Here's a breakdown:
* Ancient Origins: The origins of the Korean language are debated, but linguists generally agree that it belongs to the Koreanic language family, a branch of the Altaic languages.
* Early Development: While there's no written record of Proto-Korean (the common ancestor of Korean and other Koreanic languages), it's believed to have been spoken in the Korean peninsula around 2,000 years ago.
* Influence of Chinese: Korean has been influenced by Chinese throughout its history, adopting Chinese characters (Hanja) for writing and some vocabulary.
* Development of Hangul: The Korean alphabet, Hangul, was created by King Sejong the Great in the 15th century. He aimed to make literacy accessible to everyone, regardless of their social status, which was a revolutionary idea at the time.
So, while no one single individual "invented" the Korean language, King Sejong the Great is credited with creating its modern writing system, which greatly contributed to its development and spread.