33 Keys to Understanding the Korea Wave #23 King Sejong The Great Vs. Leonardo da Vinci 

#23 Joseon Renaissance and Italian Renaissance

*Note to Readers

The columns published in the Zoom section of NYCultureBeat contain selected excerpts—typically the opening paragraphs—from each chapter of the book 33 Keys to Understanding the Korean Wave: Beyond BTS, Parasite, and Squid Game (2025). These previews are meant to introduce the book’s themes and tone.

The complete book—featuring 33 updated chapters and new cultural insights—is available in both paperback and hardcover editions:

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© Sukie Park. All rights reserved. These excerpts are for preview purposes only and may not be reproduced in full or redistributed.

Statue of King Sejong (1397-1450) seated with Bukhansan Mountain in the background at Gwanghwamun Square / Self-portrait believed to be the work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

“...It was not until five years ago, when I visited Seoul for the first time and attempted to learn language, that I first encountered Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. To say I was stunned is an understatement. Not only was I struck by the elegance and functionality of the writing system itself and the incredible tale of its creation by a genius king - I could not believe that this story was not universally known. If a European ruler had invented an alphabet for his or her people, everybody in the world would have heard about it. That story would have been told and retold in novels, movies, and television series worldwide. I tried to imagine what the closest equivalent to King Sejong outside Korea would have been: Leonardo da Vinci as ruler of Florence? Issac Newton as the King of England? There seemed to be nothing comparable.” 

-Joe Menosky, “KING SEJONG THE GREAT” Prologue, 2020- 

Joe Menosky, author of the American science fiction television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” published a mystery novel “KING SEJONG THE GREAT” in Korean and English in October 2020. 

King Sejong the Great, the king of Joseon, is very familiar to Koreans in their daily lives through the Korean language they use every day, through dramas and movies on the small screen, as a statue at the Gwanghwamun intersection, and by his portrait on the 10,000 won bill. Joe Menosky viewed King Sejong as “a combination of Abraham Lincoln and Leonardo da Vinci, a genius among geniuses with no comparison in history.” King Sejong the Great gave him creative inspiration, and he featured King Sejong in his debut novel. It is a historical mystery novel in which a fight takes place between Joseon, Japan, the Ming Dynasty, and Mongolia, with the plot that a copy of the Hunminjeongeum Haerye (*a book that explains the principles and purpose of the Hangeul) is a “lost treasure” that was transported to the West via the Silk Road and hidden away and forgotten somewhere in a church or library.

Part V. The Korean DNA   329

23. King Sejong vs. Leonardo da Vinci   331

King Sejong the Great by Joe Menosky   331

Sejong: King of Science and Innovation   332

Leonardo: The Quintessential Polymath   333

Sejong: Architect of Korean Music   334

Leonardo: The Musical Polymath   335

The Final Years of Sejong and Leonardo   336

Joseon Renaissance and Italian Renaissance   338

Timeless Legacies: Sejong and Leonardo   339