Black Corporation: Joseon

While Sejong and his ministers were in the midst of a meeting in Geunjeongjeon, a group of eunuchs and officials entered.

“What is the matter?”

At Sejong’s question, the Chief Secretary approached a eunuch. After receiving a whispered report, he carefully relayed the situation to Sejong.

“Choi Man-ri is now outside Gwanghwamun, kneeling on straw mats and presenting a petition? For what reason?”

“It’s because of the Hunminjeongeum you’ve created, Your Majesty.”

Sejong’s face momentarily turned fierce upon hearing the Chief Secretary’s report. However, a sneer soon took its place.

“Hah! Choi Man-ri… His insight and integrity are indeed admirable. Yes, indeed they are.”

After uttering words that could be either praise or sarcasm, Sejong rose from his seat.

“I should go out to see. Let’s all go together. We should at least hear what he has to bark about, shouldn’t we?”

At Sejong’s use of “bark,” the ministers momentarily hesitated and looked at him.

“Why are you all acting like that?”

“Your Majesty, that expression doesn’t befit your status…”

As Lee Jik trailed off, Sejong instead looked back with an expression of incomprehension.

“I said ‘speak’ (曰) for someone with lofty insight. What’s the problem?”

“Ah… It’s nothing! It’s nothing!”

At Sejong’s words, the ministers hurriedly rose from their seats. Seeing this, Sejong clicked his tongue.

“I wonder what they were thinking… Tsk!”

The court historian who recorded all of this quickly added a note as he stood up:

-The historian says:

It doesn’t seem right…

***

“Your Majesty! Please reconsider! The promulgation of Hunminjeongeum must never happen!”

As they approached Gwanghwamun, Choi Man-ri’s shouts could be heard. Hearing these cries, Sejong chuckled and muttered.

“What a good set of lungs he has.”

“Loyalty!”

“Well done, all of you.”

Receiving the salutes of the soldiers guarding Gwanghwamun, Sejong crossed the threshold and surveyed the scene spread out before Gwanghwamun.

Choi Man-ri was prostrated on a straw mat, continuing to raise his voice, while the residents of Hanseong were gathered thickly around.

Although many had gathered during the previous petition incident, even more had gathered now.

The reason for this difference was Choi Man-ri’s reputation.

-Former Chief Scholar of Hall of Worthies and a renowned man of integrity.

People had gathered because someone of a completely different caliber from the previous rabble was presenting a petition.

“Your Majesty! I, Choi Man-ri, former Chief Scholar of Hall of Worthies, risk my life to inform you! The promulgation of Hunminjeongeum must never happen! Please reconsider!”

Seeing Sejong, Choi Man-ri raised his voice even more.

Observing this, Sejong glanced around subtly.

Not only were the ministers who had followed him out visible, but also Hyang, who had rushed over from working in Area 51.

Seeing Hyang’s slightly worried expression, Sejong muttered quietly.

“With my child watching, I can’t show an unseemly appearance as a father.”

After taking a small breath, Sejong ordered the Chief Secretary.

“Go and bring a desk and chair.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

A moment later, when the eunuchs brought a desk and chair, Sejong pointed with his finger to the area in front of Choi Man-ri.

“Place them there.”

After the eunuchs placed the desk and chair and withdrew, Sejong sat down. With his elbows on the desk and his chin resting lightly on his interlocked hands, Sejong asked Choi Man-ri.

“Why shouldn’t Hunminjeongeum be used? It’s not such a poor creation, is it?”

Choi Man-ri immediately answered Sejong’s question.

“Not at all. The Hunminjeongeum Your Majesty has created contains extremely profound principles. Therefore, anyone who can think and act like a human being should be able to learn it easily and use it proficiently.”

“Then why do you say it shouldn’t be used?”

“That is precisely why it must not be used. If I may explain the reasons…”

“Wait.”

Interrupting Choi Man-ri, Sejong ordered the ministers.

