33 Keys to Decoding the Korean Wave, Hallyu 

#10 Hangeul, the Korean Alphabet 

Homer Hulbert and the World's praise of Hangeul

 

#10 호머 헐버트와 세계인들의 한글예찬 Hangeul, the Korean Alphabet <Korean version>

http://www.nyculturebeat.com/?mid=Focus&document_srl=4076838

 

 

Nobel Prize-winning  writers such as Pearl S. Buck and Jean-Marie Gustav Le Clezio and linguists around the world have praised Hangul, the Korean alphabet, as a "scientific letter," "King Sejong is a genius," and "Hangul is a gift from Korea to the world."

 

There were other Westerners who discovered the excellence of Hangeul far ahead of them. Homer Hulbert (1863-1949), was an American missionary who went to Joseon at the age of 23 in 1886. He learned to read and write Hangeul in four days, and three years later, he wrote a textbook (Samin Pilji) in Hangeul, and published books on Korean culture and history. As an advisor to Emperor Gojong, he took the lead in promoting Korea's independence. Hulbert, who wrote, "There is no alphabet in the world comparable to Hangeul" (1905), was buried in Korean soil.

 

Today, people around the world are eager to learn Hangeul amidst the Korean wave, including K-Pop and K-drama. In January 2023, CNN reported in an article titled "South Korea brought K-pop and K-dramas to the world. The Korean language could be next." that Korean was the seventh most-studied language in 2022 on the learning app, Duolingo. The most downloaded language apps of 2022 were English at #1, Spanish at #2, French at #3, then German, Japanese, Italian, and Korean at #7, followed by Chinese, Russian, and Hindi. Korean is the most learned foreign language in the Philippines, and it also ranked high in Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan. The Korean language boom is thanks to the Korean Wave, “Hallyu”. 

 

 

#Praise of Hangeul by World-class Writers & Linguists

 

Pearl Buck's Korean-set novel 'The Living Reed' (1963) features "Arirang" lyrics on the cover.(left)/ Pearl Buck and the children of Sosa Opportunity Center in Bucheon. Photo: Bucheon Cultural Foundation

 

"It is the simplest writing system in the world. By combining consonants and vowels, any language and sound can be written. Sejong is the Korean Leonardo da Vinci as he is gifted with deep and various talents." 

-Pearl S. Buck, 1938 Nobel Prize-winning novelist-

 

Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), author of 'The Good Earth', was born in Hillsboro, West Virginia, who at the age of five months was taken by her missionary parents to spend her childhood in China. She developed her skills as a writer by reading Chinese classics such as “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” (14th century) and “Water Margin” (1524). She visited Korea several times, and made herself a Korean name, Park Jin-joo (朴眞珠).

 

In the introduction to "The Living Reed" (1963), a saga about a man's life from the end of the Korean Empire to liberation, Pearl Buck wrote that Korea was “a gem of a country inhabited by a noble people.” In 1964, she founded the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, which arranges adoptions of Korean War orphans and children of mixed race. In 1968, she published “The New Year,” a novel about children of mixed Korean descent. Buck won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932, and in 1938 she became the first American female author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. 

 

 

 

"One day is enough to master reading Korean. Hangeul is a very scientific and convenient alphabet system for communication."

-Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, 2008 Nobel Prize-winning novelist-

 

French novelist Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (1940- ), winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature, was fascinated by Korea after visiting the country for the first time in 2001, and taught French literature at Ewha Womans University. Le Clezio learned Hangeul on his own, and in 2017 published a novel titled “Bitna, sous le ciel de Séoul” (Under the Sky of Seoul).

 

"Koreans invented the solely creative and amazing alphabetic writing system called Hangeul for the Korean people. Hangeul is perhaps the most scientific system of writing in general use in any country." 

-Edwin O. Reischauer, Harvard University & U.S. Ambassador to Japan-

 

Edwin O. Reischauer (1910-1990), who was born in Japan, was the son of an American missionary, who majored in Japanese history at Harvard University and served as the US Ambassador to Japan (1961-66). He visited Korea in 1938 and, together with Professor George McAfee McCune (1908-1948), created the 'McCune-Reischauer Romanization', a method of Romanizing Korean.

