Sejong the Great

Sejong was born Yi To ({{Korean|hangul=이도|hanja=李祹|labels=no}}) on 15 May 1397, in Junsubang,{{Efn|The exact location of Junsubang is unknown. Old maps suggest it was outside the west gate of Gyeongbokgung.{{sfnp|Hong|1971|p=3}}}} Hanseong (Seoul), Joseon to Yi Pang-wŏn and a lady of the influential Yeoheung Min clan (later Queen Wongyeong).{{sfnp|Choi 1|n.d.}}{{sfn|세종실록 127권, 세종 32년 2월 22일 정유 1번째기사}} While records of Yi's childhood are scarce, it is known that Yi was born outside Gyeongbokgung when his father, Yi Pang-wŏn, was not yet heir to the throne.{{Sfnp|Yi|2007|p=8}}

In 1408, Yi's father arranged his marriage to Lady Sim of the {{Ill|Cheongsong Sim clan|ko|청송 심씨}}, who would later become Queen Soheon.{{Sfnp|Yi|2007|p=18|pp=}}{{sfnp|Park|n.d.}} In 1412, Yi To was granted the title Grand Prince Chungnyeong ({{Korean|hangul=충녕대군|hanja=忠寧大君|labels=no}}).{{sfnp|Choi 1|n.d.}} In 1414, he had his first son, who would later become Munjong.{{sfnp|Choi 2|n.d.}}

As Taejong's eldest son, Grand Prince Yangnyeong was to inherit the throne. However, Taejong, as well as court officials, increasingly deemed Yangnyeong unsuitable for the role due to his erratic and irresponsible behavior.{{sfnp|Choi 1|n.d.}}{{sfn|태종실록 35권, 태종 18년 6월 3일 임오 1번째기사}} In a series of escalating events involving Yangnyeong's affair with Eori, a concubine of Kwak Sŏn, Yangnyeong was ultimately deposed as crown prince.

In mid-1418, court officials petitioned Taejong to consider a new candidate for the throne.{{sfnp|Choi 1|n.d.}}{{sfn|태종실록 35권, 태종 18년 6월 3일 임오 1번째기사}} Following primogeniture, Taejong initially considered Yangnyeong's eldest son for the role. However, the officials objected and insisted that Taejong select a wise person as heir apparent. King Taejong asked the officials to propose an alternative. According to the Veritable Records, they gave an indirect response: "The father knows his sons best, as the king knows his subjects best."{{Efn|{{Korean|hangul=아들을 알고 신하를 아는 것은 군부(君父)와 같은 이가 없습니다.|labels=no}}}} Taejong judged his second son, Grand Prince Hyoryeong, to have a disposition too soft for the role, and would be unable to drink with emissaries from Ming dynasty to entertain them.{{sfn|태종실록 35권, 태종 18년 6월 3일 임오 1번째기사}} He then proposed Chungnyeong, whom he felt was intelligent and sharp in matters of politics. The officials welcomed the decision and confirmed that Chungnyeong had been their preferred choice.{{sfnp|Choi 1|n.d.}}{{sfn|태종실록 35권, 태종 18년 6월 3일 임오 1번째기사}} On 8 July 1418, Chungnyeong was made crown prince of Joseon.{{Sfnp|Yi|2007|p=18|pp=}}

On 18 September 1418, Chungnyeong ascended the throne as King Sejong, following Taejong's abdication. However, Taejong retained military power and continued to make major political decisions as king emeritus ({{Korean|상왕|上王|labels=no}}) until his death.{{Sfnp|Yi|2007|p=19|pp=}}{{sfnp|Choi 1|n.d.}} Sejong did not challenge Taejong's authority and deferred to his father during this period.{{Sfnp|Yi|2007|p=19|pp=}} Perpetually wary of royal authority falling into the thrall of the queen's clan, Taejong had Sejong's father-in-law, Shim On, executed on charges of treason. Other members of the queen's family were exiled or made commoners, which left Queen Soheon politically isolated and unable to protest.{{Sfnp|Yi|2007|p=|pp=18–21}}

Despite inheriting significantly strengthened royal authority, Sejong did not suppress the press and promoted meritocracy through gwageo, the national civil service exam.{{sfnp|Choi 1|n.d.}}

During the Goryeo period, monks wielded strong political and economic influence. However, in Joseon, Buddhism was considered a false philosophy and the monks were viewed as corrupted by power and money.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Likewise, Sejong continued Joseon's policies of "worshiping Confucianism and suppressing Buddhism" ({{Korean|hangul=숭유억불|hanja=崇儒抑佛}}).{{sfn|Cho|2011|p=5}} He banned monks from entering Hanseong and reduced the seven schools of Buddhism down to two, Seon and Gyo, drastically decreasing the power and wealth of the religious leaders.{{cite book |last=Pratt |first=Keith |title=Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea |date=15 August 2007 |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=978-1861893352 |pages=125 |author-link=Keith Pratt}} One of the key factors in this suppression was Sejong's reform of the land system. This policy resulted in temple lands being seized and redistributed for development and monks losing large amounts of economic influence.{{Cite web |title=South Korea – The Choson Dynasty |url=http://countrystudies.us/south-korea/5.htm |access-date=28 September 2023 |website=countrystudies.us}}{{Cite web |title=Hangul {{!}} Alphabet Chart & Pronunciation |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hangul-Korean-alphabet |access-date=28 September 2023 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica}} Furthermore, he performed government ceremonies according to Confucianism and encouraged people to behave according to the teachings of Confucius.{{cite web |title=King Sejong the Great And The Golden Age of Korea |url=https://asiasociety.org/education/king-sejong-great |access-date=24 June 2022 |website=Asia Society |publisher=}}

At the same time, Sejong sought to alleviate religious tensions between Confucianism and Buddhism.{{sfn|Cho|2011|p=1-2}} The Seokbosangjeol ({{Korean|hangul=석보상절|hanja=釋譜詳節|labels=no}}), a 24-volume Korean-language biography of Buddha translated from Chinese Buddhist texts, was commissioned and published in Sejong's reign by Grand Prince Suyang, in mourning for Queen Soheon, a devout Buddhist. Sejong advocated the project{{em dash}}despite fierce opposition from his courtiers{{em dash}}and condemned the hypocrisy of those who privately worship the Buddha yet publicly rebuke others for doing so.{{sfn|Cho|2011|p=8-9}}

{{Blockquote

|text=上謂承政院曰 孟子言 '墨子以薄爲道, 而葬其親厚'。大抵臣子之道, 宜以直事上, 不可容其詐。 然世人在家, 奉佛事神, 靡所不至, 及對人, 反以神佛爲非, 予甚惡之。

The King spoke to the Seungjeongwon,

Mencius once said, 'Mozi regards austerity as a virtue and yet made a lavish burial for his parents.' Generally speaking, a subject's duty is to serve his superior with honesty and not to tolerate deceit. However, people all around the world worship the Buddha, serve spirits at their houses, and yet reproach others for worshiping the very ghosts and Buddha they themselves revere; I find this highly reprehensible.

|multiline=yes

|author=

|title=Year 28, Month 3, Day 26, Entry 6

|source=The Veritable Records of King Sejong, volume 111{{sfn|세종실록 111권, 세종 28년 3월 26일 계사 6번째기사}}

}}

In 1427, Sejong issued a decree against the Huihui (Korean Muslim) community that had enjoyed special status and stipends since the Yuan dynasty's rule over Goryeo. The Huihui were forced to abandon their headgear, close down their ceremonial hall{{Snd}}a mosque in Gaegyeong, present-day Kaesong{{Snd}}and worship like everyone else. No further records of Muslims exist during the Joseon era.{{cite web |last=Baker |first=Don |date=6 December 2006 |title=Islam Struggles for a Toehold in Korea |url=http://www.asiaquarterly.com/content/view/167/43/ |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516063253/http://www.asiaquarterly.com/content/view/167/43/ |archive-date=16 May 2008 |access-date=28 September 2023 |website=Harvard Asia Quarterly}}

