The picture above, an old letter written by a 7-year-old Prince from the Joseon Dynasty, has gathered attention in celebration of Hangeul Day, (aka Korean Alphabet Day). The letter was sent to his aunt, although it is not crystal clear whether she was his paternal or maternal aunt. Since his paternal aunt was his biological mother, Lady Hyegyeong (the prince was adopted by his uncle), his cute letter may be interpreted very differently depending on that little information.
The prince later grew up to be King Jeongjo. He is currently enjoying huge popularity in the afterlife, thanks to K-dramas like Yi San and the Sungkyunkwan Scandal that depicted him as a tragic hero. Whilst he introduced many political reforms that are still widely respected in Korea, he died under suspicious circumstances at the age of 48.
The following article is from the Digital Hangeul Museum’s modern translation of the letter.
From Digital Hangeul Museum :
7-year-old Prince, later King jeongjo’s letter to his aunt, is revealed
[Translation of above image]
Dear Aunt
As the wind is getting cooler, I worry about your health. I would like to hear from you. I was missing you when I got your letter, for it has been such a long time since I visited you. I am glad and reassured reading your letter, especially hearing my grandfather is doing well.
Wonson [Wonja, Prince Royal]
Comments from Daum:
realik:
So cute.. Kids will be kids..
Nasake:
It feels weird ke ke He’s done well for such a young age… ke ke My writing wasn’t that good when I was eight. ke ke ke
Xylitol:
OMG He’s SO cute.. huh huh I can’t believe this kind of document still exists… I like how he used the tilde symbol. ke ke
Destiny:
Pu-haha ke ke I’m sorry I’ve got to laugh out loud ke ke ke Oh I didn’t expect his handwriting to be this cute…
숲속의마녀:
ㅇ.ㅇ!!!… At the end of the letter, he crossed out the character ‘op’ and rewrote it. OMG cute… +///+
피렌체:
Graundfather…[referring to the old word meaning grandfather in the letter] ke ke He’s adorable.
메롱zzz:
Hey, ‘Expensive Bicycle,’ [referring to another netizen] you should go and study Korean History all over again. Since he wrote the letter when he was a Royal Prince, he must’ve been younger than eight. He’s just a kid, what did you expect? BTW, with your not knowing who ‘King Jeongjo’ was, you sound like an elementary school kiddo.
이쁜구슬:
If he was Wonson, then he must’ve been preschool age… The writing looks neat for such a little kid.
Violet:
He was eight? Oh dear how cute! ke ke ke ke
휘뚜르마뚜르:
I’m not sure what he’s saying. Anyway, it looks like he’s asking how his aunty is doing.
후훗:
His writing looks mature for a little boy ke ke Somehow I feel closer to him huh huh
페르마:
He wrote the letter hundreds of years ago, [He was born in 1752] and yet the words seem not too different from the ones we use today. I’ve always known it, but reading this letter makes it more fascinating.
안녕:
It feels like I should be like ‘Oh you cutie pie Yi San [King Jeongjo’s name] wrote a letter to aunty! You little my saekki [this saekki purely means baby, without any bad connotations, it’s not this saekki]’ and patting his little baby butt.
_-:
This is hilarious ke ke ke ke He’s probably the smartest King of Joseon ke ke ke
고고씽투게더:
I bet this letter will be in the College Scholastic Ability Test next year. Oh it’ll be dissected in various workbooks!
Wetgun:
His Chinese characters seem flawless. His hangeul looks clumsy, but his Chinese character looks nice and clean.
Cyyyyy:
Oh dear ke ke The second row from left, he crossed out and rewrote a letter ke ke This is a refreshing side of him ke ke
하얀미소:
Technically, he’s younger than eight. Wonsons rose to Sesons[Prince Successors] at the age of eight. And he was still a Wonson when he wrote this letter.
정재민:
Look at that cute signature, ‘Wonson.’ ke ke
홍현석:
Oh he must’ve been a cute little prince huh huh His father, Crown Prince Sado lived a tragic life, but his son turned out to be okay..