 

 

James D. McCawley, Professor at the University of Chicago *James McCawley's Interview About Hangul, 1996 <YouTube>

 

"Hangeul is the most ingeniously designed writing system in the world. … The achievements of the creators of Hangeul in the 1440s are amazing even by linguistic standards 500 years later. … All linguists around the world I think celebrate it [Hangeul Day] as a national holiday  is a natural and appropriate response. ... For the past 20 years, I have invited linguists, colleagues, students, and friends to prepare Korean food and celebrate Hangeul Day as our holiday."

-James D. McCawley (1938-1999), Professor, University of Chicago 

 

"Hangeul is the best alphabet, that all the languages have dreamed of." 

-John Man, author of “Alpha Beta: How 26 Letters shaped the Western World,” 2000-

 

"Whether or not it is ultimately the best of all conceivable scripts for Korean, Hangeul must unquestionably rank as one of the great intellectual achievements of humankind." 

-Geoffrey Sampson, Professor of Natural Language Computing in the Department of Informatics, University of Sussex-

 

"The significant feature of Hangeul is that the shapes of the symbols in this alphabet reflect the phonological relationships … Hangeul is Korea's gift to the world. While Hangeul is a symbol of Korean culture of the highest order, it has a significance that transcends any one country." 

-Samuel Robert Ramsey, Professor of East Asian Linguistics, University of Maryland-

 

#Homer Hulbert's 'A Korean Odyssey'

 

"There is no alphabet comparable to Hangeul anywhere in the world."

-Homer Hulbert, 'The History of Korea' (1905)-

 

Books about Homer Hulbert published in Korea 

 

Long before linguists and literary figures around the world praised Hangeul, there were Westerners who were fascinated by Hunminjeongeum. Homer Hulbert (1863-1949), a 23-year-old missionary who went to Joseon in 1886, saw the excellence of Hangeul early on. Born in New Haven, Vermont, Hulbert attended Dartmouth College and then Union Theological Seminary in New York. In the 23rd year of King Gojong's reign, he arrived at Jemulpo Port (present Incheon) by boat. He taught English at Yukyeong Park (Royal English School), the first modern educational institution. Then, he himself started learning Hangeul, and was able to read and write in four days. Three years later he published a book in Korean.

 

Published in 1889, the world geography textbook “Samin Pilji” (means "knowledge that scholars and the people should know") includes maps for each country along with history, geography, region, number of cities, climate, population, race, language.  It was Korea's first world geography book, covering capital, industry, special products, import and export items and scale, political system, punishment, class of status, education, religion, tax system, military system, and customs. It was 7 years ahead of "The Independent'', which was the first Korean newspaper in Korea in 1896.  2,000 copies of the first edition were published. In 1895, Baek Nam-gyu and Lee Myeong-sang translated and published it in Chinese, and in 2020, Somyeong Publishing published the original and modern translation. 

 

Homer Hulbert's world geography book written in Korean, “Samin Pilji” (left) / “Samin Pilji” published in 2020

 

Hulbert contributed a column on 'The Korean Language' to the New York Tribune in 1889, and praised King Sejong's invention of Hangeul as a brilliant achievement in human history in “The Korean Alphabet” in 1892.  In 1903, he wrote in an annual report for the Smithsonian Institution that "the Korean language surpasses the English alphabet as a medium of communication." 

 

In “The History of Korea” published in 1905, Hulbert wrote, "There is no alphabet comparable to Hangeul anywhere in the world. He [King Sejong] was a true king of the people who left behind achievements.” Hulbert, who continued his research on Hangeul, published papers such as “Korean Etymology”, “The Hun-min Chong-eum (Hunminjeongeum)”, and “Spelling Reform”.

