▶ Intro
Reading tomorrow’s path from yesterday’s records
A question is the courage to confront the essence. A question directed at what has long been taken for granted awakens stagnant time and clearly illuminates the markers of tomorrow. It contains the stories of SNU people who reflect on themselves, read the grain of the world, and draw new maps.
The SNU Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies has played a pivotal role in advancing Korean studies. Beyond conducting research, the institute houses more than 300,000 historical materials, including UNESCO Memory of the World items, and leads preservation and restoration projects that have strengthened the field’s foundations and opened new directions for scholarship. In volume No. 83, we highlight the exterior of the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies1 and the Daedongyeojido2, a map considered the pinnacle of Joseon cartography. Widely recognized as one of Gosanja Kim Jeong-ho’s masterpieces, the Daedongyeojido compiles vast quantities of geographical information into a 22-fold structure—an achievement that, in a single map, answers the demanding question: What is the true nature of our land?
1Cover: SNU Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies
2Intro: Daedongyeojido, 22-fold folding woodblock print, Treasure No. 850–2, approx. 6.6 × 4.1 m (Kim Jeong-ho, 1861)
