Preliminary Designation of Yeungnam University's "Zizhi Tongjian" as Treasure... Printed with Metal Type during King Sejong's Reign

Yeungnam University (President Choi Oechul) announced on May 7 that volumes 81 to 85 of the "Zizhi Tongjian" held by the university's Central Library have been designated as "Treasure," a state-designated cultural heritage. The Cultural Heritage Administration stated on April 29 that it plans to designate these volumes as a Treasure, recognizing their historical and academic value.

The "Zizhi Tongjian" is a historical text compiled over approximately 19 years by Sima Guang (1019?1086), a politician and historian during China's Song Dynasty. Covering 1,362 years of historical events from 403 BCE to just before the founding of the Song Dynasty, it is arranged in chronological order (annalistic style) and was compiled with the aim of providing lessons necessary for governing a nation, focusing on political and military affairs. It is regarded as a model historical text in East Asia and had a significant influence, to the extent that kings and officials of the Joseon Dynasty considered it required reading for state governance.

The Zizhi Tongjian held at Yeungnam University

The "Zizhi Tongjian" volumes 81 to 85, which have been designated as a Treasure, are a printed edition produced in 1436, the 16th year of King Sejong's reign in Joseon, using metal type at Jujaso (the state printing office at the time). In particular, these volumes were printed using Chojugapin type, a kind of metal movable type produced by Jujaso, which further enhances their value. Out of the complete 294 volumes, these five volumes (volumes 81 to 85) are bound together as a single book and are currently held at the Central Library of Yeungnam University. While some other institutions, such as the National Library of Korea and the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University, also hold a few volumes, the number of surviving copies of this particular edition is extremely limited, making its academic value exceptionally high.

The fact that the "Zizhi Tongjian" held by Yeungnam University has been preliminarily designated as a Treasure carries even greater significance as it represents both an academic achievement for the university and the fruition of cultural heritage preservation efforts. In particular, this ancient book is an extremely important resource for research on early Joseon metal type printing technology and is a valuable heritage that can be utilized in a variety of academic fields, including history, political science, public administration, and bibliography.

Choi Jaemok, Director of the Yeungnam University Library, stated, "The preliminary designation of the 'Zizhi Tongjian' as a Treasure is a symbolic recognition of our university's longstanding efforts in the preservation and research of academic materials," and added, "We will continue to do our best to preserve these precious heritages and contribute to the advancement of scholarship both domestically and internationally."