Hangul

I would call it remedial.

But in, in the last four or five pages of the book, it had Hangul, the list of Korean characters.

So based on how I had learned Japanese before, a lot of flashcards, I just, I created flashcards for all of the characters and all of the different combinations they showed for words in that book, and I learned them all.

And then I got to Korea.

But I learned enough to where I could read every menu and every street sign and geographic location on maps, whatever, based on the last five pages of a book I got out of a library at Goodfellow Air Force Base.

So that says something about me, but it says a lot more about Korean characters.

Korea actually is, I believe, one of the only countries on the planet, perhaps the only one that has a holiday for its alphabet, because one of its kings established Hangul because he said, "My people are illiterate.

We can't communicate well.

That was the only character I could understand.

After that, I was all in Hangul.

Okay, okay, okay.

Otoko.

Inside, the exhibition is currently featuring a focus on Korean writing systems, which adds a layer of complexity to the usual narrative of decipherment.

You walk through rooms dedicated to cuneiform, Chinese characters, and then this unexpected but brilliant pivot to Hangul.

It reminds you that language is not just a tool for communication but a technology for preserving thought, a concept that must be resonating deeply for anyone trying to learn French now.

I spent about two hours wandering through those galleries, reading plaques and looking at replicas of tablets and scrolls.

And for most of the scripts, we do have the optical axes.

And the remaining nine scripts, the complex ones, so the nine Indic, Hangul and Chinese, they will be out in September.

Getting inside somebody's head by studying old artifacts.

It's kind of almost like an archeological project.

It is fascinating to see the geometric precision of the Korean alphabet displayed alongside Egyptian hieroglyphs.

I stood there for 20 minutes just looking at the contrast between the organic strokes of ancient Egypt and the scientific logic of Hangul.

It made me think about how we all try to construct meaning in our new environments.

After the museum, I walked down to the Seal Valley.

The full price is about €6.50, though since there is a temporary exhibition running, it is €7.50. For an American listener, that is roughly $7, which is nothing for a two-hour immersion in history.

The current show is called Hangul, La Volante d'un Roy.

marking 140 years of France-Korea diplomatic relations.

It is fascinating to see King Sejong's invention of the Hangul script alongside ancient Egyptian glyphs.

You get guided adult tours if you want context, which cost an extra €4.50 per person.

I took the guide because the translation between ancient Chinese phonetics and modern Korean linguistic theory was dense.

I'm a public historian, author, and broadcaster.

And today, we are mastering our Hangul and watching out for marauding Mongols as we march back through the centuries to learn all about medieval Korea.

And to help us sort out our Goryeo from our Joseon dynasties, we have two very special guests.

In History Corner, he's assistant professor of East Asian History at the University of Durham.

Hard to see.

It's very smart.

Erica, have you ever heard of Hangul, the script of Hangul, how Korean is written?

I mean, I've s- I've feel like I've seen it out in the world.