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A Brief History of Korean Spelling Rules Part I – First Four Centuries of Hangul
A Chinese character dictionary arranged by tone and rime, the Proper Rimes of the Eastern Country (東國正韻, 동국정운) was one of the very first books published in the Korean alphabet. The still-in-use ㅉ and...
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Wang Anshi – First Day of the New Year
(Source) Wang Anshi (王安石, 왕안석, 1021-1086) was a Song dynasty era (宋, 송, 960-1279) bureaucrat, reformist, and a renowned writer. He was born in Fuzhou (撫州, 무주) in Jiangxi Province (江西省, 강서성); his...
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Korean Folktale – An Illiterate Bridegroom’s Classical Chinese Poem
Confectioneries and fruits laid out at a traditional Korean wedding ceremony (Source) Naver’s Encyclopedia (네이버 백과사전) is an incredibly useful resource especially on all things Korean (in Korean), such...
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AlphaGo, the Korean Baduk Association, and the Controversy over Mixed Script
AlphaGo v. Lee Sedol, Last Match (Source) One of my fond childhood memories of when I lived in Korea was attending a Baduk academy, or Giwon (棋院, 기원) in Korean. Out all the Hagwons I attended, the...
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Why Do Voting Stamps in Korean Polling Booths Use the Character 卜?
(Source) Today, Korea is having its twentieth legislative elections. At polling booths across the country, Korean voters will vote for their candidate or party with a stamp marked with the Chinese...
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Is the Korean Government’s Hangul-Only Policy Unconstitutional?
That is the question that a group of pro-Hanja advocates has asked the Korean Constitutional Court. The group known as the Korean Language Policy Normalization Promotion Association (語文政策正常化推進會,...
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Today’s Korean Spelling Rules: A Conveniently Forgotten Legacy of the...
Hangul nationalists protesting at the Korean Constitutional Court, which held a public hearing on the Korean government’s “Hangul-Only” Policy dating back to the military dictatorship period. (Source)...
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Introduction – Lyric Poetry of Korea
Imperial Compilation of Lyric Poetry Rubrics (欽定詞譜, 흠정사보) (Source) I am only a hobbyist in Classical Chinese. As such, I have large blind spots that those formally educated in the subject might not...
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A Brief Explanation of Lyric Poetry (詞, 사)
Imperial Compilation of Lyric Poetry Rubrics (欽定詞譜, 흠정사보) (Source) Introduction Various genres of Classical Chinese poetry are associated with various eras of Chinese history. Lyric Poetry or Ci (詞, 사)...
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King Seonjong of Goryeo – Adding Sounds to the Willow Tree Branches:...
Ruins of the former palace of the Goryeo dynasty in Gaesong (開城, 개성) in present day North Korea (Source) King Seonjong (宣宗, 선종, 1049-1094, r. 1083-1094) was the thirteenth monarch of the Goryeo dynasty...
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Yi Gyubo – Immortals by the River: Watching a Baduk Match at the Chief...
Baduk board (바둑판). This picture shows the initial stone positions of Sunjang Baduk (巡將棋, 순장바둑), a Korean variant that would not be developed until probably the 16th or 17th centuries. (Source) Yi Gyubo...
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Yi Jehyeon – Partridges in the Sky: Drinking Barley Ale
White porcelain cup dating back to Goryeo period (Source) Yi Jehyeon (李齊賢, 이제현, 1287-1367) was a civil bureaucrat of the Goryeo dynasty (高麗, 고려, 918-1392) and the Mongol Yuan dynasty (元, 원, 1271-1368),...
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Won Cheonseok – The Butterfly Endearing the Flowers: A Place
Mount Chiak (雉岳山, 치악산) in Gangweon Province (江原道, 강원도) (Source) Won Cheonseok (元天錫, 원천석, 1330-?) was a Neo-Confucian scholar that lived during late Goryeo dynasty (高麗, 고려, 918-1392) and early Chosun...
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Kim Shiseup – Filling the River Red: Sorrowful and Doleful, Chilly Spring
New Tales of the Golden Terrapin (金鰲新話, 금오신화) (Source) Kim Shiseup (金時習, 김시습, 1435-1493) was a Chosun dynasty Confucian and Buddhist scholar. He was of the Gangreung Kim Clan (江陵金氏, 강릉김씨); his courtesy...
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Korean Constitutional Court Rules Limits on Chinese Characters Permitted in...
The Korean Constitutional Court ruled 6-3 that the limits on Chinese characters permitted in personal names (人名用漢字, 인명용 한자) are constitutional. These restrictions were first introduced in 1990, as...
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Heo Choheui – Idling at a Fisherman’s Abode: Easterly Winds in the Courtyard
(Source) Heo Choheui (許楚姬, 허초희, 1563-1589) was a Chosun dynasty poet and artist, better known by her pen name (號, 호) Nanseolheon (蘭雪軒, 난설헌). She was of the Yangcheon Heo Clan (陽川許氏, 양천허씨); Her courtesy...
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Jeong Yakyong – Prelude to the Water Melodies: Longing for Home
Mount Baekbyeong (白屛山, 백병산) in Gangweon Province (江原道, 강원도) (Source) Jeong Yakyong (丁若鏞, 정약용, 1762-1836) was a late Chosun dynasty philosopher, bureaucrat, poet, and civil engineer. He was of the Naju...
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Classical Chinese Poem at Yonsei in Protest of President Park
Posted at Yonsei University (Source) Furor and outrage have recently arisen over President Park Geunhye’s relationship with her confidante, Choi Soon-sil. In summary, shortly after the assassination of...
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