๐บ๏ธโจ A 300-Year-Old Map of Ulleungdo Is Revealed to the Public for the First Time What can an old map tell us about Korea? Sometimes, a single map can reveal stories about geography, history, exploration, and how people understood the world hundreds of years ago. ๐บ๏ธ๐ A rare Joseon-era map of Ulleungdo, known as Ulleungdo-do (้ฌฑ้ตๅณถๅ), is attracting attention in Seoul. Researchers believe it may have been created before 1711, potentially making it earlier than the oldest previously known map documenting the Joseon government's inspection of Ulleungdo. If you're living in Korea and interested in Korean history, museums, old maps, or cultural heritage, there is a fascinating exhibition to check out this fall. โจ https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/088/0001029758 ๐บ๏ธ A Map Hidden in the Records for Years The map is owned by the Gansong Art and Culture Foundation. Although it had been known through collection records, the map itself had never been publicly shown before. At the new exhibition, a photographic reproduction of the map is being presented with the cooperation of the Gansong Art and Culture Foundation. Researchers believe the map was created sometime before 1711, based partly on its similarities to records made by Jang Han-sang, who conducted an inspection of Ulleungdo in 1694. This suggests that it may predate Park Seok-chang's 1711 Ulleungdo Dohyeong, previously regarded as the earliest known Ulleungdo inspection map. https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/088/0001029758 ๐ Look Closely at the Details One of the most fascinating features is that the map does not show Ulleungdo completely on its own. It also includes the names of five areas along Korea's eastern coast: ๐ Yangyang๐ Gangneung๐ Samcheok๐ Uljin๐ Pyeonghae This gives us a glimpse into how people understood the geographic relationship between Ulleungdo and the Korean mainland centuries ago. There is also an inscription in the center of the map: “่ชๅถบๆฑๆ่ฆไธๅณฏ” It means approximately “Looking from Yeongdong, three peaks can be seen.” โฐ๏ธ This detail is particularly interesting because it appears to reflect geographic information gathered during early Joseon inspections of Ulleungdo. https://www.segye.com/newsView/20260804522326?OutUrl=naver ๐ One Map, Two Perspectives The exhibition is titled “One Map, Two Perspectives”, and it looks at Korea through two different approaches to mapmaking. Joseon perspective Maps were created to record geography and support the administration and management of territory. ๐ Western perspective Maps reflected exploration, navigation, trade, and attempts to understand the geography of East Asia. This makes the exhibition more than a collection of old maps. It allows visitors to compare how Korea was represented from different perspectives over time. https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/003/0014204825 ๐งญ More Than Just Old Maps There is plenty to see beyond the newly introduced Ulleungdo-do. The exhibition includes: ๐บ๏ธ Maps related to Ulleungdo, the East Sea and Dokdo๐ Historical books and records๐ Globes๐งญ Navigation instruments๐ญ Astronomical instrumentsโต Materials related to exploration and navigation You can also see other Korean maps related to the inspection of Ulleungdo, including Ulleungdo Dohyeong, Ulleungdo Oedo, and Ulleungdo Naedo. The exhibition also introduces Western maps, including Robert Dudley's maps of Asia and Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville's 1735 Map of the Kingdom of Korea. These maps show how Western representations of the Korean Peninsula changed over time. https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/003/0014204825 ๐๏ธ Exhibition Information Exhibition: One Map, Two Perspectives ๐ September 22 – November 29, 2026 ๐ Dokdo Experience Center, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul The exhibition is being held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Northeast Asian History Foundation and explores historical maps, geographic records, and different perspectives on the Korean Peninsula. Why Foreign Residents Might Enjoy This If you're living in Korea, this exhibition offers a different way to discover Korean history. Instead of only visiting palaces or traditional villages, you can see how people actually recorded and understood Korea's geography hundreds of years ago. ๐บ๏ธโจ And the newly introduced Ulleungdo-do makes the experience even more special. You don't need to be a history expert, either. Just take a close look at the old maps and imagine what Korea looked like through the eyes of people living centuries ago. ๐ So, if you're looking for a quiet but fascinating cultural activity in Seoul this fall, add the Dokdo Experience Center to your list! ๐ Sometimes, the best way to understand a place is simply to look at how people mapped it. ๐บ๏ธ #Ulleungdo #UlleungdoMap #Dokdo #DokdoExperienceCenter #KoreanHistory #KoreanHeritage #KoreanCulturalHeritage #KoreanMaps #OldMaps #HistoricalMaps #Joseon #JoseonDynasty #KoreanCulture #KCulture #SeoulMuseum #SeoulExhibition #SeoulEvents #SeoulCulture #Yeongdeungpo #KoreaHistory #KoreaHeritage #KoreaMuseum #MuseumExhibition #CulturalExhibition #HistoricalExhibition #EastSea #KoreaTravel #SeoulTravel #VisitKorea #ExploreKorea All rights reserved Stay14 Bespoke
