It would not be an exaggeration to say that old Korea was a cultural colony of China: Chinese culture had unquestionable prestige on the peninsula until the 19th century.

In fact, it was the only culture considered worthy. Classical Chinese was the language of literature, politics, and any civilized discussion.

Despite the fact that the Korean alphabet was developed under the patronage of King Sejong – arguably, the greatest monarch in the Korean history – it soon went into relative obscurity for centuries, as the elite hated their native language purely because it was not Chinese.

It should therefore be