THE RECORD
What changed
King Sejong and scholars completed the script in 1443 and explained its principles and uses in the 1446 Hunminjeongeum Haerye.
EVIDENCE
What remains
The Haerye and Annals of Sejong describe consonants modelled on articulation and vowels built from philosophical elements.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
It opened knowledge beyond the Classical Chinese elite and, after long resistance and change, became modern Hangul.
OPEN QUESTION
Where interpretation begins
Claims of immediate universal use simplify adoption across class, gender and genre; individual roles in creation remain incompletely documented.