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| yna@yna.co.kr 2026-02-09 14:37:16
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- “They came to be recognized not merely as printing tools but as symbols of the scholarship of past sages, preserved and handed down by later generations," reads the National Heritage Portal’s description of "Korean Confucian Printing Woodblocks."
Listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2015, "Korean Confucian Printing Woodblocks" are records completed through the “collective intelligence” of scholars of their time.
The Confucian woodblocks are wooden printing blocks carved from the late 15th century through the early 20th century to publish collected works and writings of prominent Confucian scholars. They comprise 71,826 blocks from 718 titles deposited by 305 clans.
Among them are woodblocks for the collected works of late Joseon Confucian scholar Beonam Chae Je-gong (1720–1799) and Cheokam Kim Do-hwa (1825–1912), who served as a leader of the Andong righteous army during the 1895 Eulmi Righteous Army movement.
Three late Joseon-era literary woodblocks recently donated from the United States to the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation are significant records related to the same UNESCO-listed collection.
In particular, one woodblock from "Collected Works of Master Cheokam" is in relatively good condition compared with others. The collection is known to have been first published in 1917 by Kim Heon-ju, Cheokam’s grandson, who compiled his grandfather’s surviving writings. The main collection consists of 36 volumes in 19 books.
The donated woodblock corresponds to the main collection and includes pages 17–18 of volume 11, featuring texts such as "Preface to the Genealogy of the Shin Clan of Aju" and "Preface to the Posthumous Collected Works of Master Mochon Yi."
The discovery effectively confirms the existence of woodblocks whose whereabouts had long been unknown.
Bibliographer Ok Young-jung, a professor at the Academy of Korean Studies, said in an advisory opinion that the woodblock “is a valuable material that shows the typical production form of literary woodblocks, with printed editions preserved at major repositories.”
The woodblocks for "Collected Works of Beonam," containing writings by Chae Je-gong, are also considered highly significant. The woodblock found in the United States is part of the main collection carved in 1824 and corresponds to pages 3–4 on both sides of volume 26.
It includes a memorial submitted to the throne in 1793, when Chae was appointed prime minister, calling for the punishment of those who falsely accused Crown Prince Sado.
“At the time, members of the Namin faction reportedly regarded Chae Je-gong’s memorials as exemplary,” Ok said, adding that the discovery confirms one of more than 800 woodblocks whose locations had previously been unknown.
Woodblocks for "Songja Daejeon," a compilation of the collected works and chronological biography of late Joseon Confucian scholar Uam Song Si-yeol (1607–1689), include writings composed to commemorate the deceased.
The woodblocks contain epitaph texts intended for grave steles, such as "Epitaph for Min, Governor of Ulsan, Posthumously Appointed Minister."
Although they are important materials for studying late Joseon record culture, the surviving woodblocks differ significantly from their original form.
According to the foundation, all the donated artifacts were purchased at Korean antique shops in the early 1970s by an American who worked in South Korea at the time and later taken to the United States for storage.
The purchases are believed to have occurred before laws or systems were in place to prevent the overseas removal of cultural heritage. The artifacts also underwent processing to turn them into “products.”
“The original handles of woodblocks are usually rough, but these were replaced with processed wood, fitted with metal decorations and altered to resemble cultural merchandise,” a foundation official said.
Circular rings and metal ornaments were attached to both sides so the woodblocks could be hung on walls, while the carved text surfaces—originally used for applying ink for printing—were overpainted in gold and silver.
The Korea Heritage Service said some woodblocks stolen or lost domestically were transformed into souvenirs, offering clues to understanding the realities and patterns of cultural heritage removal overseas during the 1970s.
The agency and the foundation plan to investigate further cases of cultural heritage taken abroad through similar routes and are also considering donation campaigns to raise awareness of the value and significance of Korean cultural heritage.
For example, Washington, D.C., and nearby Virginia are home to many current and former federal government employees, prompting discussions on encouraging donations from individuals who previously worked in South Korea.
Since its establishment in July 2012, the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation has recovered 1,299 cases of cultural heritage from abroad, totaling 2,855 items as of January this year. Of those, 96.2 percent — 1,249 cases — were recovered through donations.
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