Writing in Korea

Koreans have always respected the written word

The first writing system used in Korea was borrowed from China

In 1446 the Korean alphabet now known as Hangul was developed

and began to be used alongside the Chinese writing system

Simple shapes represent the sounds of the Korean alphabet

so many more Koreans could learn to read and write

Many administrative, literary, and Buddhist texts have been preserved

and form the foundation of Korean government and education

Carved wooden blocks were used for printing

The Tripitaka Koreana is a compilation of Buddhist texts made in the 13th century

carved on 81,258 wooden blocks

Texts were carved in mirror writing. This is still practised today

The original blocks are 750 years old and still reproduce perfectly

As well as using wooden blocks, printers experimented with metal type

at least 70 years before the Gutenberg Bible was printed in Europe

Accurate mass production allowed the spread of ideas and encouraged literacy

This book of Buddhist sermons was printed in 1377 from the original metal type

Writing also reveals information about ordinary Korean people

This tablet is an epitaph to a junior official, Paek Chun-min who died in 1698 aged 64

Today, contemporary artists such as Shin Young-Ok refer to the Korean literary tradition in their own work