The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Guide to Chuseok celebrations across Korea

  • 3

    INTERVIEWWith '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting

  • 5

    Court rejects arrest warrant for opposition leader Lee over corruption charges

  • 7

    N. Korea decides to expel US soldier Travis King over border crossing

  • 9

    Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District

  • 11

    Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games

  • 13

    Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth

  • 15

    Teen swimmer Lee Eun-ji shrugs off freak injury to end quarter-century drought in pool

  • 17

    Travis King in US custody after expulsion by N. Korea: Washington officials

  • 19

    Samsung SDI to spend $1.97 bil. on 2nd joint US battery plant with Stellantis

  • 2

    Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday

  • 4

    Royal palaces in Seoul offer free access during Chuseok holiday

  • 6

    Korea sees record-low births in July

  • 8

    Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant

  • 10

    DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November

  • 12

    Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war

  • 14

    Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers

  • 16

    DPK hails court's rejection of Lee's arrest, demands Yoon's apology

  • 18

    Top prosecutor vows to seek due punishment for Lee through further probe

  • 20

    Finance minister expects Korea's exports to rebound as early as October

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
Fri, September 29, 2023 | 10:12
Trends
Rare Joseon-era map returns home from Japan
Posted : 2023-03-30 16:11
Updated : 2023-03-31 08:25
Kwak Yeon-soo
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Visitors take a look at the unfolded 'Daedongyeojido,' a map of the Korean Peninsula from the 19th century, at the National Palace Museum of Korea, central Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Visitors take a look at the unfolded "Daedongyeojido," a map of the Korean Peninsula from the 19th century, at the National Palace Museum of Korea, central Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

By Kwak Yeon-soo

A rare map of the Korean Peninsula from the 19th century has been returned to Korea from Japan.

The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) on Thursday unveiled "Daedongyeojido," which was previously owned by a Japanese collector.

Officials of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation flew to the country to check the condition of the relic and negotiate a deal for its return. In March, the Korean government purchased it with lottery funds and brought it back to Korea. Its price was not disclosed, citing confidentiality reasons.

"Daedongyeojido," translated as "territorial map of the Great East," was first made by cartographer and geographer Kim Jeong-ho in 1861 during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom. It was republished in 1864 in the form of 22 foldable booklets. The map was significant for its time, as it was one of the first attempts at a comprehensive mapping of Korea, having captured all the administrative divisions, physical features and villages of the country in great detail.

The returned map is a woodblock-printed edition produced in 1864. It is colored and contains "gapil," or hand-written revisions. It contains geographical information from "Dongyeodo," another atlas that features geographical information on Joseon-era Korea including 1,800 traffic routes, military facilities and names of locations.

Unlike Dongyeodo, translated as "atlas of the Eastern State," Daedongyeojido omits many names of places and territories due to the difficulties involved in carving woodblocks.

Visitors take a look at the unfolded 'Daedongyeojido,' a map of the Korean Peninsula from the 19th century, at the National Palace Museum of Korea, central Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
The returned "Daedongyeojido" edition consists of a total of 23 folded booklets (22 booklets of maps and one for the list of maps) / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration

The edition returned from Japan is the first known example that compensates for the limitations of the woodblock-printed Daedongyeojido by transcribing the annotations from Dongyeodo.

"The repatriated Daedongyeojido presents a different format and contents compared to other editions in Korean collections, so its return from Japan carries significance," a CHA official said.

This Daedongyeojido edition consists of 23 booklets ― 22 for maps and one for the list of maps. The format follows that of Dongyeodo.

Visitors take a look at the unfolded 'Daedongyeojido,' a map of the Korean Peninsula from the 19th century, at the National Palace Museum of Korea, central Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Visitors take a look at the unfolded "Daedongyeojido," a map of the Korean Peninsula from the 19th century, at the National Palace Museum of Korea in central Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

For example, the second booklet, which illustrates Mount Paektu and neighboring regions, shows the distance between a military facility and a memorial stone marking the border at the time with China ― a feature that is not noted in the woodblock-printed edition of Daedongyeojido.

In the 14th booklet, which depicts Ulleung Island in the East Sea and its surrounding area, a point of departure is written for ships heading to the island. That is not found in other editions of Daedongyeojido.

"The retrieved Daedongyeojido will provide material for the study of the production and use of maps during the Joseon Kingdom. It will also expand the scope of research on Joseon-era geographical information as the first woodblock-printed edition with transcribed annotations from Dongyeodo that has been identified to date," a CHA official said.


Emailyeons.kwak@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
miguel
wooribank
LG
Top 10 Stories
1Guide to Chuseok celebrations across Korea Guide to Chuseok celebrations across Korea
2Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday
3Korea sees record-low births in July Korea sees record-low births in July
4Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant
5Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District
6DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November
7Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games
8Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war
9Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth
10Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers
Top 5 Entertainment News
1Trailblazing nonagenarian artist honored for redefining Korean fiber art Trailblazing nonagenarian artist honored for redefining Korean fiber art
2[INTERVIEW] With '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting INTERVIEWWith '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting
3Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene
4[INTERVIEW] ONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince' INTERVIEWONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince'
5Kep1er unveils 'Magic Hour' with fresh perspective on love Kep1er unveils 'Magic Hour' with fresh perspective on love
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group