Habin,+Grace,+William,+Eric,


 * //Sejong's Accession and Early Reign// **


 * 1) According to the author, were the common people of Korea 'unaware' of the greatness of Sejong?
 * 2) What is Sejong's relationship to Yi Songgye (the first king of the Yi Dynasty)?
 * 3) Why was Prince Ch'ungnyong (Sejong) chosen over his elder brother to become king of Choson? Why might it be concluded that his succession to take the crown is evidence of his father's cleverness?
 * 4) What was King T'aejong seeking as a legacy he would leave in Korea?
 * 5) What institution did Sejong reinvigorate and what role did it play in Korean history? How is this institution reminiscent of what was happening in Europe at the same time (Renaissance)?
 * 6) Provide an example of how Sejong demonstrated that his court was a place of debate and discussion and not one of 'top down' autocratic rule.

Habin: Family(Questions 2, 3) William: Characteristics(Question 6) Grace: How commoners thought about Sejong, or what they knew about him(Question1) Eric: Achievements(Question 4, 5, 6)

1. Grace Chung - According to the author, were the common people of Korea 'unaware' of the greatness of Sejong? Were the common people of Korea 'unaware' of the greatness of Sejong? Today, Sejong is the most remembered king among all Korean Kings. He even appears on the postage stamps and money, whose name identifies boulevards, cultural centers, foundations and prizes.

Sejong is widely known for the creation of the Korean alphabet, Han'gul. Also, He was known for spending a lot of his time working on the Korean alphabet (Han’gul). There were various other reasons why Sejong and bureaucracy were from time to time at loggerheads. Through deprived of direct impressions or news in the formal aspect, the common people could barely have been unaware of what manner of man sat on the nation’s throne. He was only known as a king who kept peace, but not many people knew about his secret creation of alphabet until he published his achievements. Many of his achievements were things that citizens could not feel right away, such as the "Hall of the Wise" which did not directly and immediately affect the citizens.

Habin 2,3 Family His father, Taejo is the first king of the Chosun Dynasty. Even from his early days, Sejong was well known for being bright and exceptionally intellectually superior to his sibling, who was the heir to the throne. King sejong became the heir to the throne after his father cleverly switch the heir before the succesion. Sejong's superior intelligence was the obvious reason why Sejong became the heir.

6. William Lee - Sejong's Personal Characteristics

Through the building the Chiphyon Chon (Hall of the Wise—the think tank), King Sejong showed his passion toward education. Also, as the scholars of Chiphyon Chon were the leading people in politics as well as other politicians, when the officers and scholars petitioned officers, he asked their opinion and why they want it to happen. Records of these numerous discussions show that he asked more questions and was a judge with a fair mind, accepting other peoples' ideas.

Due to the fact that Sejong loved education and studying, he thought more, and rationalized all his actions. He was often seen abandoning his kingly jobs to read books and ponder upon an idea. He had great flexibility in his sayings; nothing was forced, if one had a reason to not do it, as seen in the case of Polo. Also, even though he created Hangul and suggested it, he never forced people to learn and change their language; he waited until others accepted and rationalized the idea of a new system of writing.

4. Eric Shim-Achivements What made Sejong a such a great, remebered and even a godly king in Korean history? Well, his achievements in politics, education and human qualities made him a such a great king.

Firstly, throughout his period, he kept a **Confucian morality**, and was thought as an equivalent of a sage in Confucianism. Not only did he keep Confucian morality, but he used Confucianism to rule his kingdom--for example, **"officials could argue vigorously with him over policy and administrative matters"**(P1, Sejon'g Accession and Early Reign). This idea not only accompanies Confucian concept of **Confucian relationship(ruler and subject)**, but also shows a partial concept of **Mandate of Heaven.**

Secondly, he maintained a politically, economically, and socially **stable kingdom** based on the legacies of his grandfather, T'aejong. With the bureaucracy and stable Choson dynasty set up, Sejong **used beneficial parts of his grandfather's legacies, and sometimes modified these rules for a better kingdom.** He could have easily gave up since the dynasty was stable, but he kept on improving. For example, while focusing on education, he took care of other issues such as political issues by **constantly debating and arguing with his officials.** He did not argue without a purpose--w**hen he thought that there was a reason to change, he gladly changed parts of the kingdom that needed to be changed.**

Thirdly, he not only achieved in areas of Confucianism and stability, but also in education and culture. For example, even though he did not hesitate to **learn from the leading Chinese, but also did not hesitate to invent a unique, distinctive Korean culture** where a unique Confucian culture dominated. For another example, the "Hall of the Wise" was **reorganized** by Sejong to act as a "think tank" in Choson dynasty. **With only the most brilliant and smart young men, the institution came up with impressive research and inventions.**