The National Museum of Korea in Seoul on Nov. 13 announced that it will open on Nov. 15 the Oegyujanggak Uigwe Gallery "King's Archive for the World of Propriety." Shown is an illustration from the Oegyujanggak Uigwe (Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty) showing the royal wedding of Joseon Dynasty King Sukjong and Queen Inhyeon. (National Museum of Korea)
By Lee Jihae
"King's Archive for the World of Propriety," a gallery featuring the Oegyujanggak Uigwe (Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty), has been opened at the National Museum of Korea with a contemporary reinterpretation.
The museum on Nov. 13 said it will open the gallery on Nov. 15 at the section Calligraphy and Painting on the second floor of Permanent Exhibition Hall.
Visitors can now freely see the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, which had been on display only through temporary exhibitions.
Through texts and pictures, the protocols are comprehensive records of key royal and national events of Joseon (1392-1910). Several of the records were stored at Oegyujanggak, an affiliate library built in 1781 on Incheon's Ganghwa-do Island by King Jeongjo, but were looted by the French navy during the Byeongin Yangyo incident of 1866, or the French invasion of Ganghwa-do.
The books were discovered in 1975 at the National Library of France by the Korean historian Park Byeong-seon. Through the efforts of Park and people from many sectors, the records were returned to Korea in 2011, 145 years after they were smuggled out of the country.
In 2011, the Korean and French governments concluded an agreement on the return of 297 volumes of the protocols to Korea on permanent loan renewable every five years.
Since the Oegyujanggak Uigwe's return 13 years ago, the museum has held two exhibitions of it and displayed the relic at Joseon Gallery on the first floor. It set up the new permanent exhibition to more effectively convey the diverse content of the records to the public.
Public access to the records was difficult because they are written in Chinese script and visitors cannot flip the pages since the books are in display cases. To overcome these barriers, the new gallery contains digital books through which children and teens can gain interest and better understand the protocols through pictures and videos.
The gallery's Doseol Archive has digital reproductions of some 3,800 doseol, or illustrations of items used at royal events. Visitors can select themes to see doseol and related content.
