S. Korea: Oldest Movable Metal Hangul Type Found

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 01/05/07

[TigerLikesRooster]

Oldest Movable Metal Hangul Type Found

Scholars say they have identified the earliest metal type in Hangul, the Korean alphabet. The movable type dates back to the mid-15th century. The National Museum of Korea said Thursday the museum recently rearranged the 752 oldest out of hundreds of thousands of letters in its collection. Among them, 30 letters were probably used for the “Neungeomgyeong Eunhae” published in 1461 during the time of King Se-jo, a Korean translation of the Shurangama Sutra Buddhist text, and for the “Dusieeonhae”, a translated poety book published in 1481.

Movable Hangul metal type probably dating back to the mid-15th century.

Lee Jae-jeong, an assistant curator, said experts "analyzed the 30 prints with an electronic microscope and determined that the type matched the two books. The remaining 720 letters matched various translations published in 1668 and are therefore presumed to have been made in the late 17th century. Korea claims the world’s oldest book in movable metal print book, “Jikji Simche Yojeol”, published in 1377, 78 years before the Gutenberg Bible.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[Red Badger]

The type say:

Made in Peoples Republic of China.........

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #3

No, it says, "How do you spell Kimchee?":-)

[Red Badger]

You don't have to spell Kimchee, or put up a sign. Everybody knows it's there................

[theDentist]

"All your Type Are Belong to US."

[Jumper]

Korean is my college language, my wife's language and recently I discovered that it is very close in sound/meaning to many of the Chinese languages, whether Cantonese or Mandarian.

Korean is distinct and it is assumed that 5,000 (?) years ago the present day Koreans migrated from the Yalu river ares south, and some might say they descended from Tan Gun, a bear; however, there are none alive today to bear-witness to such folklore.

[TigerLikesRooster]

They centered around present-day Liaoliang Province of China. Later they clashed with Chinese and other migrating tribes, which made them spread out in Manchuria and Korean Peninsula. Probably many relics of ancient Korea are buried in Liaoliang.

[Joe 6-pack]

"...some might say they descended from Tan Gun, a bear..."

A legend reflected in my old unit's crest...

[Little Pig]

Is that the Rumple Minze bear?

[Joe 6-pack]

It's the Soju bear :-)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks TigerLikesRooster.

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[RightWhale]

78 years before the Gutenberg Bible

There was electric light before Edison's lightbulb, but Edison's lightbulb was the critical, historical invention.

[ASA Vet]

Dan-Gun is the 2nd hyung (pattern) in the International TaeKwon-Do Association.
Dan-Gun Hyung takes it's name from the Legendary founder of Korea (2333 B.C.E.)
General Choi Hong Hi, recognized throughout the world as the "Father of TaeKwon-Do," created the hyung.