In the early years of the Joseon dynasty, the economy operated on a barter system, with cloth, grain, and cotton being the most common forms of currency. In 1423, under King Sejong's administration, the government attempted to introduce a national currency modeled after the Tang dynasty's kaiyuan tongbao ({{Lang-zh|t=開元通寶|labels=no}}). The resulting Joseon tongbo ({{Korean|hangul=조선통보|hanja=朝鮮通寶|labels=no}}) was a bronze coin, backed by a silver standard, with 150 coins being equal to 600 grams of silver. However, production ceased in 1425 due to high manufacturing costs, as the exchange rate dropped below the coin's intrinsic value.{{Cite web |title=Korean Coins |url=https://primaltrek.com/koreancoins.html |access-date=28 September 2023 |website=Primal Trek}}

In 1445, Sejong consolidated the various sujoji{{efn|({{Korean|hangul=수조지|hanja=收租地}}) Land given to government officials in place of salaries.}} records, previously managed by various government offices, and placed them under the administration of the Ministry of Taxation (Hojo) to improve transparency in Joseon's fiscal policies.{{sfn|Song et al.|2019|p=162}}

King Sejong was an effective military planner and created various military regulations to strengthen the safety of his kingdom.{{Cite book |last=Park |first=Young-gyu |script-title=ko:한권으로 읽는 세종대왕실록 |publisher=Woongjin Knowledge House |isbn=9788901077543 |publication-date=12 February 2008 |language=Korean |trans-title=Veritable Records of King Sejong the Great in One Volume}}{{Place missing|date=July 2024}} During his reign great technological advancements were made in the manufacture of gunpowder and firearms. Hand cannons, known as Wangu ({{Korean|hangul=완구|hanja=碗口|labels=no}}), first built in 1407 and 1418, were improved upon,{{Citation |last=이 |first=강칠 |script-title=ko:완구 (碗口) |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0038953 |access-date=2024-08-15 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}} and the Sohwapo ({{Korean|hangul=소화포|hanja=小火砲|labels=no}}), Cheoljetanhwan ({{Korean|hangul=철제탄환|labels=no}}), Hwapojeon ({{Korean|hangul=화포전|hanja=火砲箭|labels=no}}) and the Hwacho ({{Korean|hangul=화초|hanja=火硝|labels=no}}) were invented during his reign.{{Citation |last=최 |first=승희 |script-title=ko:세종 (世宗) |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0029857#section-7 |access-date=2024-08-15 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}}

None of these had yet reached a satisfactory level for Sejong. In the 26th year of his reign, he had the cannon foundry Hwapojujoso ({{Korean|hangul=화포주조소|hanja=火砲鑄造所|labels=no}}) built to produce a new standard cannon with outstanding performance, and in the following year, he undertook a complete overhaul of the cannon. The Chongtongdeungnok ({{Korean|hangul=총통등록|hanja=銃筒謄錄|labels=no}}) compiled and published in the 30th year his reign, was an illustrated book that described the casting methods, gunpowder usage, and specifications of the guns. The publication of this book is considered a remarkable achievement that marked a new era in the manufacture of artillery during the Joseon Dynasty.

In June 1419, under his father's counsel, Sejong ordered the third and last military campaign of Tsushima. This incident is known as the Gihae Expedition in Korean and Ōei Invasion in Japanese. The military expedition was aimed at eradicating the taproot of the Japanese pirates' pillaging the southern villages of the Joseon dynasty. During the invasion, 245 Japanese were executed or killed and another 110 were captured, while 180 Korean soldiers died. Around 150 who had been kidnapped (146 Chinese and 8 Koreans) were also freed.{{Citation |script-title=ko:대마도 정벌 (對馬島 征伐) |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0014343 |access-date=2024-08-15 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}} A truce was made in July 1419, and the Joseon army returned to the Korean Peninsula, but no official documents were signed until 1443. In this agreement, known as the Treaty of Gyehae, the daimyo of Tsushima was obliged to pay tribute to the Joseon monarch, and in return, the Sō clan was allowed to serve as a diplomatic intermediary between Korea and Japan, as well as retain exclusive trade rights.{{Efn|500 years later, the 39th head of the Sō clan, Count Sō Takeyuki, married Princess Deokhye, youngest daughter of Emperor Gojong and half-sister of Sunjong, the last Emperor of Korea.}}{{cite web |script-title=ko:계해약조 |trans-title=Treaty of Gyehae |url=http://preview.britannica.co.kr/bol/topic.asp?article_id=b01g3496a |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114065908/http://preview.britannica.co.kr/bol/topic.asp?article_id=b01g3496a |archive-date=14 January 2009 |access-date=25 October 2008 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |language=Korean}}

In 1433, Sejong sent Kim Chongsŏ to the north to conquer the Jurchens. The military campaign captured several fortresses and expanded the Korean territory northward up to the Songhua River.{{cite web |script-title=ko:21세기 세종대왕 프로젝트 |trans-title=21st-century King Sejong the Great project |url=http://sejong.prkorea.com/kor/letter/letter.jsp |access-date=22 February 2016 |website=sejong.prkorea.com |language=Korean}}{{Place missing|date=July 2024}}

File:Korean Waterclock.jpg.]]

Sejong promoted science.{{cite book |last1=Haralambous |first1=Yannis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qrElYgVLDwYC&pg=PA155 |title=Fonts & Encodings |last2=Horne |first2=P. Scott |date=28 November 2007 |publisher=O'Reilly Media |isbn=9780596102425 |page=155 |language=en}}{{cite book|last1=Selin|first1=Helaine|title=Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Westen Cultures|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9789401714167|pages=505–506|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GzjpCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA505|language=en|date=2013-11-11}} In 1420, Sejong created a royal academy within Gyeongbokgung known as the Hall of Worthies. The institute was responsible for conducting scientific research with the purpose of advancing the country's technology. The Hall of Worthies was designed to host Joseon's best and brightest thinkers, with the government offering grants and scholarships to encourage young scholars to attend.{{Cite web |last=Aw |first=Gene |date=22 August 2019 |title=King Sejong: The Inventor of Hangul and More! |url=https://gogohanguk.com/en/blog/king-sejong-hangul/ |access-date=1 October 2023 |website=Go! Go! Hanguk}}{{Cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2059779|jstor=2059779|last1=Kim|first1=Chin W.|title=Reviewed work: King Sejong the Great: The Light of 15th Century Korea., Young-Key Kim-Renaud|journal=The Journal of Asian Studies|year=1994|volume=53|issue=3|pages=955–956|doi=10.1017/S0021911800031624|s2cid=162787329 }}

In 1428, Sejong ordered the printing of one thousand copies of a farmer's handbook.{{efn|This book is suspected to be the {{ill|Nongsang Jiyao|zh|农桑辑要}} ({{Korean|hangul=농상집요|hanja=農桑輯要|labels=no}}), a Yuan dynasty book on farming, imported to Korea during the Goryeo dynasty.{{cite web|script-title=ko:농상집요|url=http://contents.history.go.kr/front/tg/view.do?treeId=0104&levelId=tg_002_0070&ganada=&pageUnit=10|author=National Institute of Korean History|website=우리역사넷 [HistoryNet]|access-date=30 July 2024}}}} The following year, he published the Nongsa Jikseol ({{Korean|hangul=농사직설|hanja=農事直說|labels=no|lit='Straight Talk on Farming'}}), a compilation of various farming methods accommodative to Korea's climate and soil conditions.{{cite web|script-title=ko:농사직설[農事直設] 우리 땅에 알맞은 농법을 모아 편찬하다|author=National Institute of Korean History|website=우리역사넷 [HistoryNet]|access-date=30 July 2024|url=http://contents.history.go.kr/mobile/kc/view.do?levelId=kc_r300270&code=kc_age_30}} The book dealt with planting, harvesting, and soil treatment, and contained information about the different farming techniques that scientists gathered from different regions of Korea. These techniques were essential for maintaining the newly adopted intensive and continuous cultivation methods.{{sfnp|Kim|1998|p=57}}

