What role did King Sejong play in the development of Korean music?

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Korean music Musician playing a *kŏmungo*, a type of Korean zither with six strings.

During the reign of Sejong (1419–1450), the development of Korean music was marked by a significant emphasis on both traditional and imperial forms. King Sejong played a pivotal role in the following ways:

Promotion of Ritual Music: He prioritized the development and performance of new imperial shrine music alongside traditional Confucian ritual music (a’ak).1
Integration of Language: He encouraged the creation of musical settings for epics written in Hangul, the Korean alphabet that was developed during his reign.1
Preservation of Tradition: Under his guidance, and with the support of the court master of music, Pak Yŏn, the grand musical traditions of China were carefully preserved and integrated into the Korean court system.1

These efforts helped establish a foundation for the sophisticated court music traditions that continued to evolve in the following decades, eventually leading to the documentation of these practices in the Akhak kwebom ("Music Handbook") in 1493.1