Originally Posted by
hannara 
whats considered the earliest forms of Korean literature written in hangul?
I know the novel didnt appear till 1900's, where can I find older korean works ( that were written in Idu) rewritten in Korean?
Idu was established during the Unified Shilla period. 25 remaining pieces of 향가(鄕歌) were written in Idu.
금오신화(金鰲新話) written by 김시습(金時習) in the 15th C is commonly considered the first Korean novel-format work. It was written in hanja. 홍길동전(洪吉童傳) from the 16th C is usually regarded as the first known hangul novel. Do you notice some odd characters that are not used today?
Some would choose 설공찬전(薛公瓚傳) written by 채수(蔡壽) for the first hangul novel. It was first written in hanja and then translated into hangul whereas 홍길동전 was originally written in hangul.
As FaceValue said, 용비어천가(龍飛御天歌) is the first hangul literature piece, which was officially published by the Joseon government in 1449 after creation of hangul. It is classified as poetry.
훈민정음(訓民正音), registered on UNESCO's Memory of the World, is a unique document for linguists. The manuscript explicitly explains why Sejong and his scholars decided to create a new set of phonetic characters. UNESCO has a literacy prize named after King Sejong.
Originally Posted by
훈민정음Because the speech of this country is different from that of China, it [the spoken language] does not match the [Chinese] letters. Therefore, even if the ignorant want to communicate, many of them in the end cannot state their concerns. Saddened by this, I have [had] 28 letters newly made. It is my wish that all the people may easily learn these letters and that [they] be convenient for daily use
