UNESCO recognizes Adm. Yi's journals

The 16th-century “Nanjung Ilgi” or War Diary of Yi Sun-sin is one of the latest additions to UNESCO’s Memory of the World List. / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration

By Do Je-hae

UNESCO will add crucial documents from Korea's ancient and contemporary history to its Memory of the World List, according to Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) Wednesday.

The two latest additions to the UNESCO list are the 16th-century "Nanjung Ilgi" or War Diary of Yi Sun-sin and the archives of the Saemaul Movement, a nationwide post-war development campaign launched in 1970. Now Korea has 11 items on the prestigious list, more than any other country in Asia ― China has nine and Japan, three.

The International Advisory Committee (IAC) of the UNESCO Memory of the World made the decision during the 11th session of the IAC in the southwestern city of Gwangju, Tuesday.

Most of the Korean items previously selected for the list were from the Joseon Kingom (1392–1897), such as the "Hunminjeongeum," the original manuscript of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. But the list has been including more modern and contemporary resources, as seen in the case of the archives from the Saemaul Movement.

"The trend of the Memory of the World List has been that the items have become younger." said Ahn Jin-young, a CHA official. "The collection of archives from the Saemaul Movement has received much attention from developing countries, such as Nepal, Sri Lanka and Laos. One of the reasons for the UNESCO listing was that the movement was a unique example of a public-private partnership for national development."

The movement sought to transform Korean villages into "Saemaul," which is literally translated as “new community," through improving infrastructure and bringing modernized facilities such as water infrastructure, bridges and roads to rural communities. Such a nationwide campaign was essential to lift rural Koreans out of destitution after the 1950-53 Korean War while the urban areas were undergoing rapid industrialization.

In recent years, the movement has gained global relevance as underdeveloped countries in Africa and Asia have begun adopting the movement for closing the growing development gap between urban and rural areas.

"Nanjung Ilgi," is a personal diary of one of the most respected naval commanders from Joseon, Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598). Yi kept the diary during the Japanese invasion called the Imjin War (1952-1598). The diary is Korea's National Treasure No. 76 and has been appreciated by scholars here as a crucial reference for the kingdom in the 16th century.

Established in 1992, the Memory of the World program aims to protect and record the world's valuable documents and widen public access to them through the Internet.