For starters, this is an absolute labor of love—I am deeply fascinated by languages and writing systems.

Beyond passion, this project serves as both a structural challenge and a linguistic experiment. I wanted to see if the core mechanics of King Sejong's script could seamlessly support other global tongues. Through this process, along with the lessons learned from this project’s predecessor, revealed a fascinating truth: it is not modern Hangeul that is universally scientific. The real, adaptable scientific masterpiece is Sejonggeul (Hunminjeongeum), the original script created by King Sejong the Great.

While Hangeul was successfully adopted by Cia-Cia speakers in Indonesia[1][2] and trialed by the Ghari and Kwara’ae communities in the Solomon Islands[3][4][5], it fell short when I attempted the exact same route for Philippine languages in an earlier project called Mabuhay Hangeul. However, by using the original Sejonggeul as my foundation, the puzzle pieces fell together. It adapted to our native phonetic landscape so naturally, as if it had been designed for them all along.

Absolutely not! Adapting a writing script is an act of deep cultural appreciation, not appropriation. Writing systems have always crossed borders and cultures to serve human communication; today, more than 3,000 spoken languages adapted or adopted the Latin alphabet.

Sejonggeul (Hunminjeongeum) and Hangeul are no exception. A prominent example is the Cia-Cia tribe of Indonesia, who adopted Hangeul in 2009 because the Latin alphabet could not accurately capture their native pronunciation[1][2]. They even published a Hangeul-based Cia-Cia dictionary in late 2021. Furthermore, regional governments in the Solomon Islands launched initiatives to adopt the system in 2012[3][4][5], and linguist Hsu Tsao-te proposed Taiwanese Hangul in 1987 to resolve challenges in Taiwanese Hokkien[6].

In addition, the Korean people themselves originally adopted Hanzi (Chinese characters) in the 2nd century B.C.E., later adapting it into their own Hanja writing system by the 6th century C.E. This was not cultural theft, and the Koreans did not commit cultural appropriation. Writing systems belong to all of humanity.

Just as the ancient Chinese likely took pride in seeing another culture value and adopt their script, sharing a brilliant phonetic tool like Sejonggeul is an act of universal unity, education, and mutual respect. Writing systems are dynamic tools designed to connect humanity, and utilizing King Sejong's universal principles for Philippine languages honors his original vision of breaking down barriers to literacy.

Not at all. Leading linguistic institutions in South Korea have actively supported using Hangeul internationally for decades:

• Cia-Cia language in Indonesia (2009): The Hunminjeongeum Society was deeply involved in adapting Hangeul to preserve this unwritten Indonesian tongue.[1][2]

• Ghari and Kwara’ae languages in Solomon Islands (2012): Linguists at Seoul National University spearheaded the development of Hangeul-based Ghari and Kwara’ae textbooks for their respective communities.[3][4][5]

There was also the notable Taiwanese Hangul proposed by linguist Hsu Tsao-te in the late 1980s as a solution for transcribing Taiwanese Hokkien.[6]

Moreover, it is important to clarify that Surat Inawa (also known as Whispers of the Wind, The Living Script, or simply the Inawa script) is not actually based on modern Hangeul. Instead, it is directly derived from King Sejong's original and pure 15^th Century writing system: Hunminjeongeum—or Sejonggeul, to use a simpler yet more honorable reference.

Sejonggeul is a profoundly scientific system created by King Sejong the Great. Because it is purely phonetic and features a unique syllabic block structure, it remains highly adaptable for global use, transcending the borders of any single language.

I learned to read and write Baybayin in the mid-2000s—specifically the Baybayin-Tagalog variant (the variants officially recognized by Unicode also include Baybayin-Buhid, Baybayin-Hanunoo, and Baybayin-Tagbanwa.). I promoted its use, taught it, created materials, and wrote articles. I am no expert, but I helped reignite modern public interest in the script back when only a few of us were advocating for it.

But let us be honest: the traditional Baybayin system remains stuck in the past. We cannot practically use it today. While there have been many attempts to modernize it, these countless competing proposals have actually only confused Filipinos. Furthermore, not a single modernized version has been approved by the Unicode Consortium—if they even submitted a proposal. This digital roadblock prevents us from using any updated variant without complex technical workarounds and custom font installations.

Without institutional government backing, Baybayin is functionally relegated to historical and decorative use. So, why wait? Why not simply adopt an existing system like Sejonggeul, which is arguably the best writing system ever created?

• Syllabic blocks: It organizes characters into distinct syllabic blocks rather than letters.
• Universal: It can accurately transcribe borrowed words from any language, such as “news” and “fighting”.
• Phonetic: It captures and preserves the actual native sound and pronunciation.
• Legibility: There is no need to magnify the text to read small, easily missed vowel markers (diacritics).
• Generally shorter: It yields structurally shorter written words and sentences

That is ultimate the dream!