Jang Yeong-sil

Hello! My name is Jang Yeong-sil. When I was a little boy, long, long ago in a land called Korea, I didn't have many toys. But that was okay! I loved to build my own things. I would look at a problem, like how to get water from the river to the garden, and think and think until I came up with a clever way to solve it.

One day, the great and kind King Sejong heard about my clever ideas. He saw that I was very good at making things that could help people. Even though I wasn't from a fancy family, the king invited me to his big, beautiful palace! He gave me a very important job: to be his royal inventor. He wanted me to use my brain to create amazing new things for our whole country.

The king and I worked together. He would tell me his ideas, and I would build them! I made a super special clock that told time using drips of water. Plink, plonk, plink! Little puppets would pop out to ring bells and bang drums to tell everyone the time. I also made a special bowl to catch and measure the rain. This helped our farmers know when to plant their seeds. I made so many things to help everyone.

I lived a long and busy life full of creating and building. Even though I am not here anymore, the inventions I made helped people for many, many years. I hope my story shows you that no matter who you are, your clever ideas can change the world!