Republic of Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration to provide support for the first Jikji exhibition to be held in France in 50 years

 - Signs an MOU with the Bibliothèque nationale de France on support for Jikji exhibition,

relevant conferences, and translation –

On April 11, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA; administrator: Choi Eung-chon) will sign an MOU at 5 pm (local time) with the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF; director: Laurence Engel) on exhibition support and related academic collaborations regarding the special exhibition of “Imprimer ! L’Europe de Gutenberg” (Apr. 12 to Jul.16) which reveals the world’s oldest book printed with movable metal-type – Jikji.
* The BnF, France’s national library, is located in Paris. Its origin is generally traced back to the royal library founded by Louis XI in 1480, making it regarded as the world’s oldest museum. It owns approximately 2,000 Korean books, including Jikji Simche Yojeol (Republic of Korea, 1377; hereafter, Jikji). From April 12 through July 16, Jikji, the world’s oldest book printed with movable metal type, will be featured in a special exhibition (“Imprimer ! L’Europe de Gutenberg”).

The Agreement mainly deals with ▲holding conference or symposium in relation to the special exhibition, ▲support including providing the images and translation-related assistance necessary for the exhibition, ▲mutual cooperation not limited to carrying out promotional activities for the exhibition and conducting academic surveys and/or research projects in relation to Korean cultural heritage objects housed in BnF.

The teachings of Jikji were compiled by Paegun (1298-1374), a Buddhist priest, and printed by his disciples, Seokchan and Daljam. The book deals with topics on achieving self-enlightenment through meditation and, due to its coverage of the principles of Zen Buddhism, was used as a textbook for Buddhist priest trainees.

The original full title of Jikji is Paegun hwasang chorok buljo jikji simche yojeol (Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings). After its initial printing in two volumes with movable metal type at Heungdeoksa Temple in 1377, Jikji was printed with woodblocks at Chwiamsa Temple in 1378. The printing was 78 years earlier than the Gutenberg Bible (Germany, circa 1455). Today, the woodblock-printed version resides in Korea, in pristine condition, and was designated as a National Treasure by the Korean government in 1992. On September 4, 2001, it was included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World register as a cultural relic that embodies the excellence of Korean printing technology. The book currently owned by the BnF is the second of the Heungdeoksa Temple volumes.
Jikji, which was originally part of the collection of Victor Collin de Plancy (1853-1922), a charge d’affaires with the French Embassy in Seoul who was also the first French minister dispatched to Joseon after the Korea-France Treaty of 1886, was displayed in public for the first time at the 1900 Paris Exposition and included in Maurice Courant’s (1853-1935) Bibliographie coréenne (1901 volume, No. 3738). After Collin de Plancy’s death, Jikji was purchased by art collector Henri Vever (1854-1943). In 1950, according to Vever’s will, Jikji was donated to the BnF and, in 1952, included in the BnF’s official collection register.

In the special exhibition, Jikji, which is being put on display for the first time in exactly 50 years, will be the first relic introduced. The actual book has been made available for public viewing on only three occasions in the past: at the 1900 Paris Exposition’s Korea Pavilion, International Book Year exhibition of 1972, and BnF’s “Trésors d’Orient (Treasures of the Orient)” of 1973.

The CHA and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF; chair: Kim Jung-hee) will continue to waste no effort in searching for important cultural artifacts that are currently located outside of Korea as well as promoting the merits of Korea’s cultural heritage properties in other countries. Through the international exchanges that will occur alongside such efforts, both organizations will do their utmost to heighten international awareness of Korea’s cultural and historical heritage properties.