Discover Everything About Seoul at the 'Seoul History Archive'

A Total of 26,131 Cases Released

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Museum of History announced on the 14th that since the public release of the first type of public domain content (free use conditions) of the ‘Seoul History Archive’ in 2020, the archive usage by citizens, including experts and the general public, has been steadily increasing, with 36,869 downloads recorded last year alone.

The Seoul History Archive consists of six themes, including museum research materials from the Seoul Life and Culture Data Survey, Seoul Future Heritage Records, and Seoul Excavation Records, as well as museum holdings such as modern and contemporary Seoul photographs, Seoul municipal photographs, and Seoul maps (Photo 1). It serves as a memory repository capturing Seoul’s past and present, currently encompassing and publicly sharing a total of 26,131 items.

The Seoul History Archive can be accessed through the Seoul Museum of History’s website or a dedicated Seoul History Archive website, and it is the most frequently visited content among the museum’s online offerings. The detailed contents by theme are as follows.

The Seoul History Archive was first made public on the museum’s website in 2014 to systematically build a database of museum-produced and collected materials and to share knowledge with the public. In 2020, by providing archive materials under the Public Nuri Type 1 free use conditions, it has strengthened its public nature as a knowledge repository for Seoul studies. With both non-commercial and commercial uses now permitted, the utilization is diversifying across various audiences and media.

Given its extensive coverage of materials related to Seoul’s history, it is utilized in various fields such as mass media, exhibitions, research, education, and publishing. Seoul history content has been further disseminated through broadcasts like ‘History Journal That Day’ (KBS), ‘e Knowledge Channel’ and ‘Docu Prime’ (EBS), ‘Naked Korean History,’ ‘You Quiz on the Block,’ and ‘Alssulin Job’ (tvN), as well as exhibitions at the UK’s V&A Museum (‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’ exhibition), the National Folk Museum of Korea, and other domestic and international exhibitions. Additionally, it is used in academic research and education by professional research institutions such as the Seoul Institute of History Compilation, the National Institute of Korean History, and universities, and is consistently included in publications for the general public, thereby expanding its user base.

Meanwhile, the main users of the Seoul History Archive are individuals, including not only office workers but also full-time homemakers, students, and self-employed persons, which is noteworthy. The purposes of use are very diverse, ranging from personal curiosity about Seoul’s history to completing assignments, writing theses, architectural design, creating YouTube videos and blogs, and educating children. In an era where anyone can be both a content producer and consumer as a one-person media creator, the archive is fulfilling its role as a knowledge repository.

Having been consistently loved by citizens, the Seoul History Archive plans to continue discovering and publicly releasing new materials related to Seoul’s history and to further expand communication through social networking services (SNS) introductions. As a cradle for Seoul studies, it will support experts’ research on Seoul’s history while aiming to become a friendly archive that general citizens can access more easily and enjoyably.