 

Homer Hulbert suggested horizontal writing, word spacing, comma and period of Hangeul./ Ju Si-gyeong, linguist

 

In 1894, while Hulbert was teaching students in the Korean language at Paichai Hakdang, the first modern school, 18-year-old Ju Si-gyeong (1876-1914) entered the school. Hulbert asked, "Joseon alphabet is the most excellent script in the world. Why do you use Chinese characters that are difficult to write and understand?" Ju Si-gyeong, who learned Chinese studies at a village school, was shocked by Hulbert’s question, and began studying Hunminjeongeum. In 1896, Hulbert and Soh Jaipil (1864-1951), who returned from the United States, founded the English/Korean version of 'The Independent', and Ju Si-gyeong worked at the Independent as an accountant and Korean proofreader.

 

Hulbert later instructed Ju on how to write spaces, write to the right, commas, periods, and write Korean in Roman characters. Ju coined the term “Hangeul” and established the grammatical system of the Korean language and wrote “Sounds of the Language” (1914). Ju Si-gyeong, who led the spread of the Korean language, influenced the younger generation by insisting on the new consonant (final sound of a syllable), the abolition of Chinese characters, the purification of Chinese characters, and the writing of Hangeul.

 

Homer Hulbert: Champion of Hangeul and Korea's Independence

 

 

 

Arirang sheet music and lyrics published in “The Korean Repository” in 1896

 

Homer Hulbert recorded and distributed with affection not only Hangeul but also Korean culture as a whole. In 1892, he published “The Korean Repository”, a Korean newsletter, and in 1896 recorded the song “Arirang (Mungyeong Saejae version)”, which had only been transmitted orally, as the first sheet music. Under the title of 'Korean Vocal Music', he wrote the lyrics in English, “Ararung ararung arario ararung ...olsa pai ddiora. Mungyungsaichai paktalnamu...hongdokai pangmaingi tanakanda.”  In 2013, Mungyeong City, Gyeongsangbuk-do, installed the Mungyeong Saejae Arirang Monument with a score engraved with Hulbert's name. 

 

He also took the lead in promoting Korea abroad. In 1901, he founded “Korea Review”, an English monthly magazine, and published “The History of Korea” (1905), the first English history of Korea written by a foreigner, and “The Passing of Korea (History of the Fall of the Korean Empire, 1906)”, which commented on Korea's cultural heritage, and criticized Japan. Also, he translated Korean proverbs and folktales into English.

 

Homer Hulbert, who was an advisor to Emperor Gojong, also criticized colonialism abroad and Japan's injustice after the Eulmi Incident (Empress Myeongseong, wife of Gojong, was assassinated by Japanese) in 1895. In 1905, when Japanese pressure intensified, Emperor Gojong delivered a personal letter to US President Theodore Roosevelt through Hulbert, asking for assistance to prevent Japan from controlling Korea. However, Roosevelt had already signed a clandestine Katsura Taft Agreement with Japan, giving Korea to Japan in exchange for the United States receiving the Philippines.

 

In 1907, Hulbert attended the international peace conferences at The Hague with Emperor Gojong's three secret envoys (Lee Jun, Lee Sang-seol, and Lee Wi-jong) and exposed Japan's illegality. The Japanese Empire, indignant at this, expelled Hulbert from the Korean Empire. 

 

However, Hulbert also supported Soh Jaipil and Rhee Syngman's independence movement in the United States. Meanwhile, the New York Times published a Japanese Scholar, K. K. Kawakami's critique of Hulbert's book "THE PASSING OF KOREA. Homer D. Hulbert's Important Book About the Little Peninsula" in 1906, a critique of Hulbert's book "The Passing of Korea". 

 

 

Books by Homer Hulbert 

 

In 1949, at the invitation of Korea's first President Rhee Syngman, who was his student, Hulbert visited Korea for the first time in 42 years. Hulbert, who was 86 years old and had been on the ship for nearly a month from San Francisco to Korea, developed pneumonia. He passed away a week after stepping on Korean soil. He was interred at the Yanghwajin (present Hapjeong-dong) Foreigners' Cemetery in Seoul. His tombstone was engraved with the statement he gave to an Associated Press reporter before boarding the ship, "I would rather be buried in Korea than in Westminster Abbey."

