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Have you noticed how a single letter can change everything in a historical K-drama?
In Netflix's The Scandal, Lady Cho writes to her cousin Cho Won with an idea. That letter helps set their dangerous game in motion.
The scene raises an interesting question.
Why does Lady Cho communicate through a letter instead of simply speaking to Cho Won?
And what did handwritten letters mean in Joseon Korea?
To understand this part of The Scandal, let's explore a Korean word that appears throughout historical stories:
서찰 — seochal.
What Does Seochal Mean in Korean?
Seochal (서찰, 書札) means a letter or written correspondence. It is a literary or historical Korean word often used when discussing handwritten letters, particularly in historical settings.
The word consists of two Hanja characters:
| Korean | Hanja | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 서 | 書 | Writing or written document |
| 찰 | 札 | A written note or letter |
Together, 서찰 refers to a written letter.
In modern everyday Korean, people are more likely to say:
편지 (pyeonji) — letter
But when you watch a historical K-drama, you may encounter words such as 서찰 and 서신.
They can make a conversation sound more formal, literary, or connected to an earlier period.
Why Did Lady Cho Write to Cho Won in The Scandal?
In the first episode of The Scandal, Lady Cho writes to her cousin Cho Won with an idea.
Netflix's official episode description identifies the letter as part of the story's opening setup. The following episode introduces the dangerous game that the two characters begin.
That makes the letter important for more than its physical appearance.
It connects two characters before their plan fully unfolds.
It also establishes a form of communication that fits the historical setting.
A written message allows a character to express an idea without the same immediate exchange that would occur in a face-to-face conversation.
For a story involving secrets, social expectations, and complicated relationships, that distinction matters.
In The Scandal, a letter is not just something a character reads. It can become the beginning of an action.
Why Were Letters Important in Joseon Korea?
Today, we can send a message and receive a reply almost immediately.
A text can be deleted.
A phone call may leave no written record of the conversation.
But in Joseon Korea, written letters played an important role in maintaining relationships across distance.
People used letters to exchange news, ask about someone's health, express concern, discuss family matters, and communicate personal feelings.
Letters also provide historians with unusually direct glimpses into everyday life.
The Seoul Museum of History held an exhibition titled Letter in Hangeul: Courteous Exchanges, explaining how surviving Hangul letters preserve the voices, emotions, and relationships of people who lived during Joseon.
This is one reason historical letters are so fascinating.
Official records can tell us what happened in a kingdom.
Personal letters can show us what people worried about, missed, hoped for, or wanted to say to someone they loved.
Were Joseon Letters Always Written in Chinese Characters?
No.
This is a common misunderstanding.
Classical Chinese was important in the education and formal writing of Joseon's scholarly elite.
But letters were not exclusively written in Chinese characters.
After the creation of Hangul in the fifteenth century, Korean-language correspondence also developed.
Women were particularly important writers and recipients of surviving Hangul letters.
The National Hangeul Museum explains that many men continued to use Chinese characters, while Hangul letters became a meaningful form of communication among women and across a wider portion of society.
So when you see a historical K-drama character writing a letter, don't assume every letter in Joseon would have looked or sounded the same.
The language, script, writing style, and purpose could differ depending on the writer and recipient.
What Is the Difference Between Seochal and Pyeonji?
Both words can mean “letter.”
The difference is mainly in how they sound and where you are likely to encounter them.
| Korean | Romanization | English | Typical context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 서찰 | seochal | Letter | Historical or literary contexts |
| 서신 | seosin | Letter; correspondence | Formal or literary contexts |
| 편지 | pyeonji | Letter | Everyday modern Korean |
| 연서 | yeonseo | Love letter | Literary expression for a romantic letter |
| 답장 | dapjang | Reply | Everyday communication |
Imagine watching a Joseon drama and hearing a character mention a 서찰.
Then imagine a character in a modern romance saying:
편지 받았어?
Pyeonji badasseo?
“Did you get the letter?”
The object may be similar.
But the Korean word helps establish the setting and tone.
Is Every Letter in The Scandal a Love Letter?
Not necessarily.
This is an important point when discussing Lady Cho and Cho Won.
A letter between two characters with a complicated relationship is not automatically a love letter.
Depending on the scene, a letter may communicate a proposal, a request, a warning, a secret, or an emotional confession.
The Korean word 연서 (yeonseo, 戀書) specifically refers to a love letter.
But 서찰 is broader.
A seochal can contain romantic feelings, but it does not have to.
