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Mr. Oh Byoung-joo was this month’s speaker for the Times Core’s Celebrity Lecture on June 17.
He is a lawyer and former public prosecutor. The following are excerpts from his speech:

A former president once said, “You can borrow brains from other people, but not health.” King Sejong showed that the opposite is also true. At 19, the king successfully managed to win over his court, mostly old enough to be his father. The king did it with his intellectual ability.

King Sejong broke down the class barrier which only authorized yangban or the noble class to take government posts. Jang Young-sil contributed to the nation’s scientific advancement despite his humble birth, thanks to the king.

King Sejong was a great Commander-in-Chief. He repelled the Japanese pirates and submitted the Lord of Daemado to pay annual tribute to him. The king also drove the barbarians out of the northern borders.

Hunminjeongeum, the original Hangul, should be the greatest out of King Sejong’s so many accomplishments. Created specifically for ordinary people, the system can transcribe sounds of all the other languages in the world.

Leaders are faced with many decisions to make, and there is usually not enough time. Agility to make “snap judgments” is required. King Sejong’s leadership came largely from his love for learning about everything. He overwhelmed the scholars, technocrats, military generals, and even linguists. He even had a huge heart. Let us learn more about King Sejong. Let us try to become like him.