On Oct. 6, 2026, three days before the 100th anniversary of Hangul Day on Oct. 9, the Sejong Textbook Museum (세종 교과서박물관) displayed early Hangul teaching materials and artifacts from government textbooks. The exhibits included 《First Steps in Hangul》, introduced as the first Hangul textbook, and 《National Elementary Reader》, introduced as the first government textbook published in Hangul. A photograph showed 《Badugi and Cheolsu》, introduced as the first government textbook published after the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea.

Background and context

What is worth noting about this news is that all three books are associated with being “firsts,” but the criteria are not the same. 《First Steps in Hangul》 was described as the first Hangul textbook, while 《National Elementary Reader》 was described as the first government textbook published in Hangul. By contrast, 《Badugi and Cheolsu》 was introduced as the first government textbook published after the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea.

So rather than placing the three books in a single ranking, it is more accurate to view them in their separate contexts: the emergence of Hangul teaching materials, government textbooks published in Hangul, and textbooks published after the establishment of the government. The article does not give the exact publication dates of these artifacts. It is also unclear how long the museum exhibition will run.

What this news means

For readers, the exhibition shows how textbooks can serve as a record of changes in Hangul education. The term “first” also offers a concrete way to examine a moment in the history of education, since the book it refers to changes depending on the criterion used. However, the information in the article alone is not enough to determine when each book was published or how it was actually used in educational settings.

For example, readers interested in the early history of Hangul teaching materials can look separately at the criteria under which 《First Steps in Hangul》 and 《National Elementary Reader》 are each described as the first. 《Badugi and Cheolsu》, meanwhile, can be considered in light of the description that it was the first government textbook published after the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea. This is a way of reading the classifications given in the article; it does not establish additional facts about the books’ histories.

Confirmed facts and what remains unknown

Confirmed facts

  • Korea.net published the article on Oct. 6, 2026.
  • The Sejong Textbook Museum (세종 교과서박물관) displayed related artifacts on Oct. 6, three days before the 100th anniversary of Hangul Day on Oct. 9.
  • 《First Steps in Hangul》 was introduced as the first Hangul textbook.
  • 《National Elementary Reader》 was introduced as the first government textbook published in Hangul, and 《Badugi and Cheolsu》 as the first government textbook published after the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea.
  • The article credited Yonhap News Agency as the source of its photograph.

What remains unknown

  • The article does not say exactly when 《First Steps in Hangul》 and 《National Elementary Reader》 were published.
  • The article does not say how long the exhibition at the Textbook Museum will run.
  • It provides no detailed information about how the textbooks were made or used, or about the composition of the artifacts on display.

What readers should check

  • Anyone planning to visit the exhibition should check the dates and visitor information separately. The article does not give an end date.
  • When comparing the three books, it is useful to distinguish among the criteria used to describe them: “the first Hangul textbook,” “the first government textbook published in Hangul,” and “the first government textbook published after the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea.”