Jibong yuseol
Encyclopedia
Jibong yuseol is the first Korea
n encyclopedia
published in 1614 during the reigns of King Gwanghaegun. The author, Yi Su-gwang
was a prominent silhak
scholar and a military officer of the mid Joseon period of Korea
. The title came from his pen name, Jibong and yuseol which literally means "topical discourses" in Korean
.
to the Ming Dynasty. In Ming China, he acquired several books written on Catholicism
by an Italian
priest, Matteo Ricci
, who was living in China at this time. He brought them back to Korea, which was the first time Western literature had been brought into Korea. He took great interest in Catholicism and the Western world. From the information he obtained from the trips, he wrote a 20-volume encyclopedia, with the title Jibong yuseol. Jibong yuseol contained not only information on Catholicism and China, but also on Japan
, Vietnam
, and Thailand
. It also contained basic information on the Western world, including the geography and weather of England
, western food, and western weapons. He also wrote about the knowledge of astronomy
that he had acquired from an Italian priest staying in China at the time. Yi visited China several times, and even met Thai (known then to Koreans as Seomra people, 섬라사람) emissaries in China. Taking a great interest in the Thais, he closely recorded the customs of the Thai people. He also had contact with emissaries from Vietnam and the Okinawa.
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
published in 1614 during the reigns of King Gwanghaegun. The author, Yi Su-gwang
Yi Su-gwang
Yi Su-gwang , also known as Lee Sugwang, was a Korean sarim, a military official, and a diplomat of the Joseon Dynasty. He was also an academic and an encyclopedist who created Jibong yuseol, the earliest Korean encyclopedia.-Early life:...
was a prominent silhak
Silhak
Silhak was a Korean Confucian social reform movement in late Joseon Dynasty. Sil means "actual" or "practical," and hak means "studies" or "learning." It developed in response to the increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-Confucianism that seemed disconnected from the rapid agricultural,...
scholar and a military officer of the mid Joseon period of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. The title came from his pen name, Jibong and yuseol which literally means "topical discourses" in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
.
Overview
After the Imjin wars from 1592 to 1598, Yi Su-gwang worked temporarily as an emissaryEmissary
Emissary may refer to:* Ambassador* Apostle* Diplomat* The Subspace Emissary, the single-player Adventure Mode in the video game Super Smash Bros...
to the Ming Dynasty. In Ming China, he acquired several books written on Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
by an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
priest, Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God....
, who was living in China at this time. He brought them back to Korea, which was the first time Western literature had been brought into Korea. He took great interest in Catholicism and the Western world. From the information he obtained from the trips, he wrote a 20-volume encyclopedia, with the title Jibong yuseol. Jibong yuseol contained not only information on Catholicism and China, but also on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It also contained basic information on the Western world, including the geography and weather of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, western food, and western weapons. He also wrote about the knowledge of astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
that he had acquired from an Italian priest staying in China at the time. Yi visited China several times, and even met Thai (known then to Koreans as Seomra people, 섬라사람) emissaries in China. Taking a great interest in the Thais, he closely recorded the customs of the Thai people. He also had contact with emissaries from Vietnam and the Okinawa.