The Strange Story Behind King Sejong and His 87-Year-Old Minister

On a fall day in Seoul, it is easy to find King Sejong.

He is sitting in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square, looking toward the heart of the city.

Every year, as October 9 approaches, people naturally think of Hangul when they see his statue. King Sejong is, above all, remembered as the king who created Hunminjeongeum, the writing system that became Hangul.

But there is another side of Sejong worth looking at.

It has less to do with letters and more to do with people.

Sejong had a long career as a king. During that time, he worked with many officials, scholars, scientists, and administrators. One of the most remarkable was Hwang Hee, a senior minister who eventually remained in government until he was 87 years old.

The strange part is that Hwang Hee was not always on Sejong's side.

In fact, before Sejong became king, Hwang Hee had opposed the decision to replace Crown Prince Yangnyeong with Chungnyeong, the prince who would become King Sejong.

Yet years later, Sejong brought Hwang Hee back into government.

And decades after that, when Hwang Hee repeatedly asked to retire, Sejong repeatedly refused.

That is where this story begins.

The Minister Who Had Once Disagreed With Him

In 1418, the political situation surrounding the royal succession changed dramatically.

Crown Prince Yangnyeong was removed, and Chungnyeong was made crown prince. Soon afterward, Chungnyeong became King Sejong.

Hwang Hee had not supported that change.

Yet Sejong did not simply define Hwang Hee by his position during that earlier political dispute.

In 1426, Sejong appointed Hwang Hee as Uuijeong, one of the highest positions in the government.

Hwang Hee went on to become one of the central figures in Sejong's government.

By 1432, Sejong's view of him was remarkably clear.

When Hwang Hee reached the age of 70, Sejong presented him with a ceremonial chair and staff, known as gyoejang, traditionally given to elderly high-ranking officials.

The king's message went well beyond a routine expression of respect.

Sejong described Hwang Hee as a great talent who could help the world, a great vessel capable of governing the country, and a cornerstone of the state. He also called him his "gogung" — someone as essential to him as his own arms and legs.

Sejong had apparently decided that Hwang Hee was someone he wanted to keep.

For a very long time.

"Please Let Me Retire."

The problem was that Hwang Hee himself wanted to leave.

In 1436, Hwang Hee submitted a resignation request.

His reasons were not minor.

He said that his hearing had deteriorated, old illnesses were troubling him, an old sore continued to bleed, he suffered from dizziness, and his thoughts had become unclear. He worried that he could no longer properly fulfill the responsibilities of a senior minister.

Then he asked the king to relieve him of his office.

The record ends with just a few words:

The king did not approve it.

Hwang Hee was still there.

Three years later, he tried again.

This time the record gives us an unusually personal glimpse of the elderly minister.

In 1439, Hwang Hee told Chief Royal Secretary Kim Don that his illness had returned and that his hearing and eyesight were getting worse. He wanted to submit another resignation.

But there was a problem.

He had already submitted resignation requests several times in previous years.

None had been accepted.

The record says that he was now afraid to make another request because he feared the king's reaction.

Hwang Hee even sent Kim Don a poem describing his condition.

His body had become bent. When he walked with the other officials, he sometimes fell. His hearing was poor, he forgot things, and his mind felt confused.

He thought he belonged in a quiet, less demanding position.

But he still could not bring himself to ask the king directly.

Sejong's Question

This is perhaps the most revealing part of the story.

Kim Don reported the situation to Sejong.

The king asked whether Hwang Hee's mind really was failing.

Kim Don said that Hwang Hee's hearing was certainly poor, but that his judgment was not what the minister's modest words suggested. He described Hwang Hee's moral character, wisdom, and breadth of judgment as exceptionally valuable.

Then came an interesting suggestion.

Even if Hwang Hee could not come to the palace regularly, he could remain at home and still deal with important matters.

Sejong agreed.

It is a small moment in the historical record, but it says a great deal.

Hwang Hee was saying:

"I am too old to do this job."

Sejong's response was essentially:

"Then perhaps we should change how you do the job."

The king was not treating age and declining physical ability as automatically meaning that the minister's experience had become useless.

Instead, he was looking for a way to continue using what Hwang Hee could still contribute.

"I Am Almost Ninety."

Sixteen years passed.

In 1449, Hwang Hee made another attempt.

This time he was approaching 90.

He submitted a memorial saying, in effect, that he was nearly 90 years old and was receiving a salary without having accomplished anything worthy of it. He asked to be relieved of his position so that the drought afflicting the country might be answered.

Again, the king did not approve his request.

Not yet.

Finally, on October 5, 1449, Sejong arranged for Hwang Hee to retire from the position of chief state councillor.

Hwang Hee was 87.

The record also notes that he had spent more than 20 years in the highest level of government and that people of the time called him a "true minister," or jin jaesang.

He had finally been allowed to leave.

What Was Sejong Looking For?

There is a temptation to turn this story into a simple tale about a perfect king and a perfect minister.

The historical record is more interesting than that.

Hwang Hee had once disagreed with the political decision that put Sejong on the throne.

Yet Sejong later brought him back.

Hwang Hee repeatedly said that he was too old and too ill to continue.

Yet Sejong repeatedly looked for reasons not to accept his resignation.

And when Hwang Hee could no longer work in exactly the same way, the discussion turned toward whether he could continue working from home.

This gives us a different way to look at Sejong.

The king remembered for creating Hangul was also a ruler who paid close attention to the people working around him.

He did not necessarily require every official to have shared his views from the beginning.

What mattered was what that person could contribute to the government.

And in Hwang Hee's case, Sejong continued to see that contribution long after Hwang Hee himself thought it was time to leave.

Perhaps that is one reason this old story still feels surprisingly modern.

A good leader does not simply find capable people.

A good leader also has to recognize what those people can still contribute — and know when their experience is worth holding on to.

Back to Gwanghwamun

On October 9, people across Korea will celebrate Hangul Day.

And in Gwanghwamun Square, King Sejong will still be sitting in the same place.

We will remember the king who gave Korea a writing system designed so that ordinary people could read and write more easily.

But perhaps, when we look at his statue, we can remember another story too.

The story of a king and a minister who did not begin as natural political allies.

The story of a minister who kept asking to retire.

And the story of a king who kept saying, in one way or another:

Not yet.

Hwang Hee finally retired at 87.

But Sejong had spent decades finding ways to keep him involved.

That may be one of the lesser-known stories behind the king we celebrate every October 9.

And it begins not with a letter of the Korean alphabet, but with a very old minister who simply wanted to go home.