Joseon Dynasty records have red proofreading marks

Korean Heritage

Published: 15 Nov. 2023, 18:17 Updated: 15 Nov. 2023, 19:35

Joseon Dynasty records have red proofreading marks

One volume of the Odaesan edition of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) with red proofreading marks is on display at the new National Museum of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in Pyeongchang, Gangwon. [KANG HYE-RAN]

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon — At the National Museum of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty that opened its doors on Sunday in Pyeongchang, Gangwon, one of the original editions of the Joseon records is currently on display. But it looks like someone used a red pen to fix typos in this valuable book that was printed using metal type in the early 1600s.

There's no need for concern. The corrections were made during the process of creating the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, or the records of the dynasty kept from 1392 to 1865 that documented state and diplomatic affairs. Multiple copies of the annals were produced and kept in different locations across the Peninsula so that these valuable documents were kept safe.

A visitor enjoys the permanent exhibition at the new National Museum of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in Pyeongchang, Gangwon on Nov. 9. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty underwent three rounds of proofreading during their compilation process, and the final version was kept inside the Odaesan Historical Archives, built deep in a secluded area inside Mount Odae in 1606. Woljeong Temple, or Woljeongsa, has been managing the archives since its establishment. Among various editions of the annals, primarily passed down in the form of metal type prints, the Odaesan edition is especially valued as it features the handwriting and traces of the ancient historiographers, as well as their process of proofreading.

Parts of uigwe, or the Royal protocols of the Joseon Dynasty, are also on display at the new museum. [YONHAP]

This version is treated with more care, as all volumes of the annals and parts of uigwe that were kept in the Odaesan Historical Archives were taken outside the country to Japan during the Japanese colonial rule (1910-45). In 1923, during the Great Kanto earthquake, a significant portion of the annals was destroyed. Among the ones that have survived, 27 volumes came back to Korea to be kept at the Kyungsung Imperial University, now Seoul National University, in 1932. Historians became aware of the existence of more volumes of this Odaesan edition in Japan and managed to repatriate 47 volumes in 2006, and 82 volumes of uigwe in 2011. In 2017, an additional volume of the annals — Hyojong Sillok — was repatriated to Korea from Japan in 2017. All of these are now under one roof at the new museum. Before, they were stored inside the National Palace Museum of Korea in central Seoul.

The Odaesan edition of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty [YONHAP]

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, the annals and uigwe will now be exhibited permanently for the public to enjoy, as it now has a dedicated museum.

The National Museum of the Annals of Joseon Dynasty, or the Annals Museum in short, has two aboveground floors.

Only the permanent exhibition hall is fully open to the public currently. The museum will need more work to open up all other areas, such as the storage spaces and special exhibition halls.

The permanent exhibition hall is designed to allow visitors to see everything related to the annals and uigwe. Here, visitors can learn about what kind of metal types were used to print the annals, how they were stored, as well as the process of drafting historiographical notes to compiling the annals, accompanied by various videos and visual materials.

Though the annals and the uigwe are now housed under one roof, safeguarding the treasures that are available for public viewing, getting there wasn’t easy.

When the remaining 47 volumes of the Odaesan edition were repatriated to Korea from Japan, it came back in a form of a “donation” to the Seoul National University. However, since it was a state-owned cultural asset, the Gangwon provincial government and the Buddhist community strongly demanded for it to be “returned to its original place” — Pyeongchang.

After years of heated debates and legal battles, a resolution was drafted at the National Assembly. It stipulated that Woljeongsa, the temple that managed the Odaesan edition of the sillok since 1606, should donate a plot of land and a building at the temple’s Seongbo Museum and that the government should spend its budget to remodel the building and turn it into a new museum.

Chief monk Jeongnyeom of Woljeongsa said the Odaesan edition of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty “finally returned to its original place after 110 years as many people came to a conclusion on cultural decentralization.”

On Nov. 4, the sillok and uigwe were transferred to the new museum and from Nov. 9 to 11, a grand ceremony marking the return was organized around Woljeongsa.

A ceremony that reenacted the same ritual that took place before storing the Odaesan edition in its archives in 1606 took place once more on Nov. 9 at the Pyeongchang County Office. On the following day, a parade was held from the entrance of Mount Odae to Woljeongsa.

A traditional ritual called goyuje — a ceremonial offering made to the ancestral spirits in relation to significant events concerning the state, society, or family — was also held at the Odaesan Historical Archives on Friday to announce the return of the annals to Pyeongchang.

The new National Museum of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty officially opened its doors to the public on Sunday. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]

“By permanently exhibiting the annals and uigwe, which are both listed in Unesco's Memory of the World, we hope this new museum becomes a central space where Korea’s important historical documents get extensively studied by researchers and greatly enjoyed by the public.”

The museum opens everyday except on Tuesdays. It opens from 9:30 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. and until 5:30 p.m. from May to October. There’s no entrance fee. For more information, visit sillok.gogung.go.kr.

BY KANG HYE-RAN [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]