One of Sejong's close associates was the inventor Jang Yeong-sil. Jang, who was originally a government-owned nobi from Dongnae, appointed as court technician by Sejong in 1423.{{cite web|script-title=ko:장영실 (蔣英實)|url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0048697|author=전상윤|website=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture|access-date=11 August 2024}} Jang had been released from nobi by Taejong. Sejong appointed Jang to a byeoljwa ({{Korean|hangul=별좌|hanja=別坐|labels=no}}), responsible for crafting and repairing royal items.{{Cite web |script-title=ko:안숭선에게 명하여 장영실에게 호군의 관직을 더해 줄 것을 의논하게 하다 |url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_11509016_003 |website=Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty |publisher=National Institute of Korean History |language=ko}}

In 1442, Jang Yeong-sil made one of the world's first standardized rain gauges named cheugugi ({{Korean|hangul=측우기|hanja=測雨器|labels=no}}).{{Cite journal |last1=Strangeways |first1=Ian |year=2010 |title=A History of Rain Gauges |journal=Weather |volume=65 |issue=5 |pages=133–138 |bibcode=2010Wthr...65..133S |doi=10.1002/wea.548 |doi-access=free}} This model has not survived, with the oldest existing Korean rain gauge being made in 1770, during the reign of King Yeongjo. According to the Daily Records of the Royal Secretariat ({{Korean|hangul=승정원일기|hanja=承政院日記|rr=Seungjeongwon Ilgi|labels=no}}), Yeongjo wanted to revive the glorious times of Sejong the Great, and started reading chronicles from that era. When he came across the mention of a rain gauge, Yeongjo ordered a reproduction. Since there is a mark of the Qing dynasty ruler Qianlong (r. 1735–96), dated 1770,{{sfnp|Kim|1998|p=51}} this Korean-designed rain gauge is sometimes misunderstood as having been imported from China.

In 1434, Jang Yeong-sil, tasked by King Sejong, invented the gabinja ({{Korean|hangul=갑인자|hanja=甲寅字|labels=no}}), a new type of printing press. This printing press was said to be twice as fast as the previous model and was composed of copper-zinc and lead-tin alloys.

File:Korean celestial globe.jpg first made by the scientist Jang Yeong-sil during the reign of King Sejong]]

Sejong also wanted to reform the Korean calendar system, which was at the time based upon the longitude of the Chinese capital. He had his astronomers create a calendar with the Joseon capital of Hanseong as the primary meridian. This new system allowed Joseon astronomers to accurately predict the timing of solar and lunar eclipses.{{sfnp|Kim|1998|p=57}}

In the realm of traditional Korean medicine, two important treatises were written during his reign. These were the Hyangyak Jipseongbang ({{Korean|hangul=향약집성방|hanja=鄕藥集成方|labels=no}}) and the Euibang Yuchwi ({{Korean|hangul=의방유취|hanja=醫方類聚|labels=no}}), which historian Kim Yong-sik says represents "the Koreans' efforts to develop their own system of medical knowledge, distinct from that of China".{{sfnp|Kim|1998|p=57}}

In 1426, Sejong enacted a law that granted government serfs ({{Korean|hangul=노비|hanja=奴婢|rr=nobi|labels=no}}) women 100 days of maternity leave after childbirth, which, in 1430, was lengthened by one month before childbirth. In 1434, he also granted the husbands 30 days of paternity leave.{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Bae-yong |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p3yW5MdzKnUC&pg=PA267 |title=Women in Korean History |date=20 October 2008 |publisher=Ewha Womans University Press |isbn=978-8973007721 |page=267 |language=en}}

In order to provide equality and fairness in taxation for the common people, Sejong issued a royal decree to administer a nationwide public opinion poll regarding a new tax system called Gongbeop in 1430. Over the course of five months, the poll surveyed 172,806 people, of which approximately 57% responded with approval for the proposed reform.{{Cite journal |last=Oh |first=Gi-su |date=2011 |script-title=ko:세종대왕의 조세사상과 공법 연구 : 조세법 측면에서 |trans-title=The Study of Gongbeop of King Sejong the Great and Thoughts on Taxation: From the Perspective of Tax Law |url=https://m.academic.naver.com/article.naver?doc_id=45730091 |journal=Korean Journal of Taxation Research |language=Korean |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=369–405 |issn=1225-1399 |via=National Assembly Library}}{{cite web |date=31 January 2018 |script-title=ko:한국 전통과학의 전성기, 세종 시대 |trans-title=The heyday of Korean traditional science, the Sejong era |url=http://science.ytn.co.kr/program/program_view.php?s_mcd=1274&s_hcd=&key=201802011139147417&page=1 |access-date=2 April 2018 |website=science.ytn.co.kr |language=Korean}}

Joseon's economy depended on the agricultural output of the farmers, so Sejong allowed them to pay more or less tax according to the fluctuations of economic prosperity and hard times.{{Cite web |date=10 June 2016 |script-title=ko:'어쩌다 어른' 설민석, '경청의 1인자 세종대왕'…역사가 이렇게 재미있을 줄이야! |trans-title=Seol Min-seok of 'No Way I'm an Adult', 'King Sejong the Great, the No. 1 listener'…I never thought history could be this interesting! |url=https://www.ajunews.com/view/20160610135152888 |access-date=23 June 2023 |website=Aju Business Daily |language=Korean}} Because of this, farmers could worry less about tax quotas and instead work at maintaining and selling their crops.

It is said that once, when the palace had a significant surplus of food, the king distributed it to poor peasants who needed it. It is also said that Sejong the Great created relief programs for those affected by floods, giving them food and shelter.{{Cite web |date=2017-07-24 |title=King Sejong the Great {{!}} Asia Society |url=https://asiasociety.org/education/king-sejong-great |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=asiasociety.org |language=en}} Otherwise the state maintained a permanent grain dole, that existed since the days of Unified Silla.{{Cite journal |last1=Shin |first1=Michael D. |last2=Lee |first2=Injae |last3=Miller |first3=Owen |last4=Park |first4=Jinhoon |last5=Yi |first5=Hyun-Jae |date=2017-06-29 |title=Korean History in Maps: From Prehistory to the Twenty-First Century |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/arwh/5/1/article-p171_9.xml |journal=Asian Review of World Histories |language=en |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=171–173 |doi=10.12773/arwh.2017.5.1.171 |issn=2287-9811}}

Sejong composed the famous Yongbieocheonga ("Songs of Flying Dragons"; 1445), Seokbo Sangjeol ("Episodes from the Life of Buddha"; July 1447), Worin Cheongang Jigok ("Songs of the Moon Shining on a Thousand Rivers"; July 1447), and Dongguk Jeongun ("Dictionary of Proper Sino-Korean Pronunciation"; September 1447).

One of Sejong's closest friends and mentors was the 15th century musician Bak Yeon. Together they composed over two hundred musical arrangements. Sejong's independent musical compositions include the Chongdaeop ('Great Achievements'), Potaepyeong ('Preservation of Peace'), Pongnaeui ('Phoenix'), and Yominrak ('A Joy to Share with the People'). Yominrak continues to be a standard piece played by modern traditional Korean orchestras, while Chongdaeop and Potaepyeong are played during the Jongmyo Jerye (memorials honoring the kings of Joseon).

