Universidade Federal Fluminense

ISF – Curso de Produção Escrita: Essay

Professora: Maria Clara

Aluna: Evelyn dos Santos Gomes de Jesus

Tema: The admirable history of the Korean Language

South Korea is an example to all countries with their past of invasions. Being dominated
by different Asian nations, Koreans were the target of all sorts of impositions of power.
However, history shows that this nation had the capacity to improve their economic,
educational system, and well-being of its population. All this were achieved by the unity
of the Korean society.

Korean history starts a long time ago, compared to our Latin American countries. The
Korean community emerged by the influence of many Asian populations, like Japanese
and Chinese. The most significant was the Chinese influence over the country. As an
example of power, communication between the highest Korean authorities was in
Chinese language, only the rich could afford paying to learn this difficult idiom.

Most of the common people were illiterate due this reality, until a Korean king named
as Sejong the Great, decided to create a language that was simply enough to be learned
by all people. The Korean language was idealized under those circumstances, and the
Korean alphabet, Hangul, were created to represent the shape of the mouth and the
tongue when we speak. The language is very logic for those who have learned, although
may seem very impossible for us who use Latin alphabet.

For those who could not afford education, most of the population at this time, this new
language created an opportunity for a better communication between people of all
levels. Most of all, the end of the Chinese power over the country was made possible by
this initiative. A country must have its own characteristics; that is how culture is
created, something that made people identify themselves with one another. The act of
creating a new language, at a time that the Korean population was subjugated, made
possible the emergence of a sense of unity, together with the autonomy and more
independence of the society.