So you are asked the question "Who invented Hangul?" and your mind immediately comes up with "Great King SeJong (세종대왕)." Now that is a good answer, but to be even more accurate you might add "and his team of scholars." Yes, this is how the Korean phonetic alphabet came into existence, and it was promulgated under the name Hun Min Jung Eum "훈민정음" (instructing people in correct sound -백성을 가르치는 바른 소리), but how did it become known as "Hangul?"
Do you know who first coined the term "Hangul?"
For the answer we have to look to 주시경 (Shi-kyung Joo 1876-1914) a great Korean educator, affectionately known also as 'the knapsack teacher" because he often carried around a bag of teaching materials. From an early age Shi-kyung realized that the extremely logical and scientific Korean writing system was a precious national treasure that must be preserved, so he devoted his life to teaching, even at a time when the Japanese were trying to stamp out Korean language and forbid the teaching of it.
According to one book (not my opinion), it was Shi-kyung Joo that invented the term "Hangul" (한글)
한 - meaning 'ONE' (하나) or 'BIG' (크다)
글 - letters/writing
Ultimately meaning 'The One and Only Great Alphabet' "하나밖에 없는 큰 글"
Other names for 'Hangul' prior to being called Hangul:
훈민정음 -Hun Min Jung Eum (instructing people in correct sound -백성을 가르치는 바른 소리)
정음 - abbreviated form of 훈민정음
언문 - kind of means 'native writing' (as opposed to 한문 Chinese character)
암클 - a kind of insulting term to put Hangul down as "the writing used by women" --a term probably used by the arrogant Yang-ban (elite) scholars who felt threatened because Hangul could be easily learned by the common people.
Ok -- so there you have it! So now can we have a round of applause for 주시경 for bravely teaching Korean/Hangul during the Japanese occupation of Korea?
Images for 주시경
PS - not all the images are of the same 주시경 (but most are)