In 1418, during Sejong's reign, scholars developed the Pyeongyeong ({{Korean|hangul=편경|hanja=編磬|labels=no}}), a lithophone modeled on the Chinese bianqing. The Pyeongyeong is a percussion instrument consisting of two rows of 8 pumice slabs hung on a decorative wooden frame with a 16-tone range and struck with an ox horn mallet. It was manufactured using pumice mined from the Gyeonggi Province and was primarily used for ceremonies.{{Cite web |script-title=ko:편경 編磬 Pyeongyeong LITHOPHON – Korea Music |url=https://michaelcga.artstation.com/projects/0nOQre?album_id=2918024 |access-date=5 October 2023 |website=michaelcga.artstation.com}}

Sejong's contribution to the arts continued long after his death; he had always wanted to use Korean music rather than Chinese music for ancestral rituals, but conservative court officials stopped his efforts. However, when Sejong's son, King Sejo, rose to the throne, he modified the ritual music composed by his father and created the {{'}}Jongmyo court music{{'}}, which was used for royal ancestral rituals and is now inscribed as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Hertiage.{{cite news |date=17 July 2019 |title=King Sejo and Music |url=https://world.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?lang=e&board_seq=367963 |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=KBS World}}

{{See also|Hunminjeongeum|Hangul}}

File:Hunmin jeong-eum.jpg]]

King Sejong profoundly affected Korea's history with the creation and introduction of hangul, the native phonetic writing system for the Korean language.{{Cite book |last=Kim |first=Jeong-su |script-title=ko:한글의 역사와 미래 |date=1 October 1990 |publisher=Yeolhwadang |isbn=9788930107235 |language=Korean |trans-title=The history and future of Hangul}} Although it is widely assumed that he ordered the Hall of Worthies to invent the script, contemporaneous records such as the Veritable Records of King Sejong and Chŏng Inji's preface to the Hunminjeongeum Haerye emphasize that Sejong invented it himself.{{cite web |date=December 2003 |title=Want to know about Hangeul? |url=https://www.korean.go.kr/eng_hangeul/setting/002.html |access-date=25 May 2020 |website=National Institute of Korean Language}}

Before the creation of the new alphabet, the people of Joseon primarily used Classical Chinese to write, alongside a few writing systems like idu, hyangchal, gugyeol, and gakpil{{Snd}}which used Chinese characters to approximate sounds of the Korean language{{Snd}}that had been in use since hundreds of years before hangul.{{cite book |last1=Hannas |first1=William C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aJfv8Iyd2m4C&pg=PA57 |title=Asia's Orthographic Dilemma |date=1 June 1997 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn=9780824818920 |page=57 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Chen |first1=Jiangping |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_CpZCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA66 |title=Multilingual Access and Services for Digital Collections |date=18 January 2016 |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |isbn=9781440839559 |page=66 |language=}}{{cite journal |date=1 January 2005 |title=Invest Korea Journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=00a2AAAAIAAJ |journal=Invest Korea Journal |language= |publisher=Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency |volume=23 |quote=They later devised three different systems for writing Korean with Chinese characters: Hyangchal, Gukyeol and Idu. These systems were similar to those developed later in Japan and were probably used as models by the Japanese.}}{{Cite journal |year=2000 |title=Korea Now |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WAlWAAAAYAAJ&q=%22The+writing+systems%2C+called+%22idu%22+and+%22hyangchal%2C%22+existed+several+hundred+years+before+Hangul%22 |journal=The Korea Herald |edition=13–26 |volume=29}} However, due to the fundamental differences between the Korean and Chinese languages,Hunminjeongeum Haerye, postface of Chŏng Inji, p. 27a; translation from Gari Ledyard, The Korean Language Reform of 1446, p. 258 and the large number of Chinese characters required, lower-class people of Joseon lacked the privilege of education and were illiterate. To promote literacy, King Sejong created hangul (which initially had 28 letters, four of which, ㆆ, ㆁ, ㅿ, and ·, are no longer in use).{{cite book|last1=Koerner|first1=E. F. K.|last2=Asher|first2=R. E.|title=Concise History of the Language Sciences: From the Sumerians to the Cognitivists|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=9781483297545|page=54|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VCqLBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA54|language=en|date=2014-06-28}}

Hangul was completed in 1443 and published in 1446 along with a 33-page manual titled Hunminjeongeum, explaining what the letters are as well as the philosophical theories and motives behind them.{{Cite book |title=Fifty Wonders of Korea Volume 1: Culture and Art |publisher=Korean Spirit & Culture Promotion Project |year=2009 |edition=2nd |pages=28–35}}

King Sejong faced backlash from the noble class as many disapproved of the idea of a common writing system, with some openly opposing its creation. Many within the nobility believed that giving the peasants the ability to read and write would allow them to find and abuse loopholes within the law. Others felt that hangul would threaten their families' positions in court by creating a larger pool of civil servants. The Joseon elite continued to use the Chinese hanja long after Sejong's death.{{Cite web |last=Griffis |first=Ben |date=18 January 2021 |title=Sejong the Great |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Sejong_the_Great/ |access-date=13 November 2023 |website=World History Encyclopedia}} Hangul was often treated with contempt by those in power and received criticism in the form of nicknames, including eonmun ("vulgar script"), amkeul ("women's script"), and ahaekkeul ("children's script"). It was commonly used for areas like casual writing, prose and bookkeeping, especially by the urban middle class like administrators and bureaucrats.{{Citation |last=강 |first=신항 |script-title=ko:한글 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0061508 |access-date=2024-09-05 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}} It notably gained popularity among women and fiction writers, with former usually often not having been able to get access to hanja education.

In 1504, the study and publication of hangul was banned by Yeonsangun.{{Cite web |last1=Bernstein |first1=Brian |last2=Kamp |first2=Harper |last3=Kim |first3=Janghan |last4=Seol |first4=Seungeun |title=The Design and Use of the Hangul Alphabet in Korea |url=https://courses.ischool.berkeley.edu/i103/su09/projects/The%20Design%20and%20Use%20of%20the%20Hangul%20Alphabet.pdf#:~:text=%EF%82%9E%E2%80%AFHangul%20gained%20great%20use%20and%20acceptance%20during%20the,used%20officially%20in%201945%20once%20Korea%20received%20independence |access-date=12 November 2023 |publisher=University of California, Berkeley}} Its spread and preservation can be largely attributed to three main factors: books published for women, its use by Buddhist monks,{{Cite web |date=December 2003 |title=Want to know about Hangeul? |url=https://www.korean.go.kr/eng_hangeul/supply/001.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |website=National Institute of Korean Language}} and the introduction of Christianity in Korea in 1602.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43107101|jstor = 43107101|title = Western Protestant Missionaries and the Origins of Korean Language Modernization|last1 = King|first1 = Ross|journal = Journal of International and Area Studies|year = 2004|volume = 11|issue = 3|pages = 7–38}} Hangul was brought into the mainstream culture in the 16th century due to a renaissance in literature and poetry. It continued to gain popularity well into the 17th century, and gained wider use after a period of nationalism in the 19th century. In 1849, it was adopted as Korea's national writing system, and saw its first use in official government documents. After the Treaty of 1910, hangul was outlawed again until the liberation of Korea in 1945.{{Cite web |last=Blakemore |first=Erin |date=28 February 2018 |title=How Japan Took Control of Korea |url=https://www.history.com/news/japan-colonization-korea |access-date=6 October 2023 |website=History}}{{Cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3096244|jstor = 3096244|title = Dead Bodies in the Postwar Discourse of Identity in Seventeenth-Century Korea: Subversion and Literary Production in the Private Sector|last1 = Haboush|first1 = Jahyun Kim|journal = The Journal of Asian Studies|year = 2003|volume = 62|issue = 2|pages = 415–442|doi = 10.2307/3096244|s2cid = 154705238}}

File:여주 영릉과 영릉 세종 영릉 능침(항공).jpg

Sejong suffered from eye diseases and deteriorating vision and likely had health issues linked to excessive meat consumption all throughout his life.{{sfn|세종실록 92권, 세종 23년 2월 20일 정해 1번째기사}} Sejong's love for meat is clear from a comment by King Emeritus Taejong. When Sejong stopped eating fish and meat to mourn after the death of Jeongjong{{Snd}}Sejong's uncle and Taejong's older brother{{Snd}}Taejong remarked that Sejong had always found it hard to eat without meat since he was a child.{{sfn|세종실록 9권, 세종 2년 8월 29일 을축 3번째기사}} Sejong also started having musculoskeletal pain at the age of 22. One day he was supposed to organize a farewell party for the emissaries to the Ming dynasty but was in too much pain to do so. Sejong said: "My waist and back are stiff and immobile, so it is hard to bend or straighten."{{sfn|세종실록 68권, 세종 17년 4월 1일 임인 1번째기사}} There is speculation that he had diabetes, but there is inadequate evidence for a modern medical diagnosis. There is also an account of Sejong's having a disease that roughly translates to palsy ({{Korean|풍증|風症|labels=no}}) and essential tremor ({{Korean|수전증|手顫症|labels=no}}), but terminology of the 15th century Korean traditional medicine does not translate well.{{sfn|세종실록 112권, 세종 28년 4월 30일 정묘 8번째기사}}

Sejong died on 8 April 1450, on the Gregorian calendar, at the residence of Grand Prince Young-eung at the age of 52.{{sfn|세종실록 127권, 세종 32년 2월 17일 임진 1번째기사}} He was buried at Yeongneung ({{Korean|hangul=영릉|hanja=英陵|labels=no}}) in the same mound as his wife, Queen Soheon, who had died four years earlier. His tomb is located in Yeoju, South Korea.

