Memory of the World- Republic of Korea

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty cover more than 470 years of the history of the dynasty, from the reign of King Taejo (r. 1392-1398), the founder, to the reign of King Cheoljong (r. 1849-1863). With the kings as the central figures, the annals are daily records of the overall history and culture of the Joseon Dynasty, covering politics, military affairs, the social system, law, economics, industry, transportation, communications, customary arts, crafts, religion, etc. The annals of a given king were definitively compiled only when his successor ordered it. The materials were collected from Sacho, or Draft History, Sijeonggi, or Daily Records, Seungjeongwon Ilgi, or the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat, Uijeongbu Deungnok, or the Documents of the State Council, Bibyeonsa Deungnok, or Records of the Border Defense Council, Ilseongnok, or Daily Records of the Royal Court and Important Officials, etc.
Of these, Draft History and Daily Records were the most important sources. The main authors of Draft History were two historiographers, two assistant historiographers and four censors. These writers always participated in every national conference and kept records of the actual details of national affairs under discussion between king and officials. Sometimes they made character sketches of persons who had done good or evil deeds.
The Daily Records were placed in the custody of the Office for Annals Compilation (Chunchugwan). Nobody was allowed to read Draft History and Daily Records except historiographers. Even the king was not excepted. Any historiographer who disclosed the contents of the annals was severely punished as a felon. The regulations and ordinances governing historiography were very strict. The annals were printed and then preserved in the historical archives under rigorous management. There are a total of 2,077 books in these four editions of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, all of the highest value for history:
ⅰ) 1,181 in the Jeongjoksan Sagobon ⅱ) 848 in the Taebaeksan Sagobon ⅲ) 27 in the Odaesan Sagobon ⅳ) and 21 in the Sanyeopbon