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Thu, April 26, 2018 | 08:54

Opinion > Columnists > Kim Ji-myung >

World's oldest metal type

Carbon dating of ink on Goryeo Kingdom's movable metal type has confirmed that 21 of the characters dated between 1033 and 1155, according to a recent announcement by the National Institute of Cultural Heritage. This means the "Song of Enlightenment" (Jeungdoga in Korean and Zhengdao-ge in Chinese) was printed around the 11th or 12th century, as the book was printed with this type. This movable type, therefore, has been called Jeongdoga type, attracting keen attention from Korean academia.

Kim Ji-myung | 2015-02-13 16:58

A pioneer heritage guide

He was travelling with a friend and his dog in his four-wheel-drive jeep. It was in the autumn of 1969. We - five college girls from the Yonsei English Department - stayed a night at a farmer's home near Magoksa Temple.

Kim Ji-myung | 2015-01-16 17:06

Presenting heritage in English

On so many occasions I have raised the issue of writing properly about Korea in English. A new dimension that needs to be added now is “digital.” Most material in hard copy, even if it has been translated from Korean, reaches only a tiny part of the world audience. If we are serious about transferring information about the history, culture and people of Korea to a bigger worldwide population, we should present it in English and through digital media. This seems obvious, but it is hard to implement.

Kim Ji-myung | 2014-12-19 16:49

Collection reveals history

A short article appeared in the miscellaneous news section on page three of the Hangeul (Korean alphabet) pages of the Daehan Maeil Sinbo, or Korea Daily News, on Aug. 28, 1910.The same article appeared in the pages of mixed Korean-Chinese characters.

Kim Ji-myung | 2014-11-21 16:56

A 16-century letter in Hangeul

Is everyone doing well in this freezing cold?

Kim Ji-myung | 2014-10-24 16:51

Meeting Confucius today

I hope I am wrong. But we Koreans in general are very straightforward, open-minded, blunt and confident about what we believe. You may agree that Koreans have rapidly become more globalized and sophisticated.

Kim Ji-myung | 2014-09-26 16:55

Christianity and Japan

Pope Francis' recent visit to South Korea has drawn more attention to his role and influence of religion on the state, both past and present. Looking back, the history of Christianity in Korea, China and Japan sharply contrast from one another, much like their national histories from the modern era.

Kim Ji-myung | 2014-08-29 17:09

Japan's cultural robbery

Recent news from Japan has again enraged Koreans by adding still more evidence that Japanese authorities have lied. The Japanese Foreign Ministry’s statement to a local court has revealed that Japan produced an intentionally distorted list of Korean cultural properties in her possession during bilateral negotiations as part of the 1965 diplomatic normalization treaty. Based on this partial list, Japan returned 1,431 Korean cultural objects in 1966. In 2011, Japan also returned 1,205 books from the royal Joseon court after keeping them for a long time at the Imperial Household Agency in Japan...

Kim Ji-myung | 2014-08-01 17:07

'Midnight in Seoul' tour

By Kim Ji-myung Most people just don’t understand why I am now taking the trouble of attending classes and writing term papers again at my age. But I am enjoying this doctorate course as a luxurious after-retirement experience, although I am not fully retired yet. My happiness as a student after a professional career comes from the fact that my many years of professional experience are a good resource for my research.I am curious about the new intellectual horizon of the “digital humanities” and am voluntarily groping to grasp the gist of this relativel...

Kim Ji-myung | 2014-07-04 17:07

National Music Day 2014

Remembering the Sewol ferry and how the tragedy changed Korea will be a topic of discussion for years to come. Some will continue to criticize the government for not changing rapidly enough, while others will find signs of the improvements that have been made since the accident. Although totally different in nature, the recent ferry incident has hit Koreans in much the same way the 9/11 terrorist attacks impacted Americans.

Kim Ji-myung | 2014-06-06 17:07

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Missile attack on Syria