Introduction

• • This gallery space is dedicated to exhibiting the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, which were looted by the French army during their invasion of Ganghwa Island in 1866 and returned in 2011. Oegyujanggak was established by order of King Jeongjo (r.1776-1800) to house the important royal records of Joseon, including the Uigwe, the books that precisely document major royal events. Among the volumes of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe, most of which are copies for royal perusal, exclusively designed for the king’s personal review, there are 29 cases where only one set of the Uigwe survived, called the unique copy.
  • The exhibition space that recreates the Joseon kings’ archive gives the impression of being within Oegyujanggak. The space is designed to highlight not only the aesthetic values of the Oegyujanggak Uigwe but also detailed records contained therein, allowing visitors to better understand the important royal rituals of Joseon. In addition, the Digital Archive is arranged to provide a modern translation of the Uigwe, facilitating easier access to their content. The gallery changes its exhibits every three months.

  Introduction to the Digital Archive

  • ㅇDigital Books

    

    The Uigwe records are a representative documentary heritage of the Joseon dynasty, but their content, written in Chinese characters, is difficult for the general public to access. Further, the books on show in display cases, which cannot be read by turning pages, allow only limited access to what is contained within them. To address these limitations, the gallery has digital devices for reading the content in the Uigwe, which enable visitors to digitally flip the pages and explore various stories inside the Uigwe. To play the content, viewers need to select a mini book from the bookshelf in front and place it in the center of the bookshelf. Three kinds of digital content are currently on show.

     

    1. Key Features of the Uigwe Records
    - This content explores the archival characteristics of the Uigwe, including official documents, doseol illustrations, and banchado illustrations, found in the Uigwe for the Royal Wedding of King Yeongjo and Queen Jeongsun.

    2. Comparison of the Uigwe for Royal Perusal and the Uigwe for Distribution
    - This content examines the various differences between the Uigwe for royal perusal (designed for the king’s review) and the Uigwe for distribution (intended for distribution to relevant government offices).

    3. Banchado Illustration of the Funeral Procession with King Hyojong’s Commentaries
    - In this storytelling-style content, as viewers turn the pages of the book, King Hyojong narrates the stories contained in the illustration of his own funeral procession.

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  • ㅇDoseol Archive

    

    The Uigwe feature illustrations explanatory of the shapes of items actually used in rituals, known as doseol illustrations, and there are more than 3,800 illustrations of this kind included in the Oegyujanggak Uigwe. The Doseol Archive, based on these illustrations, allows visitors to directly select interesting themes and discover the stories they hold. The 4.8-meter-wide display showcases 60 themes, each of which, when touched, leads viewers to more stories told in the doseol illustrations.