His successor was his first son, Yi Hyang (posthumously King Munjong). Sejong was concerned that sickly Munjong would die early and leave his vulnerable young son to reign, so he asked scholars from the Hall of Worthies to look after his young grandson, Danjong.{{sfn|세종실록 127권, 세종 32년 1월 18일 갑오 1번째기사}} As predicted, Munjong died two years after his ascension, and the political stability enjoyed in the past decades disintegrated when Danjong became the sixth king of Joseon at the age of 12.{{sfn|세조실록 10권, 세조 1년 10월 10일 기유 1번째기사}} Eventually, Sejong's second son, Grand Prince Suyang (later known as King Sejo), usurped the throne in 1455. When six court officials were implicated in a plot to restore his nephew, Sejo abolished the Hall of Worthies and executed Danjong along with several ministers who served during Sejong's reign.{{sfn|세조실록 4권, 세조 2년 6월 6일 갑진 3번째기사}}

File:10000_won_serieVI_obverse.jpeg's 10,000 won banknote (Series VI).]]

Sejong the Great is considered one of the most influential monarchs in Korean history, with the creation of Hangul considered his greatest legacy.{{sfnp|Choi 1|n.d.}} Sejong is widely renowned in modern-day South Korea.{{cite web|script-title=ko:[바로 보는 한반도 역사] ⑧세종대왕에 대한 남북의 평가|author=이규상|date=16 March 2010|url=https://www.rfa.org/korean/weekly_program/korean_history/sejong-03162010110316.html|newspaper=Radio Free Asia|language=ko}} In a 2024 survey by Gallup Korea, Sejong was nominated as the second most respected figure by South Koreans, only to be surpassed by Yi Sun-sin.{{cite web|script-title=ko:한국인이 좋아하는 50가지 [사람1편] - 역대대통령/기업인/존경하는인물/소설가/스포츠선수 (2004-2024)|access-date=1 July 2024|publisher=Gallup Korea|date=12 June 2024|language=ko|url=https://www.gallup.co.kr/gallupdb/reportContent.asp?seqNo=1487}} The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture evaluates the reign of Sejong "the most shining period of the history of our [the Korean] people."{{sfnp|Choi 1|n.d.}} Sejong's creation of the Korean alphabet is celebrated every 9 October as Hangul Day, a national holiday.{{cite web|title=Oct. 9-Hangul Day: A Democratic alphabet created for Korean commoner|newspaper=Stars and Stripes|url=https://korea.stripes.com/travel/oct-9-hangul-day-a-democratic-alphabet-created-for-korean-commoner.html|last1=Kim|first1=Chihon|date=27 September 2023}}

Multiple places in South Korea, including Sejong Street (Sejongno; 세종로, 世宗路),{{cite web |title=Tour Guide |url=http://www.tourguide.co.kr/local/local_detail.htm?pCode=CULTTOMB0262 |access-date=2016-02-22 |website=Tourguide.vo.kr}} Sejong–Pocheon Expressway, and Sejong Special Autonomous City, South Korea's de facto administrative capital, are named after him. Various institutes such as King Sejong Station, the King Sejong Institute,{{Cite web |last=Chang |first=Dong-woo |date=2017-12-18 |title=(Yonhap Interview) King Sejong Institute seeks more overseas branches |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20171218005600315 |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=Yonhap News Agency |language=en}} the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Sejong Science High School, and Sejong University also bear his name. A Statue of King Sejong (Gwanghwamun), unveiled in 2009 in celebration of the 563rd anniversary of the invention of the Korean alphabet,{{cite news |date=10 October 2009 |title=Statue of King Sejong is unveiled |url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2911118 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411054256/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2911118 |archive-date=11 April 2013 |newspaper=Korea JoongAng Daily |df=mdy-all}} now sits on a concrete pedestal on the boulevard of Gwanghwamun Square and directly in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul.{{cite web |title=King Sejong Statue (세종대왕 동상) |url=http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1382671 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927205824/http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1382671 |archive-date=27 September 2015 |access-date=2016-02-22 |website=VisitKorea.or.kr}} The pedestal contains one of the several entrances to the 3,200 m² underground museum exhibit entitled "The Story of King Sejong".{{cite web |title=King Sejong Story (세종이야기) |url=http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=999517 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927224452/http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=999517 |archive-date=27 September 2015 |access-date=2016-02-22 |website=VisitKorea.or.kr}}{{cite news |date=26 September 2009 |title=Remembering Hangul |url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2910575 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411051831/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2910575 |archive-date=11 April 2013 |newspaper=Korea JoongAng Daily}} In 2007, the South Korean Chief of Naval Operations officially announced the naming of its Sejong the Great-class destroyers, further explaining that Sejong's name was chosen as he was the most beloved figure among South Koreans.{{cite web|url=https://weekly.cnbnews.com/news/article.html?no=100587|script-title=ko:최고의 '방패' 한국형 이지스함 세종대왕함 진수|date=2 July 2007|newspaper=CNB뉴스|access-date=4 July 2024|author=유성호|language=ko|quote=해군은 또 "세종대왕은 국민적 호감도가 가장 높은 인물"이라며 "향후 항모를 보유하게 된다면 이미 대형 상륙함에 독도함 등이 함명으로 사용되는 만큼, '고구려', '발해' 같은 웅대한 대륙국가의 이름이 사용될 수도 있을 것"이라고 설명했다.}}

A portrait of Sejong is featured on the 10,000-won banknote of the South Korean won, along with various scientific tools invented under his reign. Sejong was first portrayed in the 1000-hwan bill as part of the 15 August 1960 currency reform, replacing the portrait of former president Syngman Rhee. Sejong was also featured on the 500-hwan bill the following year. Both bills were decommissioned in 1962. Sejong's portrait returned with the introduction of the 10,000-won bill, when his portrait and Geunjeongjeon replaced Seokguram and Bulguksa as features of the bill, in 1973.{{cite web|author=윤정식|script-title=ko:세종대왕이 '1만원권 지폐' 모델이 된 까닭은?|date=2015-10-09|newspaper=헤럴드경제|language=ko|url=https://biz.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=20151008000641}}

In North Korea, Sejong is not as widely commemorated as in the South. Volume 16 of the Great Korean Encyclopedia asserts that feudalist pressure and extortion was strengthened during Sejong's reign and that all of Sejong's policies were directed for the benefit of the feudalist ruling class. In contrast, on 15 December 2001, North Korean news outlet Tongil Sinbo stated in a column that Sejong the Great greatly contributed to Korean science during his 30-year reign.{{cite web|title=北, 세종대왕 역사적 인물로 평가 |newspaper=Tongil News |url=https://www.tongilnews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=14817 |language=ko |author=최선영 |date=7 January 2002 |quote=북한 무소속대변지 통일신보 최근호(2001.12.15)는 [우리나라 역사인물] 코너에서 `과학문화 발전에 기여한 세종`이란 제목을 통해 세종대왕(1397∼1450년)이 `30여년 집권기간 훈민정음의 창제 등 나라의 과학문화를 발전시키는데 적지 않게 기여한 것으로 하여 후세에도 그 이름은 전해지고 있다`고 소개했다... 또 2000년 8월 발행된 [조선대백과사전] 제16권은 `세종 통치시기 봉건문화가 발전하고 나라의 대외적 지위가 높아졌다`고 지적하면서도 `봉건군주로서 세종의 모든 활동과 그 결과는 봉건 지배계급의 이익을 옹호하기 위한 것이었고 이 시기 인민대중에 대한 봉건적 압박과 착취는 보다 강화됐다`고 주장하고 있다.}} Hangul Day is also celebrated in North Korea, albeit on a different date than in South Korea.

