Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty

The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty (also known as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty or The True Record of the Joseon Dynasty; Korean: 조선왕조실록 (South Korea) or 조선봉건왕조실록 (North Korea)[2]) are the annual records of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, which were kept from 1413 to 1865. The annals, or sillok, comprise 1,893 volumes and are thought to cover the longest continual period of a single dynasty in the world. With the exception of two sillok compiled during the colonial era, the Annals are the 151st national treasure of Korea and listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World registry.

"Diary of King Yeonsan" redirects here. For the Korean film, see Diary of King Yeonsan (film).
Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty
Veritable Records of Jeongjo
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJoseon Wangjo Sillok
McCune–ReischauerChosŏn Wangjo Sillok[1]
North Korea name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJoseon Bonggeon Wangjo Sillok
McCune–ReischauerChosŏn Bonggŏn Wangjo Sillok

The Annals has since 2006 been digitalized by the National Institute of Korean History[3] and available on the internet with Modern Korean translation in Hangul and original text in Classical Chinese.[4] In January 2012, the National Institute of Korean History announced that they are to translate the Annals into English by the year 2033. They plan to start work in 2014 with an initial budget of ₩500 million, but estimate that a budget of ₩40 billion is needed to complete the project.[5]

Compilation

During the reign of a king, professional historiographers maintained extensive records on national affairs and the activities of the state. They collected documents and wrote daily accounts that included state affairs as well as diplomatic affairs, the economy, religion, meteorological phenomena, the arts, and daily life, among other things. These daily accounts became the Sacho ("Draft History"). Great care was taken to ensure the neutrality of the historiographers, who were also officials with legal guarantees of independence. Nobody was allowed to read the Sacho, not even the king, and any historiographer who disclosed its contents or changed the content could be punished with beheading. These strict regulations lend great credibility to these records.[6] Yet at least one king, tyrannical Yeonsangun looked into the Annals, and this led to the First Literati Purge of 1498, in which one recorder and five others were cruelly executed because of what was written in the Sacho. This incident led to greater scrutiny to prevent the king from seeing the Annals. In the Later Joseon period when there was intense conflict between different political factions, revision or rewriting of sillok by rival factions took place, but they were identified as such, and the original version was preserved.

The original recorders recorded every word and act of the king in the Sacho although not all details were included in the final version. For instance, King Taejong fell from a horse one day and immediately told those around him not to let a recorder know about his fall. A recorder wrote both Taejong's fall and his words not to record it. In another instance, Taejong was recorded to complain about a recorder who eavesdropped on him behind a screen and followed him to a hunt behind a disguise.

Upon the death of a king and the coronation of his successor, the Sillokcheong ("Office for Annals Compilation") used the Sacho to begin compilation of his annals.

The Annals of the first three kings of the Joseon dynasty, those of Taejo (r.1392–1398), Jeongjong (r.1399–1400), and Taejong (r. 1401–1418), were hand-written manuscripts. Later annals, from the Annals of Sejong (r. 1418–1450) onwards, were printed with movable metal and wooden type, which was unprecedented in the making of annals in Japan and China.

Four separate repositories were established in Chunchugwan, Chungju County, Jeonju County, and Seongju County to store copies of the Annals. All but the repository in Jeonju were burned down during the Imjin wars. After the war, five more copies of the Annals were produced and stored in Chunchugwan and the mountain repositories of Myohyang-san, Taebaeksan, Odaesan, and Mani-san. The Chunchugwan copy was lost in 1624, due to the treason of Yi Gwal. Part of the Mani-san copy was lost during the Manchu invasion (1636), and the surviving volumes moved to Jeongjok-san in 1678. The Myohyang-san copy was moved to Jeokseong-san in 1633. During the colonial era, the Japanese moved the Odae-san copy to Tokyo University, but most of the copy was soon lost in the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923. 47 books have remained, and in July 2006, the copy returned to South Korea.

The Annals are written in Classical Chinese; they were translated into modern Korean in the 1980s in North Korea and in 1994 in South Korea. Parts of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty have been scanned by Seoul National University and are available online.

Excluded annals from the collection

The annals of the last two Joseon rulers, Gojong sillok and Sunjong sillok, have been excluded from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. The Gojong sillok ends on July 19, 1907 (when Gojong abdicated), while Sunjong sillok ends on August 29, 1910 (the time when the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910 becoming effective). There's also an "addendum" Sunjong sillok bulok (순종실록부록) which ends on July 6, 1928, when, according to the tradition, the Spirit tablets of late Sunjong and Empress Sunmyeong were placed into Jongmyo as the filial mourning (for the death of Emperor Sunjong) was due.

