IF ASKED WHICH Joseon kings they admire most, many Korean scholars would name King Sejong (r. 1418–1450) and King Jeongjo (r. 1776–1800). The former strengthened the authority of the throne and the power and influence of the nation attained its highest level in the fifteenth century; the latter further enhanced royal power in the eighteenth century. The 519 years of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), therefore, owed much to Sejong, who laid a solid foundation for the dynasty, and Jeongjo, who ushered the nation into a golden age. Sejong is famous for his invention of the Korean alphabet, Hangeul. Though Jeongjo is perhaps a less familiar figure than Sejong, the invention of Hangeul aside, Jeongjo’s achievement was as great as that of Sejong.

Interestingly, Sejong and Jeongjo had much in common. Both of them established academic institutions to nurture talented people and promote scholarship in order to bring about better civil governance. Sejong established Jiphyeonjeon (Hall of Worthies), the royal institute of learning, and Jeongjo founded Gyujanggak (House of Kings’ Writings), the royal library and archives. The two kings stabilized national politics through cultural policies that placed priority on the welfare of the people and raised Joseon’s international status by achieving economic prosperity and strong military power. In Korean history, civil governments tended to devote themselves to literary arts to the neglect of statecraft. Sejong and Jeongjo differentiated themselves from other kings, however, by making remarkable achievements in both moral and material culture, while also running highly-effective civil governments. For this reason, their reigns are viewed as periods of renaissance in Korean history.

Sejong and Jeongjo are also well known as kings who paid careful attention to the people. Though their political systems differ from modern democracy, the two monarchs are good role models for today’s politicians on account of their efforts to promote a democratic political culture. In particular, social progress during the 350 years after Sejong’s reign allowed Jeongjo much closer contact with ordinary people. Jeongjo’s reign was also far more advanced than Sejong’s in terms of economy, science and technology. From today’s perspective, therefore, Jeongjo’s era seems more modern, but this does not mean Jeongjo was a better king than Sejong.