Jiphyonjeon
The Hall of Worthies
Visit the Hall of Worthies Library
The Hall of Worthies (Jiphyonjeon or Chipyon chon) was established by King Sejong, often referred to as “King Sejong The Great,” fourth king of the Choson (or Joseon) dynasty. Born in 1397, he ascended the throne at the age of 21 in 1418.
Much like England’s Alfred the Great, King Sejong promoted learning and the value of his own country’s language. It was he who created the Korean Hangul alphabet. Until then the country had been using the classical Chinese alphabet which did not adequately reflect the Korean language. The new alphabet allowed the general population to become widely literate.
Considered not only an excellent scholar, Sejong was also widely admired as a philologist, musician, poet and swordsman who had the ability to balance all his traits. "Unlike many other occupations,” he wrote in a letter to the scholar Song Sammun, “scholars have the greatest responsibility to the people. Their work can ultimately improve the lives of all people for many decades. But if an academic becomes lost in his study, he cannot see how his work can benefit others. Therefore, like a well-balanced fencing stance, or a reasonable argument, the scholar's life must be even and balanced."
Only two years into his reign he gathered together the best scholars and writers of his age whom he charged with the task of creating works on history, geography, astronomy, mathematics, military science, pharmacology, and agriculture as well as encyclopedias on Chinese and Korean medicine.
Meanwhile, Sejong busied himself with the creation of the Korean alphabet, Hunminjeongeum or "proper sounds to instruct the people." He completed the work in 1443 and wrote a preface explaining the new alphabet. He also had the scholars of his Hall of Worthies contribute their own explanations and examples of the use of the letters. In 1446 he published the result under the name Hunminjeongeum, which was both the title of the book and the name of the alphabet. Originally containing 28 letters, today’s version has dropped four of them and was given the name “Hangeul” (Great Letters) in the early part of the 20th century.
During this time there arose a movement towards Confucianism and a repression of Buddhism. Although King Sejong himself seems to have been rather ambivalent towards the issue and opposed "sudden changes," his own Hall of Worthies was far more forthcoming. Yun Hoe, Deputy Director of the Hall of Worthies, along with other of his fellow scholars, submitted a document to King Sejong declaring that "of all the heterodox teachings, Buddhism is the worst."
Despite his success as a king, Sejong’s rule was followed by a struggle for power. Following rules by his son and grandson, his uncle, King Sejo, usurped the throne with a series of bloody purges, especially among the scholars. Six of the most distinguished were killed (along with hundreds of others) and became known as the Sa yuksin or Six Martyrs. Due to the animosity between King Sejo and so many of the scholars in the Hall of Worthies, Sejo disbanded the institution in 1456, although he continued with similar work through his Office of Special Advisors.
Easily the most beloved king of Korea’s long history, Sejong died in 1450 at the age of 54 and his tomb and Sejong Hall are considered to be beautiful and fitting tributes to him.
References
King Sejong: Korea's Finest Ruler by Alain Burrese (June 23, 1997 issue of the Korea Herald)
Hunminjeongeum - Korean National Heritage Online
A Concise History of Korea: From the Neolithic Period through the Nineteenth Century by Micheal J. Seth
Hall of Worthies, Wikipedia, Wikipedia
Sources of Korean Tradition: Volume One: From Early Times Through the Sixteenth Century by Lee and Wm. Theodore de Bary, Editors
Credits
Hall of Worthes by Jia Li Shen Chi and Hakuin Jimmu
Scroll graphics by Shibori Murasaka
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Featured February 26 , 2008