“This seems like it will be quite a long story. You are all elderly, so bring chairs and sit down.”

“Your grace is boundless.”

“The Crown Prince should do the same.”

“Your grace is boundless, Father.”

“The people may sit comfortably on the ground if they’re tired, or leave if they wish.”

“Your grace is boundless!”

The residents of Hanseong, who had been lying flat on the ground according to etiquette and law, responded loudly to Sejong’s order.

After settling the situation thus, Sejong turned back to Choi Man-ri.

“Where were we in the conversation?”

“Well… Ahem! Ahem!”

Choi Man-ri, who had been sitting dazed, soon gathered his wits, cleared his throat, and continued speaking.

Seeing this, all the ministers muttered inwardly.

‘He’s already mastered the art of handling people!’

Choi Man-ri explained to Sejong why Hunminjeongeum should not be used. It was an incredibly long explanation, but summarized, it was roughly as follows:

-The Hunminjeongeum created by Sejong is a writing system that is very easy to learn and use.

However, it will cause many significant problems, so it is right not to use it.

-Since its founding, Joseon has followed Ming and adhered to Chinese systems. Although the newly created writing system is said to have derived its form from ancient seal script, its sounds and usage differ, which may cause issues with Ming.

-Throughout history, only barbarians have created and used their own languages instead of Chinese characters. Given that our Joseon’s culture and rituals are comparable to those of China, how can we take the path of barbarians?

-Although Idu, created by Seol Chong of Silla, is vulgar vernacular, it requires the use of Chinese characters, so one must learn Chinese characters. The new writing system doesn’t require Chinese characters at all, which will cause problems in learning scholarship. If an official becomes proficient in Hunminjeongeum without Chinese characters, future generations will think they can achieve success with Hunminjeongeum alone and abandon Chinese characters. There will be no one to learn the teachings of the sages.

-It was said that Hunminjeongeum could be used to resolve injustices in criminal cases, but this is not a matter of writing systems. This is a separate issue that depends on the fairness of the prison officials.

-In the case of Hunminjeongeum, it suddenly appeared and was decided to be used without discussion with the ministers, which is not right. Although the current trend is to make quick decisions and see quick results, it is absolutely unacceptable to do so with such a crucial matter as a writing system.

-Looking at the creation process of Hunminjeongeum, we can see that even the Crown Prince participated. Who is the Crown Prince? He is the future leader of Joseon. He has been exceptionally intelligent from a young age, but it is regrettable that he is now immersed in miscellaneous studies and not diligent in his main studies. In this situation, it is not right to continue assigning Hunminjeongeum-related tasks to the Crown Prince.

-If Hunminjeongeum is used, the people will be able to learn and write sentences easily. However, being able to read and write sentences easily is a separate issue from having deep knowledge.

If someone with evil intentions uses deceptive words and sentences to mislead the people, it will cause even greater harm than when only Chinese characters were used.

“…Therefore, the promulgation and use of Hunminjeongeum must never happen! Please reconsider!”

Even after Choi Man-ri’s explanation ended, Sejong did not immediately open his mouth.

“Hmm…”

Making a small nasal sound as he organized his thoughts, Sejong soon spoke.

“It seems right at first glance, but it is not.”

Sejong refuted Choi Man-ri’s opinions point by point.

-Respecting Ming is not an etiquette that must be followed, but a diplomatic choice. To act as you say is not to show respect, but to submit. This very act blurs the intent of respecting Ming that has continued since King Taejo.

-As you say, our Joseon’s culture and rituals are comparable to those of China. What is the meaning of ‘comparable’? It is to weigh the merits of two different things. In other words, isn’t it natural that Joseon’s writing system should be different since its culture and rituals are different from China’s? Isn’t that why Idu came about in the first place? Wasn’t Idu used because we had different language and culture but no proper writing system?

-Your statement that the fairness of criminal cases depends on prison officials is not wrong. However, if laws are written in simple text, and the people can easily read and understand them, wouldn’t it be easier to avoid injustices?

