訓民正音 創制의 祕密

Abstract

Who invented the Korean Alphabet ”Hunminjeongeum(訓民正音)”, now called Hangeul? This paper re-examines the hypotheses proposed in Im (2006, 2008). The central issue is concerned with whether or not the King Sejong cooperated with Jiphyeonjeon(集賢殿) worthies. However, there is no evidence in the claim that Jiphyeonjeon worthies took part in the process of inventing the Korean Alphabet. They are only involved in the publication of the book called ”Hunminjeongeum Haeryae(訓民正音解例)”, after the year of 1443, the time that the New Alphabet was already shaped. They made a great achievement so brilliant that the book gives some impression that it seems to surpass the King's ”Yaeeui (例義): Presentation of the New Alphabet and their Sound Values.” ”Hunminjeongeum Haeryae(訓民正音解例)” is nothing but interpretations and examples towards ”Yaeeui”. What suggests that princes and/or a princess of King Sejong did some roles in creating the New Alphabet is the Chinese letters representing sound values of the New Alphabet. In the past, it is considered that Chinese letters only serves representing sound values of the newly invented alphabet in question, not forming sentential constructions and sentential meanings consisting of Chinese characters. For example, King Sejong's ”Yaeeui (例義)” begins with the alphabets 'ㄱ, ㄲ, ㅋ, ㅇ', where the sound values are represented by the Chinese letters '君虯快業', indicating the sounds pronounced first. In this case, the four Chinese letters '君虯快業' forms a sentential construction, which has the meaning that the King and his offsprings like works, which in this context means that they collaborated to create a new alphabetic system. Peripheral facts are concerned with the role of Priest Sinmi (信眉), with the ”Byeoneumthochak (變音吐着)” of Princess Jeongeui (貞懿) and with the ”Giilseongmundo (起一成文圖)” which contains a lot of letter-shapes similar to the ”Hunminjeongeum” letters. Some of them seems convincing, but as a whole do not provide any substantial supports. Even though it is conceded that Priest Sinmi or Princess Cheongeui did a lot of works at creating the New Alphabet, he or she is nothing but a helper or an assistant. He was King Sejong who had the will to create a New Writing System felicitous to Korean from the first, and did continue the work to the last with a sense of mission and responsibility.