The development of writing system in Korea and the contribution of Buddhism

Even before the creation of Hangul, the Korean had its own characters to represent the Korean language of the time. Typical examples are Hyangchal and Kugyeol. Hyangchal is a writing system that maximizes the efficiency of conveying meaning through a complex system of ideograms and phonograms, and reflects the perception of codas and the consciousness of separating syllables into initial, middle, and final sounds. It was the Buddhist monastic class that was most adept at using this writing system. Kugyeol is a script that not only possesses the stylistic features of Hyangchal, but also evolved to the point where it created a new shape of letters. There are two types of Kugyeol, one using letters and the other using symbols such as dots and lines, and it is clear that the creators of this system were also monks. Meanwhile, after the creation of Hangul in 1443, Koreans now have a new script that can fully express the Korean language without borrowing or modifying Chinese characters. Creating new characters is one thing, but using them well is another. The monks of the Joseon Dynasty played a key role in the development and expansion of the use of these new scripts. So far, the monks of the Shilla, Goryeo, and Joseon dynasties have been emphasized only as religious figures and practitioners, or as visionaries, literary figures, or medics, but they should also be recognized for their role as excellent users of letters, who developed and preserved the Korean writing system.