[우리문화신문=김슬옹 세종국어문화원 원장]  

어린 단종이 나라를 다스리던 1453년, 궁궐 안에는 ‘중비’라는 궁녀가 살았다. 중비는 별감인 ‘부귀’를 좋아했다. 하지만, 궁녀는 임금이 아닌 다른 남자를 사랑하면 큰 벌을 받았다. 중비는 몰래 한글로 편지를 써서 부귀에게 자기 마음을 전했다. 부귀도 한글로 답장을 써서 사랑하는 마음을 전했다.

두 사람은 서로 연애편지를 주고받으며 사랑을 싹틔웠지만 얼마 지나지 않아 궁궐 안에 소문이 퍼지고 들통이 나고 말았다. 중비와 부귀는 곤장을 맞고 궁궐 밖으로 쫓겨나 평생 노비로 살았다. 비록 사랑은 이루지 못했지만, 한글 연애편지 사건으로 당시 한글이 중요한 의사소통 수단이었으며 일상생활에서 한글을 친숙하게 사용했다는 사실을 알 수 있다.

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The Unknown Court Lady’s Hangeul Letter: The Seed of Hangeul’s Spread

[Women and Events That Shined a Light on Hangul] Part 3

Kim Seul-ong, Director of the King Sejong Institute of Korean Language and Culture"

In 1453, during the reign of the young King Danjong, a court lady known as Jungbi lived within the palace. Jungbi was in love with Bugwi, a lower-ranking official. However, it was forbidden for court ladies to love anyone other than the king, and such actions were punishable by severe punishment. Despite the risks, Jungbi secretly wrote a love letter in Hangeul to Bugwi, expressing her feelings. Bugwi, too, responded in kind, writing a letter in Hangeul to convey his love.

The two exchanged love letters, and their romance blossomed. However, it didn’t take long for their secret to be discovered as rumors spread within the palace. As a result, both Jungbi and Bugwi were punished, receiving corporal punishment and being exiled from the palace, forced to live as slaves for the rest of their lives. Though their love story ended in tragedy, this event revealed an important fact: Hangeul was already an essential means of communication at the time. The fact that these two individuals used Hangeul for their personal letters shows how familiar and accessible the script was for everyday communication, even in the royal palace. This incident also played a role in further spreading the use of Hangeul in Korean society.

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名もなき宮女のハングル手紙、ハングル普及の種

宮女と別監のハングル艶書（ラブレター）事件[ハングルを輝かせた女性と事件] 3

金瑟壅（キム・スロン） 世宗国語文化院 院長

幼い端宗（タンジョン）が国を治めていた1453年、王宮の中には「中非（チュンビ）」という宮女が暮らしていた。中非は別監（ピョルガム）である「富貴（プギ）」を慕っていた。しかし、宮女は王以外の男性を愛すると重罪に処された。中非は密かにハングルで手紙を書き、富貴に自分の想いを伝えた。富貴もまたハングルで返事を書き、愛する気持ちを伝えた。

二人は互いにラブレターを交わしながら愛を育んでいったが、間もなくして王宮内に噂が広まり、見つかってしまった。中非と富貴はこん棒で叩かれる刑（笞刑）に処され、王宮から追い出されて生涯奴婢（ぬひ）として生きた。

たとえ愛を実らせることはできなかったものの、このハングルラブレター事件によって、当時ハングルが重要な意思疎通の手段であり、日常生活において身近に使われていたという事実を知ることができる。