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Concept
Choe Sejin
Summary
Choe Sejin (, [t͡ɕhwe̞ shed͡ʑin]; 1465 – February 10, 1542) was a Korean linguist, and a translator and interpreter of the Chinese language during the Joseon Dynasty. He is of the Goesan Choe clan and his courtesy name was Gongseo (공서; 公瑞). He is widely known for his research with the Korean hangul letters, and comparative studies with Chinese and Korean, which further led to the propagation of hangul during a time period when Chinese characters were used as the main system of writing. Choe was recognized by many for his talents as an official interpreter in the Korean Embassies in Beijing and in his works in hangul research. However, he lived a tumultuous life due to this middle class status, which led him to be the target of many envious aristocrats of his era.
Choe devised the modern Korean order of the hangul characters, and assigned names to the letters. His most famous book on hangul is the Hunmong Jahoe (훈몽자회; 訓蒙字會 "Collection of Characters for Training the Unenlightened", 1527). Over the course of 40 years, he composed 7 original works, and published 10 translations and research works.
Choe Sejin was born into a middle-class family in Seoul. His father was Choe Jungbal, who was also a translator and interpreter for the government. Choe Sejin's birth year is not found in any records, but given the record found in "Jungjong of Joseon Chronicles", his birth year is estimated as 1465. However, there are other claims that he was born in 1473. When he was 21, he passed the "Translating and Interpreting Government Exam" and when he was 38, he placed second in another exam, the "Bong Se Ja Byul Shi" Exam, an exam conducted to celebrate the crowning of the Prince.
Choe was known as very skilled as a translator and interpreter. However, during a time period when society was strictly stratified, his middle class status restricted his career and even led him to many difficulties and hardships.
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