Joseon Period

[Traveler]
After the dynasty that produced Jikji and the Tripitaka Koreana faded at the end of the 14th century, the last dynasty on the Korean Peninsula, the Joseon Dynasty came into being, and, printing technology was further developed.

In Joseon, printing work was shifted from temples to government offices. Joseon adopted Confucianism as the state religion over Buddhism, allowing it to publish books with diverse themes in addition to works on Buddhism. In the early Joseon period, however, metal types made by government officials were said to be of poor quality. Later, perfect typesetting technology was developed. Those books before you exhibit different typefaces.

From the mid-15th century, diverse typefaces were developed. They were unique Korean brands, shedding foreign brands. This means that the country developed its own typefaces instead of imitating the then famous Chinese typefaces.

In the 17th century and subsequent periods, not only government offices but also the private sector made metal types, allowing typography to reach its peak. Notably, books produced by government offices were nearly immaculate, and featured very refined printing, because of the strict rules imposed on printing workers. One character error would result in punishment by 30 strokes of the cane, as would the application of too thick or too soft a coat of ink. Even an error of five characters or more would lead to deprivation of one's position. They knew the importance of accurate recording, thus compelling them to efficiently manage their printing work.

In Joseon's history of printing technology, one particular event occurred that is truly remarkable. I'm talking about the invention of hangeul, the Korean Alphabet, in 1443. Worin cheongang jigok, exhibited here, is the first book to have been printed in hangeul. It contains the words of a song, authored by King Sejong, one of the inventors of hangeul, praising the virtues of Buddha. Other diverse books written in hangeul were widely distributed to the common people. Hangeul boosted the people's literacy. These days, Koreans boast the world's lowest level of illiteracy, at 0.3%, thanks to its easy-to-learn writing system and the early development of printing technology.