the hall of worthies, or jiphyeonjeon (; ), was a royal research institute set up by sejong the great of the korean joseon dynasty in march 1420. set up during the beginning of his reign, king sejong staffed the hall of worthies with talented scholars and instructed them to conduct a variety of research activities to strengthen his rule and the nation. the hall of worthies is well-known for its role in compiling the hunminjeongeum, the original treatise on hangul.