December 30, 1443

Hunminjeongeum

Sejong's annals record the creation and naming of the 28-letter Hunminjeongeum

The famous date comes from an annal entry that says only "this month." 30 December 1443 is the first possible converted date in a month-long window, not a documented launch day.

What the Sejong Sillok entry says

The Veritable Records of King Sejong, at the close of the twelfth lunar month of his twenty-fifth year — 1443 — report that the king personally made 28 vernacular letters and called the system Hunminjeongeum.

The entry describes the letters as combining in initial, medial and final sounds. It says the system could write both learned textual material and Korea's vernacular speech.

The entry records the creation as happening during that month, and no source identifies a particular day. Its filing position is not proof that creation or announcement happened then.

Why 30 December is the edge of a window, not a day

The entry is filed under the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, but its text says only “this month,” not “this day.”

In the adopted conversion, that lunar month spans approximately 30 December 1443 to 28 January 1444 in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. The listed 30 December is the opening of that window — the earliest possible Gregorian date, not a conversion of the filing day and not a verified event date.

The exact day of the 1446 publication is unknown as well, and South Korea's modern Hangul Day is commemorative rather than a preserved date.

The script goes to court, and meets a protest

The entry was a record of the script's creation, not publication of the surviving explanatory manual. On 16 February 1444 Sejong assigned scholars to translate a rhyme book using the new letters, and four days later Choe Manri, deputy director of the Hall of Worthies, led a memorial opposing the script's use.

The explanatory book — the Hunminjeongeum with its Haerye commentary — was promulgated in the ninth lunar month of 1446. Jeong Inji wrote its postface, though the official accounts describe the commentary as the collective work of Hall of Worthies scholars rather than naming him its leader.

Sejong's original inventory was 17 consonants and 11 vowels. The Academy of Korean Studies names eight scholars traditionally credited with compiling the 1446 explanations and examples.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 8 sources 2 audit passes, 1 issue open Date disputed

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet, rewritten from that sheet, then audited against it by a different model. How the pipeline works →

Date disputed. Sources disagree; the research places it at 1443-12-30 (lunar date; c. late January 1444 Gregorian).

What the sources leave uncertain

The annal page is filed under the last day of the twelfth lunar month, but its wording is explicitly “this month.” The filing date is not proof that creation or announcement occurred that day.
That lunar month corresponds approximately to 30 December 1443–28 January 1444 in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. Thus 30 December is merely the first possible converted date, not a verified event date.
The division of credit between Sejong and possible collaborators remains debated. Contemporary records emphasize Sejong's personal creation; Hall of Worthies participation in the later research and Haerye commentary is certain.
The exact day of the 1446 publication is also unknown; South Korea's modern Hangul Day is commemorative rather than a preserved exact publication date.