Korea Manhwa Contents Agency Secures Rare Materials Including "Uiyeoldo" Edition and Kim Jongrae Manuscripts

From Joseon-era Woodblock Prints to 1950s Single-volume Comics
Strengthening the Foundation for Korean Comic History Research

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency announced on September 8 that they have secured 636 items across 31 rare comic book collections this year through regular purchases and auctions. The collection includes materials that mark the starting point of Korean comic history, such as woodblock prints of Uiyeoldo from the Joseon Dynasty and handwritten manuscripts by Kim Jongrae.

Woodblock Prints of Uiyeoldo from the Joseon Dynasty

Uiyeoldo is a woodblock print produced in Seonsan, Gyeongsang Province, to promote the values of "righteousness" (ui) and "fervor" (yeol). It contains stories such as "Uiudo," the tale of an ox saving its master from a tiger, and the account of the virtuous woman Hyangrang. With explanatory notes and character names written next to the illustrations, it is regarded as the origin of Korean comics. This edition consists of two cover pages and thirteen inner pages, accompanied by a preface by Jo Chanhan from 1630 and Jo Gwisang from 1704.

Twenty-two handwritten manuscripts totaling 627 pages by Kim Jongrae from the 1960s have also been newly acquired. These include works such as "Revenge Ledger," "Gambling Action Ma-jeon," and "The Traveler," an adaptation of folk tales, and are expected to serve as an important foundation for future research. The manuscript of Kim Jongrae's representative work, "Thirty Thousand Miles in Search of Mother," has already been designated a National Registered Cultural Heritage and is preserved by the Agency.

Rare single-volume comics that illustrate the trends in post-liberation published comics have also been secured. These include seven books such as "Ddolddoli, the Hero of the Sea" (1947) by Oh Taewan (written by Baekak), "Young Hong Gildong" (1952) by Yoon Jin, and "Mountain Corpse" (1953) by Lee Jonghyun. In particular, "Ddolddoli, the Hero of the Sea" is highly valued as it showcases the publishing styles of the time, such as thread-bound binding, handwritten inserts, and printing on thick paper.

Kim Jongrae's handwritten manuscript

These materials are scheduled to be made available to the public in the digital reading room at the Korea Manhwa Museum. Baek Jonghoon, President of the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency, stated, "We will continue to actively collect and preserve comic materials, which are the origins of K-content."