 

In 1950, the Korean government awarded him the Taegeukjang, the first foreigner to receive the Order of Merit for National Foundation. In July 2013, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs of Korea also honored Hulbert’s work as an Independence Activist. 

 

The Chosŏn One, The influence of Homer Hulbert, class of 1884, lives on in a country far from his home, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, 2015  

 

"Koreans are one of the most outstanding peoples in the world."

 

Kim Dong-jin, who founded the Hulbert Memorial Society in 1999, found an article praising Koreans in an interview given by Hulbert with the “Springfield Union” published in Massachusetts in July 1949. Dr. Hulbert said, "Koreans invented Hangeul, the most perfect alphabet, and even ordinary people can learn it in a week, and during the Imjin War (Japanese Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea, 1592-98) General (Lee Soon-shin) invented a turtle ship and defeated the Japanese army, reminiscent of the Battle of Trafalgar.”  “It has a thorough record culture (like the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty).”  “And, above all, the loyalty of Koreans shown through the March 1st Movement is an unprecedented example in the world.” 

 

#Why is Hangeul the best alphabet in the world?

 

The movie 'The King's Letters (2019),' starring Song Kang-ho and directed by Cho Chul-hyun, dealt with the story of the invention of Hangeul.

 

Why is Hangeul evaluated as having the best characters in the world by linguists and writers around the world?

 

First, Hangeul is the only alphabet in the world whose creator, time of creation, and principle of creation are known. Hunminjeongeum was created in 1443 by King Sejong and Jiphyeonjeon scholars and published in September 1446 (lunar calendar).

 

Second, the purpose of creation of Hangeul is clear. The reason why King Sejong invented Hangeul is given in the preface of 'Eonhaebon', a Korean translation of Hunminjeongeum by order of King Sejo (Sejong's second son) in 1459. It was a pity that it was a country without letters, so it was to give the people a means to communicate. Since Hunminjeongeum can be written as it sounds, it was easier to learn and write than Chinese characters.

 

Third, Hangeul is the most scientific alphabet in the world. Linguists around the world have praised Hangeul as an alphabet that is simple, logical, and easy to learn. In particular, attention was paid to the fact that the letters were made after the shape of the mouth when pronouncing the letters.

 

 

"Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission" directed by Eom Yu-na is a film about people compiling the "Big Dictionary of Korean Language" in protest against the Japanese colonial rule. 

Fourth, Hangeul survived under colonial rule. Throughout world history, colonial regimes have enforced imperial languages and obliterated indigenous languages. Most of the colonized countries in Africa, South America, and Asia forcibly absorbed the languages of their rulers and lost their mother tongues. Hangeul survived the 36-year colonial oppression of Japan and the colonial policy of annihilation of the Korean people and culture. Joseon people preserved Hangeul, the identity of the nation.

 

Fifth, Hangeul is the most expressive character in the world, and an efficient language. Hangeul has about 8,800 expressions of words and sounds. There are only 400 Chinese and 300 Japanese. Hangeul is a language that can bring out the beauty of words and the taste of style according to the sense of language, emotion, and sound. In Korean, there are various expressions that can be felt with the five senses, such as color, taste, touch, smell, and sound. In addition, new words for effective abbreviation in the Internet era using Hangeul are being born one after another. Abbreviated words and first-name games are also popular.

 

 

#The power of Hangeul in the digital age

 

Google's Hangeul Day doodle (Google Doodle)

 

In October 2013, Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, a global Internet company, visited the National Hangeul Museum in Seoul and praised Hangeul.

 

Schmidt said, “I heard that King Sejong invented the language because he was concerned that few Koreans could communicate, that there was a division between the upper class and normal people. It was a very important decision made in history… He wanted to make it easier for people in Korea to be able to organize information, 600 hundred years ago. … Korean culture spans 5,000 years, and Google is only 15.  It’s a pleasure for me to learn from the richness of Korean culture and also to help to share it with the rest of the world.”