-You say there was no discussion with the ministers, but after its creation, all the ministers gave positive evaluations. It was also evaluated as convenient for writing official documents. Moreover, have you forgotten the existence of the remonstrators? Do you think they would have remained silent if I had done something wrong?

-You also mentioned the Crown Prince, but his participation is almost over. Even if you point out past events, can’t they be revisited? Isn’t this criticism for the sake of criticism? And you said the Crown Prince is only focusing on miscellaneous studies and neglecting his main studies, but the Crown Prince has already mastered them long ago. And many people are enjoying the results of the Crown Prince’s miscellaneous studies, so what is your arrogance in taking this lightly?

“…And you said that Chinese characters would be abandoned, neglecting the teachings of the sages, and that people would be deceived, causing harm. Let me ask you this.”

Choi Man-ri, thoroughly refuted by Sejong point by point, answered in a tired voice.

“Please ask, Your Majesty.”

“Are Chinese characters the only vessel that can contain the profound meanings of the sages? What do you value more: the meanings of the sages, or the Chinese characters that are merely the vessel containing those meanings?”

“That, that is…”

“What is the problem with changing the vessel so that more people can easily understand the meanings of the sages? And about deception? Looking back at history, there have always been those who cause trouble by deceiving people. Was that because people didn’t use Chinese characters then?”

“That’s not it…”

Sejong persistently tore into Choi Man-ri.

“Yes, it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other… The uneducated and those with shallow knowledge are equally susceptible to being deceived. But let me ask you this. Do you think those who have discovered the joy of learning through simple writing will be satisfied with shallow knowledge?”

“But the people are naturally reluctant to learn…”

At Choi Man-ri’s words, Sejong shouted angrily.

“Are your eyes blind? Can you say that even after seeing the children flocking to the Commoner’s School right now? Nine out of ten children discovering the joy of learning at the Commoner’s School are commoners!”

At Sejong’s rebuke, Choi Man-ri’s head dropped to the ground.

Sejong’s reprimand continued to fall on Choi Man-ri’s ears.

“Wasn’t the greatest duty of the scholar-officials to educate the people? If there were difficulties in educating the people due to the lack of a writing system, it was only natural to devise all sorts of methods to solve this! And now that a solution to this problem has emerged, what nonsense is it to block it!”

In the end, Choi Man-ri had to surrender.

“My thinking was short-sighted. Please forgive my sin.”

At Choi Man-ri’s response, the ministers breathed sighs of relief.

‘Choi Man-ri, that stubborn man has waved the white flag. What a relief.’

‘That was close. If he had gone a little further, His Majesty would have had his head.’

Whether aware of the ministers’ thoughts or not, Sejong glared at Choi Man-ri silently for a long time.

“What should I do with someone as obtuse as you?”

At the word ‘obtuse’, Choi Man-ri gritted his teeth. However, he was in no position to argue against such an assessment now.

After staring at Choi Man-ri for a long time, Sejong turned his head.

“Prime Minister”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I think I need to reverse one of my previous decisions. Would that be alright?”

“It depends on the matter, but Your Majesty’s will takes precedence.”

“Is that so? Hmm…. Choi Man-ri, listen.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“The Office of Correct Sounds will soon be established. You will take charge as its head and be responsible for transcribing this country’s law books into Hunminjeongeum. And not just simply transcribing, but rewriting them in a way that anyone can easily understand their meaning! You, who recognized the advantages of Hunminjeongeum in just a few days, should be capable of this, right?”

“My abilities are insufficient…”

Choi Man-ri, terrified, tried to back out, but Sejong didn’t let him.

“You have no right of refusal. And…”

Pausing briefly, Sejong approached Choi Man-ri and whispered so that only he could hear.

“Thank you. Thanks to your reputation, many people of Joseon will become even more interested in Hunminjeongeum.”