Warning! This geocache is not at the posted coordinates. It is within the premisis of the tomb, but it is advised that you visit the tomb to learn about Sejong the Great and where he was buried. There is no access fee to visit, but the site is only open from 9AM to 5PM for most of the year. No nighttime visits.
Sejong the Great (7 May 1397 – 8 April 1450) was the fourth king of Choson-dynasty Korea. He was the third son of King Taejong and Queen consort Min. He was designated as heir-apparent, Crown Prince, after his older brother Prince Yangnyeong was stripped of his title. He ascended to the throne in 1418. During the first four years of his reign, Taejong governed as regent.
Sejong reinforced Confucian policies and executed major "legal amendments" (공법; 貢法). He also personally created and promulgated the Korean alphabet Hangul, encouraged advancements of scientific technology, and instituted many other efforts to stabilize and improve prosperity. He dispatched military campaigns to the north and instituted the Samin policy (사민정책; 徙民政策) to attract new settlers to the region. To the south, he subjugated Japanese pirates and captured Tsushima Island.
During his reign from 1418 to 1450, he governed along with his father, the King Emeritus Taejong from 1418 to 1422, then governing as the sole monarch from 1422 to 1450. Since 1442, the king was increasingly ill so his son Crown Prince Munjong acted as regent for him.
Although the appellation "the Great" / "(대왕;大王)" was given posthumously to almost every ruler of Goryeo and Joseon, this title is usually only associated with Gwanggaeto and Sejong.
The Creation of Hangul
King Sejong the Great profoundly affected Korean history with his personal creation and introduction of hangul, the native phonetic alphabet system for the Korean language.
Before the creation of Hangul, people in Korea primarily wrote using Classical Chinese alongside native phonetic writing systems that predate Hangul by hundreds of years, including idu, hyangchal, gugyeol, and gakpil. However, due to the fundamental differences between the Korean and Chinese languages, and the large number of characters that needed to be learned, there was much difficulty in learning how to write using Chinese characters for the lower classes, who often didn't have the privilege of education. To assuage this problem, King Sejong created the unique alphabet known as Hangul to promote literacy among the common people. His intention was to establish a cultural identity for Korea through its unique script.
King Sejong presided over the introduction of the 28-letter Korean alphabet, with the explicit goal being that Koreans from all classes would read and write. Each hangul letter is based on a simplified diagram of the patterns made by the human speech organs (the mouth, tongue and teeth) when producing the sound related to the character. Morphemes are built by writing the characters in syllabic blocks. The blocks of letters are then strung together linearly.
The Hangul alphabet was completed in 1443 and published in 1446 along with a 33-page manual titled Hunmin Jeong-eum, explaining what the letters are as well as the philosophical theories and motives behind them. The Hunmin Jeong-eum purported that anyone could learn Hangul in a matter of days. Persons previously unfamiliar with Hangul can typically pronounce Korean script accurately after only a few hours of study.
Today you can see these scripts on display in Seoul's Gwanghwamoon Square. See the amazing virtual cache 훈민정음(Hunminjeongeum) by TAEKMINandTAEYOUNG.
How to find the geocache.
Go to the initial coordinates.
How many soldiers flank Sejong the Great's tomb? X = Soldiers
Go to the waypoint.
How many Hanja are on the front side of the steele? Z = Hanja
You can find the geocache at N37° 18.X80' E127° 36.(69+Z)0'