Think of the distinction this way:
서찰 = a letter
연서 = a love letter
That difference becomes useful when interpreting the intentions behind a character's written words.
What Is Hanji? The Traditional Korean Paper Behind Letter-Writing Culture
Now imagine the physical experience of writing a letter.
Before modern stationery, printers, and messaging apps, paper itself was an important material.
One of Korea's best-known traditional papers is:
한지 — hanji.
Hanji is traditional Korean paper made using fibers from the paper mulberry tree, known in Korean as 닥나무 (daknamu).
It has a long history in Korean writing, art, and craft traditions.
Hanji could be used for documents and books, but its applications extended far beyond writing.
It was also used in everyday objects, decorative crafts, and architectural settings.
For our The Scandal lesson, the most interesting connection is simple:
A handwritten message has a physical presence.
Someone chooses the paper.
Someone writes the words.
Someone folds the letter.
And someone else eventually opens it.
The act of receiving a letter can carry meaning before the recipient has even finished reading.
We should not assume that every letter shown in The Scandal was made from one particular type of hanji. The drama's paper props and the broader history of Korean papermaking are related topics, but they are not identical.
Why Can a Handwritten Letter Feel More Personal Than a Message?
Think about the last time you received a handwritten letter.
You may remember the person's handwriting.
Perhaps you noticed how carefully the words were arranged.
Maybe you kept the paper long after reading it.
A handwritten letter gives a message a physical form.
That doesn't mean people in Joseon always wrote emotionally meaningful letters or that modern messages are less sincere.
But it helps explain why letters work so effectively in historical romance.
The audience can watch a character hold, hesitate over, conceal, reread, or preserve a written message.
Those actions make private communication visible.
In The Scandal, this is particularly relevant because the relationships involve things the characters may not wish to express openly in front of others.
What About the Letters at the End of The Scandal?
Spoiler warning: This section refers to the final episode without revealing its full ending.
The series returns to the importance of letters later in the story.
By then, a written message can carry a different emotional weight from the letter that helped begin Lady Cho and Cho Won's dangerous game.
At the beginning, a letter introduces an idea.
Later, letters invite viewers to think about what remains unsaid, what is remembered, and how people interpret messages when circumstances have changed.
Rather than treating every letter as proof of one specific emotion or outcome, pay attention to three questions:
Who wrote it?
Who was meant to receive it?
What does the recipient know when reading it?
These questions can change how you understand the same written words.
And they are useful far beyond The Scandal.
The next time a letter appears in a historical K-drama, notice not only what it says but also when it arrives.
English Comparison: Seochal, Correspondence, and Love Letter
English has several words for written communication.
But they don't map perfectly onto Korean.
Letter is the broadest everyday translation.
Correspondence can refer to communication through letters, particularly an ongoing exchange.
Love letter identifies the romantic purpose of a letter.
Seochal, meanwhile, can evoke a historical or literary tone in Korean.
That's why translating 서찰 as simply “letter” is accurate but may not communicate everything a Korean viewer hears.
The translation gives you the object.
The Korean word can also give you a sense of the setting.
Real Korean Examples
These are original example sentences, not dialogue from The Scandal.
1. 편지가 왔어.
Pyeonjiga wasseo.
“A letter arrived.”
A natural everyday sentence.
2. 답장 기다리고 있어.
Dapjang gidarigo isseo.
“I'm waiting for a reply.”
Something you could say about a letter, text, or email.
3. 그 편지 아직 가지고 있어?
Geu pyeonji ajik gajigo isseo?
“Do you still have that letter?”
A sentence that could fit a modern romance just as naturally as a conversation about an old memory.
4. 서찰을 전해 주시오.
Seochareul jeonhae jusio.
“Please deliver the letter.”
This is an original historical-style example. The vocabulary and ending create a different atmosphere from casual modern speech.
Related Korean Words to Listen for in K-Dramas
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 서찰 | seochal | Letter |
| 편지 | pyeonji | Letter |
| 서신 | seosin | Correspondence; letter |
| 연서 | yeonseo | Love letter |
| 답장 | dapjang | Reply |
| 필체 | pilche | Handwriting style |
| 한지 | hanji | Traditional Korean paper |
| 붓 | but | Writing brush |
You don't need to memorize all of them.
Just remember 서찰, 편지, and 연서 first.
Those three words will help you recognize the difference between a historical letter, an everyday letter, and a romantic one.
Quick Korean Tip
The next time a historical K-drama character receives a letter, listen for the word:
서찰 (seochal)
Then ask yourself:
Is this letter delivering information?