{{Cleanup|date=June 2024|reason=Convert to family tree chart, convert dates to Gregorian, cite|section}}

{{ahnentafel

|collapsed=yes |align=center

|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;

|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;

|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;

|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;

|1= 1. Sejong of Joseon

|2= 2. King Taejong of Joseon
({{Korean|hangul=조선 태종|labels=no}})

|3= 3. Queen Wongyeong of the Yeoheung Min clan
({{Korean|hangul=원경왕후 민씨|labels=no}})

|4= 4. King Taejo of Joseon
({{Korean|hangul=조선 태조|labels=no}})

|5= 5. Queen Sinui of the Cheongju Han clan
({{Korean|hangul=신의왕후 한씨|labels=no}})

|6= 6. Min Je, Internal Prince Yeoheung and Duke Mundo
({{Korean|hangul=여흥부원군 문도공 민제|labels=no}})

|7= 7. Lady Song of the Yeosan Song clan, Grand Princess Consort of Samhan State
({{Korean|hangul=삼한국대부인 여산 송씨|labels=no}})

|8= 8. Yi Ja-chun, King Hwanjo of Joseon
({{Korean|hangul=조선 환조 이자춘|labels=no}})

|9= 9. Queen Uihye of the Yeongheung Choe clan
({{Korean|hangul=의혜왕후 최씨|labels=no}})

|10= 10. Han Gyeong, Internal Prince Ancheon
({{Korean|hangul=안천부원군 한경|labels=no}})

|11= 11. Lady Shin of the Saknyeong Shin clan, Grand Princess Consort of Samhan State
({{Korean|hangul=삼한국대부인 삭녕 신씨|labels=no}})

|12= 12. Min Byeon
({{Korean|hangul=민변|labels=no}})

|14= 14. Song Seon
({{Korean|hangul=송선|labels=no}})

}}

Sejong and his primary consort Soheon had ten children together: the most for any queen consort of the Joseon period.{{Sfnp|Yi|2007|p=21}} Historian Lee Han argues it is unclear if their relationship had genuine love{{Importance inline|reason="Love" needs to be defined, as the concept evolved over time. It may not be important enough to deserve a mention in this page.|date=June 2024}}; while they had numerous children together, and there is evidence of the two caring for and treating each other respectfully, Taejong had the queen's father executed, and Sejong dutifully consented to this.{{Sfnp|Yi|2007|p=19–21}}{{Unbalanced opinion|reason=Whether Sejong "dutifully consented" or merely did not challenge his father is unclear. To make such a bold word choice, a better source is needed.|date=June 2024}}

• Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan ({{Korean|hangul=소헌왕후 심씨|labels=no}}; 28 September 1395 – 24 March 1446)
• Princess Jeongso ({{Korean|hangul=정소공주|labels=no}}; 1412 – 25 February 1424), first daughter
• Crown Prince Yi Hyang ({{Korean|hangul=왕세자 이향|labels=no}}; 3 October 1414 – 14 May 1452), first son
• Princess Jeongui ({{Korean|hangul=정의공주|labels=no}}; 12 July 1415 – 11 February 1477), second daughter
• Yi Yu, Grand Prince Suyang ({{Korean|hangul=수양대군 이유|labels=no}}; 29 September 1417 – 8 September 1468), second son
• Yi Yong, Grand Prince Anpyeong ({{Korean|hangul=안평대군 이용|labels=no}}; 19 September 1418 – 18 October 1453), third son
• Yi Gu, Grand Prince Imyeong ({{Korean|hangul=임영대군 이구|labels=no}}; 6 January 1420 – 21 January 1469), fourth son
• Yi Yeo, Grand Prince Gwangpyeong ({{Korean|hangul=광평대군 이여|labels=no}}; 2 May 1425 – 7 December 1444), fifth son
• Yi Yu, Grand Prince Geumseong ({{Korean|hangul=금성대군 이유|labels=no}}; 28 March 1426 – 21 October 1457), seventh son
• Yi Im, Grand Prince Pyeongwon ({{Korean|hangul=평원대군 이임|labels=no}}; 18 November 1427 – 16 January 1445), ninth son
• Yi Yeom, Grand Prince Yeongeung ({{Korean|hangul=영응대군 이염|labels=no}}; 15 April 1434 – 2 February 1467), fifteenth son
• Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Cheongju Gim clan ({{Korean|hangul=신빈 김씨|labels=no}}; 1406 – 4 September 1464)
• Fourth daughter (? – 1426)
• Yi Jeung, Prince Gyeyang ({{Korean|hangul=계양군 이증|labels=no}}; 12 August 1427 – 16 August 1464), eighth son
• Yi Gong, Prince Uichang ({{Korean|hangul=의창군 이공|labels=no}}; 1428 – 27 February 1460), tenth son
• Fifth daughter (? – 1429)
• Yi Chim, Prince Milseong ({{Korean|hangul=밀성군 이침|labels=no}}; 1430 – 1 January 1479), twelfth son
• Yi Yeon, Prince Ikhyeon ({{Korean|hangul=익현군 이연|labels=no}}; 1431 – 4 May 1463), fourteenth son
• Yi Jang, Prince Yeonghae ({{Korean|hangul=영해군 이장|labels=no}}; 20 March 1435 – 5 May 1477), seventeenth son
• Yi Geo, Prince Damyang ({{Korean|hangul=담양군 이거|labels=no}}; 8 January 1439 – 10 March 1450), eighteenth son
• Royal Noble Consort Hye of the Cheongju Yang clan ({{Korean|hangul=혜빈 양씨|labels=no}}; ? – 9 November 1455)
• Yi Eo, Prince Hannam ({{Korean|hangul=한남군 이어|labels=no}}; 8 September 1429 – 29 May 1459), eleventh son
• Yi Hyeon, Prince Suchun ({{Korean|hangul=수춘군 이현|labels=no}}; 13 July 1431 – 5 June 1455), thirteenth son
• Yi Jeon, Prince Yeongpung ({{Korean|hangul=영풍군 이전|labels=no}}; 17 August 1434 – 20 June 1456), sixteenth son
• Royal Noble Consort Yeong of the Jinju Gang clan ({{Korean|hangul=영빈 강씨|labels=no}}; ? – 20 January 1483)
• Yi Yeong, Prince Hwaui ({{Korean|hangul=화의군 이영|labels=no}}; 5 September 1425 – after 1489), sixth son.
• Royal Consort Gwi-in of the Miryang Park clan ({{Korean|hangul=귀인 박씨|labels=no}})
• Royal Consort Gwi-in of the Jeonju Choe clan ({{Korean|hangul=귀인 최씨|labels=no}})
• Royal Consort Sug-ui of the Jo clan ({{Korean|hangul=숙의 조씨|labels=no}})
• Royal Consort So-yong of the Hong clan ({{Korean|hangul=숙용 홍씨|labels=no}}; ? – 4 February 1452)
• Royal Consort Sug-won of the Yi clan ({{Korean|hangul=숙원 이씨|labels=no}})
• Princess Jeongan ({{Korean|hangul=정안옹주|labels=no}}; 1441 – 16 October 1461), seventh daughter
• Court Lady Song ({{Korean|hangul=상침 송씨|labels=no}}; 1396 – 21 August 1463)
• Princess Jeonghyeon ({{Korean|hangul=정현옹주|labels=no}}; 1425 – 6 November 1480), third daughter
• Court Lady Cha ({{Korean|hangul=사기 차씨|labels=no}}; ? – 1444)
• Sixth daughter (1430–1431)
• Unknown
• Yi Dang ({{Korean|hangul=이당|labels=no}}; 1442 – ?), nineteenth son

His life was depicted in the KBS historical drama The Great King, Sejong in 2008.{{cite web|url=https://program.kbs.co.kr/2tv/drama/sejong/mobile/index.html|title=The Great King Sejong |website=Korean Broadcasting System|language=ko |access-date=26 March 2023}}

• Sejong is the leader of the Korean civilization in Sid Meier's Civilization VI's Leader Pass DLC, Sid Meier's Civilization V, and Civilization Revolution 2.
• Sejong is the starting ruler of Korea in Europa Universalis IV.

