Throughout history, humans have been driven by a combination of curiosity and fear towards new worlds, continuously navigating the seas, thereby interconnecting them. To ensure safe and accurate voyages, a variety of navigational tools were developed and refined over time.

Let's first delve into the concept of nautical charts. Unlike terrestrial maps that focus on land, nautical charts are centered around maritime information. Prior to the 15th century, these charts primarily contained details of coastlines and reefs in visible range. However, with the advent of The Age of Discovery, nautical charts began to encompass broader marine areas, facilitating long-distance navigation.

Now, let's visit the workspace of a renowned nautical chart maker. The space you are seeing is a recreation of the 16th-century workspace of Gerardus Mercator, a famous cartographer from the Netherlands. In 1569, Mercator developed the Mercator projection, a mapping method that accurately represented directions and proved useful for navigation, earning it the nickname 'navigational projection'. The nautical charts created using the Mercator projection were immensely helpful to navigators, as drawing a straight line anywhere on the chart corresponded to a true bearing, facilitating the use of a compass.

Additionally, you can see various drafting materials and tools essential for creating nautical charts. On the walls are portraits of Mercator and his pupil, Hondius. The desk area features prominent examples of pilotage charts, including Portolan charts, and a video explaining how charts were made using Mercator projection.

As we move to the right, you will see four display cases on the wall, each detailing the evolution of nautical charts. The first case presents the “Ptolemic World of Münster.” This map is bordered by illustrations of twelve wind gods, indicative of the theocentric worldview prevalent in map-making at the time due to the influence of religion.

In the second display case, we find the “Portolan Chart by Monnus” on vellum. This chart, created during an era when the compass was the primary navigational tool, features radial lines emanating from a central point, resembling the spokes of a compass. It was crafted using pilotage, a method that involves navigating by visually identifying coastal features. This chart meticulously details observed harbors, coastlines, and reefs. Additionally, an image of the Virgin Mary is depicted on the left side of the chart, symbolizing a prayer for the safe guidance of sailors to their destinations.

The third display case holds "On the Mystery of the Sea by Robert Dudley,” an English cartographer. This is the first collection of nautical charts produced using Mercator projection. Notably, this artifact displays the Korean Peninsula, elongated in shape, and Japan at the center. This chart provides wonderful insight into the geographic understanding of Asia at the time, with Korea represented as an elongated oval.

The top of the left page near the East Sea is marked with the phrase 'Mare di Corai' indicating the Korean name for the East Sea and showing that, even at that time, the East Sea was recognized as Korean.

The final exhibit features the “New Sea Atlas by Isaac Broukner,” a German cartographer. Created in 1749, this atlas is considered a precursor to modern nautical charts. A notable feature of this map is the Korean Peninsula, marked in the center with the name 'La Coree,' referring to Korea.

As you can see, nautical charts have evolved through four distinct stages, becoming increasingly more detailed and accurate. The depiction of Asia, including Korea, only began to resemble its current form in the 18th century.