 

Along with this, he said, “I think one of the key factors that allowed Korea to lead the current digital age was Hangeul, the only alphabet developed in Asia. It has become the true essence of Korean culture even after the transition from Korea to modern Korea.”

 

Google, which owns YouTube, is known to have discussed ways to promote Korean culture, including K-Pop, Korean movies, hanbok (Korean traditional clothes),hanok (Korean traditional house), and even Hangeul, in cooperation with the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

 

 

#The Korean language, the next K-Wave?

 

"A wise man wakes up before the morning is over, and even a fool learns in ten days."

-Preface to Hunminjeongeum, 1459-

2014 Students learning Korean at King Sejong Hakdang in Mexico City. http://mexico.korean-culture.org

 

According to a 2018 survey by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the literacy rate of adults (aged 15 or older) is 74% in India, 97% in China, and 99% in Korea. Astonishingly, the literacy rate in the U.S. in 2023 is only 79%.

 

There is a craze for learning the Korean language in the world right now. Hangeul, which was once considered difficult and good for only Koreans, has emerged as a popular language in the global village. Led by global superstar BTS and BLACKPINK, K-Pop fans sing along in Korean. The hurricane of the Korean Wave, such as dramas, movies, food, and cosmetics, has soared, and the number of people around the world learning Hangeul has also increased.

 

Since 2007, the Korean government has operated Sejong Hakdang, a global network of Korean language schools. Starting with just 13 locations in 3 countries during its first year, Sejong Hakdang has expanded to 256 branches in 88 countries as of June 2024, serving over 216,226 students in 2023. The regional distribution includes 146 branches in Asia, 58 in Europe, 34 in North and South America, 13 in Africa, and 5 in Oceania. <Update>

 

 

*Conan Learns Korean 

 

The number of Korean language students at universities in the United States has also increased. According to data from a survey of 2,669 universities in the United States by the Modern Language Association, the number of Korean language students increased by 95% from 7,146 to 13,936 between 2006 and 2016. Korean is the 11th most enrolled foreign language at U.S .universities. In addition, the number of foreign applicants taking the TOPIK, a test of Korean proficiency, increased from 2,200 in the first year of 1997 to 330,000 in 2018.

 

Meanwhile, Hangeul is being exported. Several tribes in the global village who speak but do not have their own characters are trying to write Hangeul. Indonesia, which is made up of 17,000 islands, has about 700 different languages. Among them, the Cia Cia tribe of Buton Island adopted Hangeul as their tribal language writing system about 10 years ago. It is known that the Lahu people of Thailand, the Chepang people of Nepal, the Papua people of the South Pacific Islands, and the Aramaya people of Bolivia are learning Hangeul.

 

In 1989, UNESCO established the King Sejong Literacy Prize to award those who contributed to the development and dissemination of their mother tongue in developing countries. UNESCO also recognized Hunminjeongeum as a historically and culturally important heritage. The Hunminjeongeum Haerye Edition, a book that explains the principles and purpose of Hangeul, as well as how to use and pronounce the letters, was designated as a UNESCO Memory of the World in 1997. 

http://www.unesco.org

 

 

Sukie Park

A native Korean, Sukie Park studied journalism and film & theater in Seoul. She worked as a reporter with several Korean pop, cinema, photography and video magazines, as a writer at Korean radio (KBS-2FM 영화음악실) and television (MBC-TV 출발 비디오 여행) stations, and as a copywriter at a video company(대우 비디오). Since she moved to New York City, Sukie covered culture and travel for The Korea Daily of New York(뉴욕중앙일보) as a journalist. In 2012 she founded www.NYCultureBeat.com, a Korean language website about cultural events, food, wine, shopping, sightseeing, travel and people.

 

 

33 Keys to Decoding the Korean Wave, Hallyu! 

한류를 이해하는 33가지 코드 

 

CONTENTS

 

#Prologue: 국풍인가, 국뽕인가 Dynamic Korea, Sparkling Koreans