The National Palace Museum of Korea on July 6 announced its hosting of the exhibition "Timeless Legacy: Records and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty” from July 7 to Aug. 30 at Busan Museum to mark Busan's hosting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee session. Shown is a portrait of King Yeongjo at the museum in Busan's Nam-gu District. (Busan Museum's official Facebook)

By Lee Dasom

Marking Busan's hosting this month of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee session, an exhibition in the nation's largest port city sheds light on the documentary and royal cultural heritage of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

The National Palace Museum of Korea under the Korea Heritage Service on July 6 announced its hosting of "Timeless Legacy: Records and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty” from July 7 to Aug. 30 at Busan Museum. The display seeks to highlight the historical value and global significance of Joseon's culture of recordkeeping to domestic and international attendees of the committee meeting.

The first of the exhibition's sections is "The Joseon Dynasty: A Kingdom of Archives," which shows the following UNESCO Memory of the World relics: the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (Joseon wangjo sillok), Diary of the Royal Secretariat (Seungjeongwon ilgi), Records of Daily Reflections (Ilseongnok) and Royal Protocols (Uigwe).

A highlight is the first public display in one place of the annals' surviving editions from each of the four official archival repositories in the mountains of Jeongjoksan, Odaesan, Jeoksangsan and Taebaeksan. The annals were reprinted following the Imjin Waeran, or the Japanese invasion of the Korean Peninsula from 1592-98, and distributed across the country for safekeeping.

The second section, "Symbols and Dignity of the Joseon Royal Court," features the royal seals and documents and portraits of Joseon kings.

Shown at the section are many royal household items from the palace museum's collection such as wonsam, a traditional wedding robe for the bride worn by the wife of Yeongchinwang, the last imperial prince, a hairpin with the design of a bonghwang (Asian phoenix) and royal attire.

The third section, "Dongnaebu: A Window for the Joseon Dynasty," features works such as "Painting of the Choryang Waegwan," "Procession of the Joseon Tongsinsa" and landscape works by Yi Uiyang, a court painter who accompanied diplomatic missions to Japan. The works sheds light on Busan when its name was Dongnaebu, the hub of Joseon's diplomacy with its neighboring country at the time.

Related interactive and educational programs are also offered during the exhibition period.

The exhibition is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. except on Mondays (when the museum is closed) and admission is free. Audio guides in Korean, English and French are also available.

Official poster for "Timeless Legacy: Records and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty” at Busan Museum (Korea Heritage Service)