The fact about Hangul ban

There is a sad history that the use of Hangul (the Korean alphabet) was prohibited in Korean peninsula.

The Time that Hangul “the Ethnic pride of Korean” was banned was NOT the infamous Japanese annexation era but the age of Yeonsan-gun and Jungjong ,who was the 10th abolished king and 11th king of Korea's Joseon Dynasty, in the 1500's when Korean mind ultimated level of “admiring” and “serving” the Chinese Civilization.

It is the established fact that particular Korean kings, who made a serious commitment to the chinese civilization, banned the use of Hangul and burned books of Hangul.This facts is specified in The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, which are the official annual records of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea.

The 10th year of Yeonsan-gun(1504), July 20th, 2nd article:

“今後諺文勿敎勿學, 已學者亦令不得行用。 凡知諺文者, 令漢城五部, 摘告。 其知而不告者, 幷隣人罪之”

“In the future, do not teach Hangul, do not learn Hangul, and people who have already learnt Hangul must not use the language. People who doesn't report on the fact that who knows hangle will be punished along with the neighbors.”

The 10th year of Yeonsan-gun(1504), July 22th, 7th article:

“諺文行用者, 以棄毁制書律, 知而不告者, 以制書有違論斷。 朝士家所藏諺文口訣書冊皆焚之, 如飜譯漢語諺文之類勿禁。”

“People who use hangle will be harshly punished by ‘damaging document law(棄毀制書律)’. People who doesn't report on the fact that who knows hangle will be harshly punished by ‘violation document law(制書有違論)’. Burn all books of Hangul and Gugyeol[*1],which are in the possession of the official’s house.”

*1...Gugyeol is a system for rendering texts written in Classical Chinese into understandable Korean.

After the “Hangul ban”, some people who used hangle were panished by Yeonsan-gun. And some Hangle documents were found but the officials can’t distinguished who’s by handwriting. So he made all the people who learnt Hangle write four books for handwriting analysis. Yeonsan-gun “the tyrant” worked toward the unreasonable reign.

Well, After Yeonsan-gun was dethroned, Jungjong of Joseon, who succeeded Yeonsangun's half-brother, ruled Korea. As a result, was Hangul “the pride of Korean” restored? ...No, such a situation never happened in Korea.

The 1st year of Jungjong(1506), November 4th, 11th article:

“革諺文廳。”

“Close Eonmun-cheong(the institution of the Hangul study).”

He easily closed the only public institution that studied Hangul.