{{commons category|Sejong the Great}}

• {{sclass|Sejong the Great|destroyer|1}}
• UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize

{{notelist|30em}}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{main|Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty}}

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Taejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 태종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Taejong

| script-chapter = ko:세자 이제를 폐하고 충녕 대군으로서 왕세자를 삼다

| trans-chapter = Yangnyeong Is Deposed And Chungnyeong Becomes Heir Apparent

| orig-year = 1418

| year = 1431

| language = korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|태종실록 35권, 태종 18년 6월 3일 임오 1번째기사}}

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kca_11806003_001

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:총서

| trans-chapter = General Preface

| orig-year = 1418

| year = 1454

| language = korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 1권, 총서}}

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_000

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) {{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:이원이 막 돌아온 수군을 돌려 다시 대마도 치는 것이 득책이 아님을 고하다

| trans-chapter = Yi Won advises that it is not advantageous to send the recently returned navy back to attack Tsushima again

| orig-year = 1419

| year = 1454

| language = Korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 4권, 세종 1년 7월 9일 임자 5번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_10107009_005

| location = Gwacheon {{korean|과천|labels=no}}

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) {{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:박실이 대마도에서 패군할 때의 상황을 알고 있는 중국인을 보내는 데 대한 의논

| trans-chapter = Discussion on sending a Chinese person who knows the situation when Park Sil's army was defeated at Tsushima

| orig-year = 1419

| year = 1454

| language = Korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 4권, 세종 1년 7월 22일 계해 6번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url = https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_10107022_006

| location = Gwacheon {{korean|과천|labels=no}}

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:죄인에게 아부한 이발 등을 파직할 것을 상왕에게 여쭈다

| trans-chapter = Sejong Asks King Emeritus Whether To Impeach Yi Bal et al. For Currying Favor With Criminal

| orig-year = 1420

| year = 1454

| language = korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 9권, 세종 2년 8월 29일 을축 3번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_10208029_003

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:진양 대군 이유에게 대신 전별연을 행하게 하다

| trans-chapter = King Has Yi Yu Organize Farewell Party

| orig-year = 1435

| year = 1454

| language = korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 68권, 세종 17년 4월 1일 임인 1번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_11704001_001

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title=Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter=ko:강무를 세자에게 위임하도록 하는 논의를 하다

| trans-chapter=Discussing the delegation of the royal hunt to the Crown Prince

| orig-year=1439

| year=1454

| language=korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 85권, 세종 21년 6월 21일 정유 3번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_12106021_003

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:임금이 안질로 인해 공사업무 축소를 승정원에 전지하다

| trans-chapter = King Instructs Royal Secretariat To Reduce Work Due To Eye Disease

| orig-year = 1441

| year = 1454

| language = korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 92권, 세종 23년 2월 20일 정해 1번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_12302020_001

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:통사 정복에게 화자 친상의 자문을 주어 요동에 보내다

| trans-chapter = King Seeks Consult From Liaodong

| orig-year = 1446

| year = 1454

| language = korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 112권, 세종 28년 4월 30일 정묘 8번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_12804030_008

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:중궁을 위해 불경을 만드는 것을 허락하려 한다고 승정원에 이르니 반대하다

| trans-chapter = The King asks permission from the Royal Secretariat to publish Buddhist texts for the queen but is rejected.

| orig-year = 1446 | year = 1454

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 111권, 세종 28년 3월 26일 계사 6번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_12803026_006

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:임금과 동궁이 몸이 불편하여 조서를 맞이하는 방법에 대해 대신들과 의논하다

| trans-chapter = Sejong And Officials Discuss Welcoming Emissary From Ming China As Sejong and Crown Prince Are Both Sick

| orig-year = 1450 | year = 1454

| language = korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 127권, 세종 32년 1월 18일 갑오 1번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_13201018_001

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:임금이 영응 대군 집 동별궁에서 훙하다

| trans-chapter = King Dies at Young-eung's Residence

| orig-year = 1450

| year = 1454

| language = korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 127권, 세종 32년 2월 17일 임진 1번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_13202017_001

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejong) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세종실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejong

| script-chapter = ko:지중추원사 이선 등을 북경에 보내 부고를 고하고 시호를 청하다

| trans-chapter = Yi Seon et al. Go To Beijing And Request Temple Name

| orig-year = 1450

| year = 1454

| language = korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세종실록 127권, 세종 32년 2월 22일 정유 1번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kda_13202022_001

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejo) {{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세조실록|hanja=世祖莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejo

| script-chapter = ko:세조가 이용과 결탁하여 반역하고자 했던 김종서·황보인·이양·조극관 등을 효수하다

| trans-chapter = Sejo Hangs Kim Jong-seo et al.

| orig-year = 1453

| year = 1471

| language = Korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세조실록 10권, 세조 1년 10월 10일 기유 1번째기사}}

| chapter-url = https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kfa_10110010_001

| location = Gwacheon {{korean|과천|labels=no}}

}}

• {{cite book

| author = Office of Annals (Sejo) [{{korean|hangul=실록청|hanja=實錄廳|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:{{korean|hangul=조선왕조실록: 세조실록|hanja=世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}

| trans-title = Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty: Annals of King Sejo

| script-chapter = ko:집현전을 파하고 경연을 정지하며, 소장하던 책을 예문관으로 옮기게 하다

| trans-chapter = Sejo Abolishes Hall Of Worthies And Daily Lessons, Moves Books To Yemungwan

| orig-year = 1456

| year = 1471

| language = korean

| publisher = National Institute of Korean History

| ref = {{harvid|세조실록 4권, 세조 2년 6월 6일 갑진 3번째기사}}

| author-mask = 3

| chapter-url=https://sillok.history.go.kr/id/kga_10206006_003

| location = Gwacheon [{{korean|과천|labels=no}}]

}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin|30em}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

• {{Cite journal

| last = Cho

| first = Nam-uk

| author-mask1 = Cho Nam-uk [{{korean|조남욱|labels=no}}]

| language = ko

| script-title = ko:세종대왕의 유불화해의식에 관한 연구

| trans-title = A Study on King Sejong's Amicable Consciousness of Confucianism and Buddhism

| doi = 10.15801/je.1.80.201103.1

| year = 2011

| url = https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART001538908

| via = KCI

| journal = Journal of Ethics [{{korean|윤리연구|倫理硏究|labels=no}}]

| volume = 1

| issue = 80

| pages = 1–30

| doi-access = free

}}

• {{cite encyclopedia

| last = Choi

| first = Seunghee

| author-mask1 = Choi Seunghee [{{korean|최승희|labels=no}}]

| encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Korean Culture [{{korean|한국민족문화대백과사전|韓國民族文化大百科事典|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:세종

| trans-title = Sejong

| url = https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0029857

| access-date =

| language = ko

| edition =

| date = n.d.

| publisher =

| series =

| volume =

| location = Korea

| id =

| isbn =

| oclc =

| doi =

| pages =

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240606124934/https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0029857

| archive-date = 6 Jun 2024

| url-status =

| quote =

| ref = {{harvid|Choi 1|n.d.}}

}}

• {{cite encyclopedia

| last = Choi

| first = Seunghee

| author-mask1 = 3

| encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Korean Culture [{{korean|한국민족문화대백과사전|韓國民族文化大百科事典|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:문종 (文宗)

| trans-title = Munjong

| url = https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0019665

| language = ko

| edition =

| date = n.d.

