Jikji is the oldest extant book printed with movable metal type in the world. It was published at Heungdeoksa Temple in 1377 during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). It was not long that Jikji got known in the world. It became known when Dr. Park Byeong-seon (1929-2011), a Korean who was working at the National Library of France, introduced Jikji at the International Book Fair in 1972 after finding it in her working place.
Jikji surprised people in the world. It is because it had been before known that metal type was invented by Gutenberg in Germany and the oldest book printed with the type was the ‘42-line Bible’ published by him. How could the Goryeo Dynasty publish books with metal type for the first time in the world? Korea has developed a printing culture from the old days. At least before the year of 751, the world’s oldest woodblock print, Mugujeonggwang Daedaranigyeong (Spotless Pure Light Dharani Sutra, was printed, and the casting technology for making metal type and manufacturing technology for paper and ink had been already developed in the Goryeo Dynasty when Jikji was published. Particularly, the intellectual class wanted the fast distribution of knowledge and information. Metal type technology was developed further in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) after the Goryeo Dynasty. Hundreds of thousands of metal types were cast at a Joseon government office that specialized in type casting. Metal type technology has continued to develop throughout the era of Joseon, and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, one of the UNESCO Memory of the World, were also printed with metal type.
Documentary heritage is the wisdom of humankind to deliver the history, culture, thoughts and philosophy. UNESCO International Center for Documentary Heritage will be established in 2023 in Cheongju where the Jikji was published. Korea, that has continued its ancestors’ wisdom and technology through the documentary heritage, will play an important role in preserving and developing the documentary heritages in the world. Jikji is a creative Korean heritage, created with the wisdom of Koreans in the long history of the country.