The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Sejong The Great 001 launched in 2020, the same year Heroes of Korea was founded in South Korea. Named for Sejong the Great, the fifteenth-century Joseon king credited with creating Hangul, the Korean alphabet, the fragrance turns a defining episode in Korean history into a personal scent portrait. Oh Hani created the unisex composition from a spare, forceful palette: Indian sandalwood, vetiver, amber, cedarwood, and patchouli. No floral decoration. No bright citrus. Just warm wood, dry earth, and aromatic spice, arranged like an archival object rather than a grand gesture.
The note structure gives this historical portrait its distinct gravity. Indian sandalwood brings a creamy, almost suede-like softness to the first impression. Vetiver cuts across that polish with grass, smoke, and mineral dryness. Amber adds warmth without turning overtly sweet, while cedarwood and patchouli anchor the composition in wood and earth. What makes the pairing worth noticing is its restraint. A note list this compact could feel severe, yet the creamy sandalwood keeps the mineral vetiver from becoming austere. The result sits between manuscript desk, archive shelf, and late-afternoon study.
The evolution
The opening begins with Indian sandalwood in its smooth, creamy register, close to clean skin brushed over polished wood. As the fragrance settles, vetiver takes the lead. Its dry, aromatic character introduces grass, smoke, and a cool mineral edge, but patchouli soon adds darker soil beneath it. The composition then moves toward amber, cedarwood, and patchouli, replacing the initial softness with a warmer, more grounded finish. Patchouli appears likely to leave the clearest memory, while cedarwood keeps the drydown from becoming muddy. Over a typical 4-6 hour wear, expect a polished opening, a drier aromatic middle, and a warm woody close that stays close to the wearer.
Cultural impact
Sejong The Great 001 belongs to a culturally specific approach to fragrance in which historical figures become olfactory portraits. Its appeal sits with wearers drawn to nationally rooted storytelling, archival ideas, and a quiet, intellectual sense of identity. The name carries immediate historical weight through Sejong's association with Hangul, while the woody composition gives that subject a restrained rather than ceremonial presence.
The House
Heroes of KoreaHeroes of Korea is a Korean niche fragrance house founded by Hani Oh in 2020. Its central idea treats perfume as a record of people, places, and episodes in Korean history. The catalogue turns historical subjects into olfactory portraits, spanning figures such as King Sejong, Kim Gu, Heo Jun, Shin Saimdang, Yi Sunsin, and Heo Nanseolheon. The first released collection includes Kim Hongdo, Sejong The Great 001, Kim Gu, Heo Jun, Heo Nanseolheon, Shin Saimdang, and Yi Sunsin, all dated to 2020. Jeongjo the Great followed in 2025. Available research does not identify the perfumers responsible for these compositions, so any account of their individual creative signatures would go beyond the documented record.
The Creator
Oh HaniThe house’s fragrance style can be described as polished, modern, and deliberately edited. Oh Hani’s compositions are associated with a refined Korean perspective, where familiar perfumery conventions meet a more personal and understated sensibility.
