Park Byeongseon (Korean: 박병선; 1927 – 23 November 2011) was a South Korean librarian and historian.
Park Byeongseon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1927 |
| Died | November 23, 2011 (aged 83–84) Paris, France |
| Resting place | Seoul National Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Librarian, historian |
Park studied history education at Seoul National University, graduating in 1950. In 1955 she moved to France, to study Korean antiquities. Park pursued her doctorate at Paris Diderot University and became a lecturer at the Paris University.[1] In 1967 she was employed as a special researcher at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, where she discovered in 1972 the second volume of JikjiSimcheYojeol, the world's oldest extant book, printed with movable metal type, while sorting out Korean-related materials at the library.[2][3]
The book was displayed in 1972 at a Special Exhibition for 'Book' at the International Book Year Book Fair in Paris, where experts recognised its significance and historic value.[4]
The book's existence became publicly known in 1901, when Maurice Courant, a specialist in East Asian Studies, published Supplement to Korean Bibliography (Supplement a la Biblioqraphie Coreenne).
In 1900 the existence of JikjiSimcheYojeol was firstly introduced to the world by Victor Collin de Plancy, but it was not widely showed. 'Jikji' was re-emerged by Park Byeongseon. She proved that it was printed 78 years earlier than the Gutenberg Bible, which was printed in 1455.[5][6]
In 1975 she discovered the Owegujanggak, a collection of royal protocols of the Joseon dynasty, which had been seized as part of a punitive expedition by the French against Korea in 1866.[7] Park publicly advocated for their return to the Republic of Korea,[8][9] which resulted in 75 volumes of the Owegujanggak being returned on a renewable lease in April 2011, following an agreement in March between the national museums of France and the Republic of Korea.[10] She retired from the Bibliothèque nationale de France in 1982 but continued to research and advocate for the return of these documents.[11]
Park died on 23 November 2011 at a Paris hospital, where she was receiving treatment for colon cancer, her remains were later interred at the Seoul National Cemetery, in honour of her contributions to the nation.[12][13]
Further reading
edit- Pennington, Richard (2019). Jikji, and One NGO's Lonely Fight to Bring It Home. ISBN 978-1-68470-933-5.
References
edit- ^ Arirang Special - M60Ep243C02 Who was Dr. PARK Byeong-seon?. Arirang Radio. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2020 – via YouTube.[dead link]
- ^ Jong-myung, Kim (1 April 2010). "Jikji: An Invaluable Text of Buddhism". The Korea Times. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ 이향우 글,그림 (2015). Koran Royal Palace :Changdeokgung. 인문산책. p. 56. ISBN 978-89-98259-06-8.
- ^ "The Jikji". Gwangju News Online. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ 우리가 바로 한국문화유산 홍보대사.
- ^ "Horim Museum homes in on history of Joseon's printing press". Korea Jong Ang Daily. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ Ilbo, Joongang (18 January 2010). "Seoul doesn't give up on Uigwe manuscripts". Courrier International. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ Cox, Douglas (2011). "Inalienable Archives: Korean Royal Archives as French Property Under International Law Under International Law". International Journal of Cultural Property. 18 (4): 409–423. doi:10.1017/S0940739111000245. S2CID 159798121.
- ^ Yoo, Han-tae (February 2012). "Solitary historian once scorned by her motherland". Korea Focus. ISBN 978-89-86090-82-6. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ "Let the return of 'Oegyujanggak' books lead the way". Yonhap News Agency. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "Park Byeong-seon: "Il faut s'unir pour que ces manuscrits restent éternellement en Corée"". Yonhap News Agency. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "Obsèques de l'historienne Park Byeong-seon hier à Paris". KBS World Radio. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "Life of contribution". The Hankyoreh. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2020.