The Sejong Stories I Want to Share

Sejong created Hangeul for his people. That is the first thing I want to say about him, because it is what makes me want to share his story.

The National Hangeul Museum explains the concern behind the alphabet: people had things to say that they could not fully express in writing. I admire a king who paid attention to that difficulty and made something people could use. The achievement matters to me through the people it was meant to help.

And when I want someone else to spend time with Sejong, I also want to hand them a few things to watch and read. These are things I care about. Give them a little of your time.

The things I want to pass on

Start with the Sejong feature from Infinite Challenge's “Great Heritage” project, featuring Jung Jun-ha and ZICO. This is the first video I put in my notes, and it is still the first one I want to put here. MBCentertainment uploaded it on its official channel.

Beside it is the 2016 “Great Heritage” concert compilation from MBC's classic entertainment channel. That collection ranges across historical subjects; the whole video is not about Sejong. I am sharing both links because the wider project belongs alongside the Sejong feature, rather than treating the two uploads as the same recommendation.

For a drama, there is Deep Rooted Tree (뿌리깊은 나무). I enjoyed it, and I want it on this page for anyone who would like to approach Sejong through a story. I also want to include Kim Jin-myung's novel 세종의 나라 (Sejong-ui Nara). The Korean title is included so you can find the book; I am not pointing to an English translation.

These are different ways into an interest I want to share. You can choose the one that suits you. There is no required order, and you do not need to finish a drama before opening a historical source.

Keep a place for the record

The museum material is an addition to those personal recommendations. It gives readers an English-language place to follow the question behind my admiration: whom was this writing system intended to help?

For the dates, UNESCO distinguishes the alphabet's completion in 1443 from the publication of the Hunminjeongeum manuscript in 1446. Keeping those two events clear is a useful beginning. The UNESCO record also describes the explanations and examples preserved with the alphabet.

A performance, a drama, and a novel can invite us to care about someone from the past. Historical records let us ask what we can actually establish about that person. I want both kinds of reading here, with enough room to enjoy a story without turning every invented event or line into a historical claim.

I will keep adding to this collection as more things come to mind. For now, these are the links I wanted to pass on. If you have another source or a longer thought to share, bring it to the Sejong space. That is where we can keep reading him together.

This essay continues The Korean People I Want This Archive to Remember. Reference points are the National Hangeul Museum and UNESCO pages above, the original MBC uploads, SBS's programme page, and the Sejong Book Culture Center's bibliographic record for Kim Jin-myung's novel (Ita Books, 2026). The drama and novel are creative works, not substitutes for historical evidence.