejong and his advisers. However, the King had to wait until 1446 to publicly release the Hangul to his close allies and the other Koreans. He encouraged the citizens to learn the alphabets because they were simple to study and understand.
The research indicates that the sharp-minded people could only spend few hours to understand the alphabets while the average people could take few days in mastering the entire system. Originally, this alphabetic system was highly criticized by the social elites because this category of Koreans could comfortably use the Chinese characters as writing and communication tools.
These elites claimed that Hangul was inappropriate and unrefined. It is argued that the elite were against the Korean alphabetic system because their wish was for the ordinary citizens to remain illiterate. Paradoxically, these scholar elites were astonished by how fast the system spread among the Koreans mainly in the areas where most of the people could hardly access the education services in the learning institutions. Despite its early invention in Korea, Hangul remains to be amongst the topmost logical and scientifically designed writing systems across the whole world to-date (Szczepanski, 2017).
The development of Hangul was so important because the common citizens, who form the majority segment of the entire Korea population, were illiterate. Most of these ordinary people remained ignorant towards the Chinese writing system and they regarded it as complex and difficult to learn and understand. Therefore, the invention of Hangul by King Sejong and his close counterparts was very critical because it would mark a new beginning to the common people who could become literate by learning the writing system that used the local sounds or characters.
The Korean alphabetic system was also significant in that it could help the Koreans to express their feelings and thoughts on different issues not only through oral communication but also through accurate writing. Hangul could also enable the Koreans to read any information written by the Korean sounds. Also, the system is unique since it was initiated by a Korean to primarily help the Koreans (zKorean, 2018).
Unlike the Chinese writing system, the Hangul was distinctive in nature. The Korean based system was unique because its letters are specifically from the Korean local language. Consequently, Hangul seemed to be unique due to its simplicity with regards to its easier learning and understanding capabilities among the Koreans.
The language is also distinctive because it has few numbers of alphabets which enables the people from Korea and other foreign nations to learn with ease. For instance, it is asserted that a kid of age ranging from two to three ages can express his or her thoughts using Hangul.
The invention of Hangul in Korea was of great significance to the Koreans. The Korean alphabetic system assisted in the provision of equal access to educational facilities and programs amongst the rich and the poor in Korea. Consequently, the Hangul was simple to learn and understand thus facilitating considerable reduction or elimination of illiteracy among the Koreans. The system also promoted the quality of lives of the Koreans since they could read and write.
The new Korean writing approach helped the people to record vital information concerning agricultural practices and the outputs received. Literacy meant that the Koreans could express their thoughts using their own local language thus creating a sense of national and cultural identity (zKorean, 2018).
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