Treasure trove of traditions
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Lee Bae-yong, president of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS), talks about traditional values in an interview with The Korea Times. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Historical content crucial for sustainable growth of Korean wave
By Chung Ah-young
MBC’s hit epic drama series “Queen Seondeok” (2009) wouldn’t have reached its massive audience without the insight of Lee Bae-yong, a historian who was then president of Ewha Womans University.
Now president of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS), Lee argues that the Queen of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C. - A.D. 935) was a pioneer of female leadership which laid the foundation for unifying the Three Kingdoms along with Kim Chun-chu and Kim Yu-shin and that her strategies are applicable to modern times.
The 67-year-old president thinks that as well as “Queen Seondeok,” other historical dramas such as “Jewel in the Palace” and “Jumong” are cases in point that show how lessons from history can resonate today with universal values.
Leading the state-run institute, Lee strongly believes that historical content can genuinely bring about a sustainable growth of “hallyu” or the Korean wave to a wider audience around the globe.
“For the sustainable development of hallyu, we should seek uniqueness and differentiation throughout Korean traditional values from the Western world or even Asian countries such as China and Japan to win the hearts of global consumers. I think the future of Korea lies in its past values,” Lee said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.
She cited the example of Heo Nanseolheon, a female poet from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) whose works were popular in China and Japan at that time. Known as the sister of Heo Gyun, author of “Hong Gil-dong,” she is a historical figure who still inspires people today with her forward-looking vision and lofty literary artistry.
Her story has recently been made into a two-part documentary drama by MBC’s regional station in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, where Heo was born and grew up. Actress and director Koo Hye-sun, better known for her role in “Boys over Flowers,” played Heo and produced the documentary.
Five months into her term of office, Lee said that hallyu was initiated by television dramas in its early period and then succeeded by K-pop and is now entering a new era based around interest in “traditions.”
“The new hallyu era should seek genuine values rather than transient trends fueled by commercial gain. We Koreans should recognize our own traditional culture but realize that we are not trapped in it, instead we should share it with people around the world,” she said.
Responding to the growing influence of traditional culture, Lee emphasized that the institute will reinterpret old classics in the Jangseogak Archive, which houses Joseon’s documents, including “uigwe” (royal protocols), for the wider use of traditional cultural resources.
The AKS boasts a vast collection of some 100,000 volumes concerning the royal court and some 50,000 volumes related to the noble class during the Joseon Kingdom.
The archive includes ancient records of work including paintings and literature. “The old archive is the cream of the crop of Joseon culture. We can trace our modern values in the contained works,” she said.
She adds an intriguing analysis of hallyu, saying that the traditional practice of “community culture” can offer a clue to understanding the current global popularity of K-pop groups.
In the past, village residents engaged in collective labor such as “gimjang” or kimchi making in winter, and “pumassi” or shared farm labor in regional communities.
“I think due to this community-oriented culture, Koreans seem to be doing well like K-pop bands when they are together rather than being solo,” she said.
In this materialistic culture, people should look back to the past and learn the wisdom and values which helped their ancestors endure hard times, she said.
“Today, we are facing the daunting task of recovering humanity and pursuing the public good. The solution might lie in past values,” she said.
Alongside Jangseogak’s resources, more historical sites such as “seowon” (a Confucian academy during the Joseon era) show the strength of present-day educational zeal in Korea.
To promote its cultural courses, she is planning to connect a slew of seowon in various regions with cultural programs as one of the nation’s cultural brands. “Seowon is a good example of showing off Korea’s ancient values which put emphasis on harmony with nature,” she said. Most of the schools are surrounded by breathtaking natural landscapes and their educational goals are based on humanity that can be shared by neighbors.
The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) plans to propose “seowon” (Confucian academy) for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage list for 2015. The nine academies proposed are Sosu (in Yeongju); Namgye (in Hamyang); Oksan (in Gyeongju); Dosan (in Andong); Pilam (in Jangseong); Dodong (in Dalseong); Byeongsan (in Andong); Donam (in Nonsan); and Museong (in Jeongeup).
Jangseogak — ancient archive
The AKS is home to Jangseogak, the ancient library, which was moved from Changgyeong Palace to the institute in 1981 and then reopened at its new compound in Bundang in 2011.
Boasting more than 100,000 classical texts from the royal court, along with some 50,000 texts from the private sector, Jangseogak is the nation’s second largest ancient archive that houses royal documents after Gyujanggak.
King Gojong planned to build a royal archive to house some 100,000 volumes of books collected from various institutions around the nation, including the annals of the past kings and other royal house-related records under the name of the “Imperial House Book Collection” in 1908. However, the plan was abandoned after Joseon was forcibly annexed by Japan in 1910.
In February 1911, “Iwangjik,” a new government agency, founded by the Japanese colonial government, took over the management of the Imperial House Book Collection. In June the same year, Iwangjik set up a library named “Iwangjik Jangseogak,” and was placed inside Changdeok Palace in 1915. The collection held by the institution was relocated to a four-story building, located southeast of Nakseonjae in the palace. The library was renamed Jangseogak in 1918. The Jangseogak collection was moved to Changgyeong Palace in 1936.
The archives serve a dual role of preserving and managing invaluable classic texts from the royal archives of the Joseon Kingdom and carrying out research on those texts in order to provide historical knowledge to people today.
The Jangseogak documents record the full spectrum of activities of the royal court, ranging from writing on the culture of the nobility and royal power to edicts and state policies.
The academy has strived to expand its collection from private owners who are descendants of the Joseon noble clans nationwide since the 1990s and currently it holds some 50,000 texts.