미지센터의 청소년 국제교류이야기

Joseon Intellectual’s Reading Walk

The exhibition's poster

What would have been the reading attitudes of our Joseon ancestors? Could it have been similar to our reading behaviors of today? 

To provide an answer for the questions above, The National Library of Korea planned an exhibition of rare old books from April 2 to June 29. The ‘Joseon Intellectual’s Reading Walk’ exhibition was held in the Classic Operation Room, commemorating the 2012 ‘National Year of Reading’.

The exhibition had the purpose of showing various methods of reading and providing a way of comparing the reading culture of the past and the present. The exhibition was also meaningful as it allowed people of today to realize the decreasing levels of reading and the importance of rare old books.

In The National Library of Korea, there were more than 20 rare old books displayed in the Classic Operation Room. As there were a large number of people in the library, many people visited the exhibition to look at the old books. Not only adults and seniors but a number of teenagers came along to read about the lives of our ancestors. From reference books to books of cultivation, there were many materials that people rarely had seen.

The Classic Operation Room

Fortunately, I had the chance to meet Ahn Hye Kyong, the planner of the ‘Joseon Intellectual’s

Reading Walk’ exhibition and the person in charge for the display, to interview her about some more information. She is currently the Rare Book Specialist of Korea Research Institute for Library and Information (KRILI).

The following are some famous displayed books of the past which are well-known to the people of Korea.

1.’The Secret of Enjoying Ignorance’ 격몽요결[擊蒙要訣] –Yool-Gok Yi-yi

This is a book published by a famous scholar, Yool-Gok Yi-yi, for those who were starting to learn literature. Consisted of 10 different parts, this book introduces correct methods of reading and moral principles that people should practice. This book was read by many Confucians and kings of Korea. A famous phrase of this book is ‘For telling the difference between the right and the wrong, there is nothing better than reading because all of our ancestor’s traces within books teach what to follow and what to look out for.’

2. ‘Book on Self Culture’ 사소절[士小節] – Lee Duk Moo

This is an autobiography of a realism scholar, Lee Duk Moo, to inform people of manners between scholars and family members. As a book of etiquette, it helps to cultivate minds and have a moral character. At that time, this was acknowledged as very useful and efficient. Lee Duk Moo explains the manners by saying, ‘Do not put saliva on your fingertips to turn over the pages, do not underline with your nails and do not fold the pages. Also, do not open the book when you are cleaning and do not turn over the pages with a hand you had scratched your head with.’

3. ’Method of Reading’ 독서요결[讀書要訣]

This book has recorded the methods of reading and the reading attitudes of people in the past. Also, it explains the correct order of learning from a book and the right mental attitude that a person should have before reading a book. To make it easier to understand, there are many diagrams along with the information. The author and the publisher of this old book are not known.

As I looked through all of the exhibited books, I learned that it is really important to read frequently and make sure that you get a full understanding of the book’s message. Scholars of the past had a great reading attitude and that helped them to acquire a huge amount of useful information through reading. I wish many teenagers could realize the importance of having the correct reading attitude through the exhibitions provided by The National Library of Korea.

For those who have interest in the ‘Joseon Intellectual’s Reading Walk’ exhibition, they can find more information on the National Library of Korea’s homepage; http://www.nl.go.kr. Other exhibitions with similar themes will be displayed throughout the year and the ‘Joseon Intellectual’s Reading Walk’ exhibition will be displayed again at the same place next year. To visit the National Library of Korea, please refer to the map below. More information about location can be found on the library’s homepage.

세계난민의 날 6월 20일, 그리고 난민인권센터

6월에는 특별한 날이 있다. 바로 6월 20일 세계 난민의 날이다. 우리나라 사람들에게 조금은 생소한 난민의 날은 2001년부터 국제연합(UN)이 유엔총회특별 결의안을 통해 정해진 날이다. 이 날의 시초는 아프리카 난민의 날인데, 난민에 대한 세계 시민들의 관심을 촉구하기 위해 국제사회에서 세계 난민의 날로 확장하여 기념하고 있다.

현재 우리나라의 난민신청자는 4000여 명을 넘어섰으며 그 중에서 난민의 지위를 인정받아 우리나라에 살고 있는 사람은 290명 정도 이다. 또한 이 중 대부분은 미얀마와 방글라데시 출신의 난민 지위 인정자이고 콩고 민주공화국이 그 뒤를 잇고 있다. 다문화 시대, 난민은 숫자는 적지만 한국 사회의 일원임에 분명하다. 난민의 날을 맞아 한국에 있는 난민인권센터 김성인 사무국장과 인터뷰했다.

우리나라의 난민관련 단체는 피난처, 월드비전, 세이브더 칠드런 등 여러 개가 있지만 한국을 찾아온 난민을 실질적으로 도와주는 단체는 손에 꼽을 정도이다. 그러나 지금부터라도 우리가 난민에 대해 조금 더 관심을 갖는다면 난민을 돕는 손길도 언젠가는 늘어나지 않을까.