Is it asking for something?
Or is it expressing a feeling the character cannot easily say aloud?
If the letter is clearly romantic, remember another word:
연서 (yeonseo) — love letter.
You may begin noticing that the same object can serve very different purposes in a story.
FAQ
What does seochal mean in Korean?
Seochal (서찰, 書札) means a letter or written correspondence. It is commonly encountered in historical or literary Korean contexts.
Why does Lady Cho write to Cho Won in The Scandal?
In Episode 1, Lady Cho writes to her cousin Cho Won with an idea. Their dangerous game begins in the following episode. The letter is part of the story's opening setup.
Is seochal the same as pyeonji?
Both mean “letter,” but pyeonji (편지) is the more common everyday word in modern Korean. Seochal (서찰) has a more literary or historical tone.
What is a Korean love letter called?
A Korean love letter can be called 연서 (yeonseo, 戀書). In everyday Korean, people can also say 연애편지 (yeonae pyeonji).
What is hanji made from?
Traditional Korean hanji is made using fibers from the paper mulberry tree, called 닥나무 (daknamu) in Korean.
Did women write letters in Joseon Korea?
Yes. Surviving Hangul correspondence provides important evidence of women's writing and communication during Joseon. Letters by royal and nonroyal women help researchers understand relationships and daily life.
Were all Joseon letters written in Hanja?
No. Classical Chinese was important in elite written culture, but Hangul was also used for correspondence, especially in surviving letters involving women.
Recommended Korean-Learning Resources
One of the most enjoyable ways to understand a cultural detail in a K-drama is to experience a small part of it yourself.
After watching Lady Cho and Cho Won exchange letters in The Scandal, you might feel curious about traditional Korean paper or the pleasure of writing a handwritten note.
Here are two resources that connect naturally with this lesson.
1. Try Writing a Letter on Korean Hanji Paper
Hanji Printer Paper A4, 80gsm — 100 Sheets
The product you found on Amazon is described as Korean traditional mulberry copy paper.
It comes in A4 sheets and can be used for a modern letter-writing activity.
You could try writing a short note in Korean, even if you only know a few expressions.
For example:
잘 지내?
Jal jinae?
“How have you been?”
Or:
보고 싶어.
Bogo sipeo.
“I miss you.”
Using hanji-inspired stationery won't recreate the exact experience of writing a Joseon-era letter, but it offers a tactile way to explore a Korean paper tradition.
[Explore Korean Hanji Paper on Amazon]
Product note: This is A4 printer paper, not a traditional letter-and-envelope set.
2. Discover the Modern Korean Art of Letter Writing
The Healing Power of Korean Letter Writing
By Juhee Mun, translated by Clare Richards
If you are more interested in the emotional side of handwritten letters, this English-language book is a natural companion to the lesson.
Juhee Mun runs Geulwoll, a letter-writing stationery shop in Seoul.
Her book explores why people continue to write letters in an age of instant communication and offers encouragement for writing meaningful notes to others.
It is not a history book about Joseon correspondence.
Instead, it helps connect the emotional experience of handwritten letters in K-dramas with a living letter-writing culture in Korea today.
[Explore The Healing Power of Korean Letter Writing on Amazon]
You don't need to buy anything to try this lesson.
A piece of paper, a pen, and one Korean sentence are enough to begin.
Keep Exploring Korean Culture Through The Scandal
If you're following our The Scandal series, continue exploring the words and customs behind the story:
→ What Does “Yangban” Mean? The Korean Social Class Behind The Scandal
→ Why Couldn't Widows Easily Remarry in Joseon Korea? The Culture Behind The Scandal
→ What Is an Anchae? Why Joseon Women Lived in Separate Quarters in The Scandal
→ What Does “Cheop” Mean in Korean? The Concubine System Behind The Scandal
→ What Does Seoeol Mean? Why Children of Concubines Had Different Status in Joseon Korea
→ What Does “Namnyeo Sangyeoljisa” Mean? The Korean Title Behind The Scandal
Discover more through our Learn Korean Hub.
Final Thought
In The Scandal, Lady Cho's letter to Cho Won helps begin a dangerous story.
But the Korean word 서찰 opens the door to something much larger.
It connects us to handwritten correspondence, Hangul history, traditional Korean paper, and the ways people maintained relationships before instant communication.
The next time a character unfolds a letter in a K-drama, watch carefully.
Sometimes the most important part of a scene is not what someone says aloud.
It's what they choose to write.
Keep listening.
Keep discovering Korean through the K-contents you already love.
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