Kyujanggak
Encyclopedia
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
, and functions today as a key repository of Korean historical records. It was founded in 1776 during the reign of Jeongjo, at which time it was located on the palace grounds of Changdeokgung
Changdeokgung
Changdeokgung, also known as Changdeokgung Palace or Changdeok Palace, is set within a large park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. Because of its location east of Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeokgung, with Changgyeonggung,...
. Today it is maintained by Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
, and is located in Sillim-dong
Sillim-dong
Sillim or Sillim-dong is a statutory division of Gwanak District, Seoul, South Korea. Seoul National University and Nokdu Street is located in the town. Its name means "new forest", which was derived from the woods outstretched from Mt. Gwanak...
, Gwanak-gu
Gwanak-gu
Gwanak District, or Gwanak-gu is an administrative subdivision of Seoul, South Korea. It lies on southern skirt of Seoul, bordering Seoul and Anyang of Gyeonggi Province. Craggy ridgeline of Mt...
.
It is named after imperial calligraphic works stored there, the kyujang (奎章), which literally means "writings of Kyu
Kui Xing
Kui Xing , originally called 奎星 , also known as 大魁夫子 "Great Master Kui" or 大魁星君 "Great Kui the Star Prince", is a character in Chinese mythology, the god of examinations, and an associate or servant of the god of literature, Wen Chang....
", a scholar-deity, but has come to refer to divinely inspired writings, in particularly, the emperor's.
The library's role underwent various changes after the Gabo Reforms of 1894. In 1922, it was moved under the jurisdiction of Keijo Imperial University
Keijo Imperial University
was a Japanese Imperial University that existed in Seoul between 1924 and the end of World War II.-History:...
, which later gave rise to the Seoul National University. The library moved to its present location in 1990 and became independent of the Seoul National University Central Library in 1992.
The Kyujanggak now houses more than 260,000 items. Many of these have been digitized and can be searched online. These include originals of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, which are among the National treasures of South Korea
National treasures of South Korea
The National Treasures of Korea are a numbered set of tangible treasures, artifacts, sites, and buildings which are recognized by South Korea as having exceptional artistic, cultural and historical value...
. The Kyujanggak also supports research in Korean history and sponsors an annual journal titled Kyujanggak.
In 1782, Oegyujanggak ("Outer Kyujanggak") was founded on Ganghwa Island
Ganghwa Island
Ganghwa Island is an island in the estuary of the Han River, on the west coast of South Korea. Ganghwa Island is separated from Gimpo, on the mainland, by a narrow channel, which is spanned by two bridges. The main channel of the Han River separates the island from Gaeseong in North Korea.About...
. This was an annex of the main library by order of King Jeongjo. However, some of the items of Oegyujanggak were burned and some 297 books looted by the French in 1866. Though it was long thought those items would never be returned to Korea, an agreement to return the documents was made by President Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
and President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
at the November 2010 G20 summit in Seoul. France had defended their claims to the documents as cultural properties obtained when no such laws were set up between the two countries. The documents have finally been returned to Seoul between April and May 2011.
See also
- History of KoreaHistory of KoreaThe Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 400,000-500,000 years ago. Archeological evidence indicates that the presence of modern humans in northeast Asia dates to 39,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began...
- List of Korea-related topics
- French Campaign against Korea, 1866French Campaign against Korea, 1866The French campaign against Korea of 1866 is also known as Byeong-in yangyo . It refers to the French invasion of Ganghwa Island in Korea in retaliation for the earlier execution by Korea's Joseon Dynasty of French Catholic priests proselytizing in that country...