The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, is the writing system used in South Korea and North Korea. It was created in the 15th century by King Sejong the Great to improve literacy among the common people. Hangul consists of 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels, which can be combined to form syllables. Hangul is unique because it is designed to be easy to learn and use. Each character represents a sound, making it phonetic. This simplicity allows anyone to read and write Korean quickly, contributing to the high literacy rates in both North and South Korea.