| publisher =

| series =

| volume =

| location = Korea

| id =

| isbn =

| oclc =

| doi =

| pages =

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240606124934/https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0019665

| archive-date = 6 Jun 2024

| url-status = live

| quote =

| ref = {{harvid|Choi 2|n.d.}}

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Hong

| first = Yi-Seop

| author-mask1 = Hong Yi-Seop [{{korean|홍이섭|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:세종대왕

| trans-title = Sejong the Great

| publisher = Sejong the Great Memorial Society [{{korean|세종대왕기념사업회|labels=no}}]

| location = Seoul [{{korean|서울|labels=no}}]

| orig-date = 1971

| year = 2011

| edition = 9th

| isbn = 978-89-8275-660-3

| language = ko

| ref = {{harvid|Hong|1971}}

}}

• {{cite encyclopedia

| last = Park

| first = Cheonsik

| author-mask1 = Park Cheonsik [{{korean|박천식|labels=no}}]

| encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Korean Culture [{{korean|한국민족문화대백과사전|韓國民族文化大百科事典|labels=no}}]

| script-title = ko:소헌왕후 (昭憲王后)

| trans-title = Queen Soheon

| url = https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0030354

| language = ko

| edition =

| date = n.d.

| publisher =

| series =

| volume =

| location = Korea

| id =

| isbn =

| oclc =

| doi =

| pages =

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240629093934/https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0030354

| archive-date = 29 Jun 2024

| url-status = live

| quote =

| ref = {{harvid|Park|n.d.}}

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Yi

| first = Han

| author-mask1 = Yi Han [{{korean|이한|labels=no}}]

| date = 2007

| trans-title = I Am Joseon

| script-title = ko:나는 조선이다

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jPnkDwAAQBAJ

| publisher = Cheong-A Publishing Company [{{korean|청아출판사|labels=no}}]

| location = Seoul [{{korean|서울|labels=no}}]

| isbn = 978-89-368-2112-8

| language = ko

| ref = {{harvid|Yi|2007}}

}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Coulmas

| first = Florian

| title = The Korean Alphabet: Its History and Structure (review)

| journal = Korean Studies

| volume = 24

| issue = 1

| date = 2000

| issn = 1529-1529

| doi = 10.1353/ks.2000.0002

| pages = 198–201

}}

• {{cite book

| title = The Handbook of Korean Linguistics

| editor-last1 = Borwn

| editor-first1 = Lucien

| editor-last2 = Yeon

| editor-first2 = Jaehoon

| last1 =

| first2 =

| chapter = Linguistic Emblems of South Korean Society

| url = https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/harkness/files/harknessn2015_linguisticemblemssouthkoreansocietyweb.pdf

}}

• {{cite book

| editor-last = Chin W.

| editor-first = Kim

| series = Studies in Linguistic Sciences

| title = Literacy and Writing Systems in Asia

| volume = 30

| issue = 1

| date = 2000

| publisher = University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

| chapter = The Legacy of King Sejong the Great

| issn = 0049-2388

| url = https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2008-11/studiesinlinguis/studiesinlinguis302000univ/studiesinlinguis302000univ.pdf

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Kang

| first = Jae-eun

| title = The Land of Scholars: Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism

| year = 2006

| publisher = Homa & Sekey Books

| location = Paramus, New Jersey

| isbn = 978-1-931907-37-8

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iB8R0oEH3kEC

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Kim

| first = Chun-gil

| title = The History of Korea

| year = 2005

| publisher = Greenwood Publishing

| location = Westport, Connecticut

| url = https://archive.org/details/historyofkorea0000kimc/mode/2up

}}

• {{Cite journal

| last = Kim

| first = Yung Sik

| date = 1998

| title = Problems and Possibilities in the Study of the History of Korean Science

| url = https://www.jstor.org/stable/301878

| journal = Osiris

| volume = 13

| pages = 48–79

| doi = 10.1086/649280

| jstor = 301878

| issn = 0369-7827

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Kim-Renaud

| first = Young-Key

| title = King Sejong the Great: The Light of Fifteenth Century Korea

| publisher = International Circle of Korean Linguistics

| publication-place = Washington, D.C.

| date = 1997

| isbn = 1-882177-01-0

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Kim-Renaud

| first = Young-Key

| date = 2000

| title = Sejong's theory of literacy and writing

| journal = Studies in the Linguistic Sciences

| volume = 30

| issue = 1

| pages = 13–46

| author-mask=3

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Kim-Renaud

| first = Young-Key

| title = The Korean Alphabet: Its History and Structure

| publisher = University of Hawaii Press

| date = 2021

| orig-date=1997

| isbn = 978-0-8248-4527-8

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=U8ACEQAAQBAJ

| author-mask=3

}}

• {{cite book

| last1 = Lee

| first1 = Peter H.

| last2 = De Bary

| first2 = William

| title = Sources of Korean Tradition: From Early Times through the Sixteenth Century

| year = 2000

| publisher = Columbia University Press

| location = New York

| url = https://archive.org/details/sourcesofkoreant0000unse/mode/2up

}}

• {{cite book

| last1 = Paek

| first1 = Okkyoung

| last2 = Cho

| first2 = Jihyung

| last3 = Ham

| first3 = Dongju

| last4 = Jung

| first4 = Byungjoon

| last5 = Lee

| first5 = Hyunsook

| last6 = Sohn

| first6 = Jungsook

| title = Understanding Korean History

| publisher = Korean Cultural Research Institute of Ewha Woman's University: Jimoondang

| publication-place = Seoul

| date = 2011

| isbn = 978-89-6297-024-1

| ref = {{harvid|Paek et. al|2011}}

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Rutt

| first = Richard

| title = James Scarth Gale and his History of the Korean People

| publisher = Seoul Computer Press

| date = 1982

}}

• {{cite book

| last1 = Song

| first1 = Ho-jung

| last2 = Jeon

| first2 = Deog-jae

| last3 = Lim

| first3 = Ki-hwan

| last4 = Kim

| first4 = In-ho

| last5 = Lee

| first5 = Kang-hahn

| last6 = Choi

| first6 = E-don

| last7 = Chung

| first7 = Yeon-sik

| last8 = Suh

| first8 = Young-hee

| last9 = Chun

| first9 = Woo-yong

| last10 = Hahn

| first10 = Monica

| last11 = Chung

| first11 = Chang-hyun

| translator-first1 = Daniel

| translator-last1 = Kane

| translator-first2 = Jong-Chol

| translator-last2 = An

| translator-first3 = Keith

| translator-last3 = Seide

| title = A History of Korea

| year = 2019

| url = http://contents.history.go.kr/front/kh/main.do

| isbn = 979-11-5866-604-0

| publisher = Academy of Korean Studies

| publication-place = Republic of Korea

| series = Understanding Korea

| volume = 10

| ref = {{harvid|Song et al.|2019}}

}}

{{refend}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-hou|House of Yi|10 April|1397|17 February|1450}}

{{s-reg}}

{{s-bef

| before = Taejong

}}

{{s-ttl

| title = King of Joseon

| years = 10 August 1418 – 17 February 1450

| regent1 =

| years1 =

| regent2 =

| years2 =

}}

{{s-aft

| after = Munjong

}}

{{s-end}}

{{Portal bar|Korea|Asia|History|Linguistics|Monarchy|Biography}}

{{House of Yi|status=collapsed}}

{{Grand princes of Joseon}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sejong The Great}}

Category:1397 births

Category:1450 deaths

Category:15th-century Korean monarchs

Category:Creators of writing systems

Category:Diabetes-related deaths

Category:Linguists from Korea

Category:Joseon Buddhists

Category:Joseon Confucianists

Category:People from Jongno District

Category:People from Seoul

Category:Korean Buddhist monarchs

Category:Linguists of Korean