Yongbiŏch'ŏn'ga
first poem written in Hangul (published 1447)
Yongbiŏch'ŏn'ga (Korean: 용비어천가; Hanja: 龍飛御天歌; lit. 'Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven'), was the first work written in Hangul. The book was published in 1447 and written by Chŏng Inji, An Chi and Kwŏn Chae. The preface was written by Sŏng Sammun and Pak P'aengnyŏn.
The epic poem concerned the Joseon dynasty and Sejong's immediate predecessors, and was a justification of the dynasty change from Goryeo to Joseon. Today, the Songs provide insight into the development of Joseon, the Korean people, and the history of neighboring ethnicities in Northeast Asia such as the Jurchens (Manchus) who would later establish the Qing dynasty of China.
The songs, in the form of 125 cantos, were composed through the efforts of a committee of Confucian philologists and literati. This compilation was the first Korean writing to be recorded in hangul (in addition to hanja). Previously, Korea had a long history of recording texts using Chinese characters exclusively. Several important themes in addition to that of the establishment of the Joseon dynasty reflect the events that gave rise to the creation of these poems: historical events that took place in China, the apotheosis of virtuous Kings preceding the fall of the Goryeo dynasty in Korea, and the Confucian political and philosophical ideologies.
The public source identifies “Yongbiŏch'ŏn'ga” as first poem written in Hangul (published 1447). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Yongbiŏch'ŏn'ga, first and poem.
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Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7887713. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1447.
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This entry incorporates text from “Yongbiŏch'ŏn'ga” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.