Written during the Japanese occupation of Korea, Gojong sillok and Sunjong sillok are regarded as "unreliable documents" by Korean academics because of the influence of Japanese officials on their compilation as well as the falsification of historical events. Although they have been included in the National Institute of Korean History's modern Korean translation as the Annals of the Last Two Emperors of the Joseon Dynasty, they are not considered part of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and are not included in the National Treasures of South Korea or UNESCO's Memory of the World register.[7][8][9]

Contents
titleHangulHanjaVolume No.
(gwon)		Book No.
(chaek)		end of reign
compilation		kingsnotes
1Veritable Records of Taejo태조실록太祖實錄 153 1398 - 1413Taejo
2Veritable Records of Jeongjong정종실록定宗實錄 61 1400 - 1426Jeongjong
3Veritable Records of Taejong태종실록太宗實錄 3616 1418 - 1431Taejong
4Veritable Records of Sejong세종실록世宗實錄 16367 1450 - 1454Sejong
5Veritable Records of Munjong문종실록文宗實錄 136 1452 - 1455Munjong
6Veritable Records of Danjong단종실록端宗實錄 146 1455 - 1469DanjongChanged name from Diary of Nosangun
(노산군일기, 魯山君日記) in 1698
7Veritable Records of Sejo세조실록世祖實錄 4918 1468 - 1471Sejo
8Veritable Records of Yejong예종실록睿宗實錄 83 1469 - 1472Yejong
9Veritable Records of Seongjong성종실록成宗實錄 29747 1494 - 1499Seongjong
10Diary of Yeonsangun연산군일기燕山君日記 6317 1506 - 1509Yeonsangun
11Veritable Records of Jungjong중종실록中宗實錄 105531544 - 1550Jungjong
12Veritable Records of Injong인종실록仁宗實錄 221545 - 1550Injong
13Veritable Records of Myeongjong명종실록明宗實錄 3421 1567 - 1571Myeongjong
14Veritable Records of Seonjo선조실록宣祖實錄 221116 1608 - 1616Seonjo
Veritable Records of Seonjo (revision)선조수정실록宣祖修訂實錄 428 1657
15 Diary of Gwanghaegun광해군일기光海君日記 18764 1623 - 1633Gwanghaegun
18740 1653
16Veritable Records of Injo인조실록仁祖實錄 5050 1649 - 1653Injo
17Veritable Records of Hyojong효종실록孝宗實錄 2122 1659 - 1661Hyojong
18Veritable Records of Hyeonjong현종실록顯宗實錄 2223 1674 - 1677 Hyeonjong
Veritable Records of Hyeonjong (revision)현종개수실록顯宗改修實錄 28291683
19Veritable Records of Sukjong숙종실록肅宗實錄6573 1720 - 1728 Sukjong
20Veritable Records of Gyeongjong경종실록景宗實錄 157 1724 - 1732 Gyeongjong
Veritable Records of Gyeongjong (revision)경종수정실록景宗修訂實錄 53 1781
21Veritable Records of Yeongjo영조실록英祖實錄 127831776 - 1781YeongjoRenamed from Veritable Records of Yeongjong
(영종실록, 英宗實錄) in 1899
22Veritable Records of Jeongjo정조실록正祖實錄 54561800 - 1805JeongjoRenamed from Veritable Records of Jeongjong
(정종실록, 正宗實錄) in 1899
23Veritable Records of Sunjo순조실록純祖實錄 34361834 - 1838SunjoRenamed from Veritable Records of Sunjong
(순종실록, 純宗實錄) in 1899
24Veritable Records of Heonjong헌종실록憲宗實錄 1691849 - 1851Heonjong
25Veritable Records of Cheoljong철종실록哲宗實錄 1591853 - 1865Cheoljong
26Veritable Records of Gojong고종실록高宗實錄 52521907 - 1934GojongOften excluded from the collection
by Korean academics
27Veritable Records of Sunjong순종실록純宗實錄 2281910 - 1934Sunjong

See also

References
  1. "Korean McCune-Reischauer Romanization Dictionary". Archived from the original on 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  2. "력사에 류례없는 구출작전". Uriminzokkiri (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  3. "E-Annals Bring Chosun History to Everyman". Chosun Ilbo. 27 January 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  4. "The Annals of the Choson Dynasty". The Annals of the Choson Dynasty. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  5. Lee Sun-min; Ha Hyun-ock (16 January 2012). "Annals of the Joseon Dynasty to be translated". Joongang Daily. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  6. "Summary of the Annals of the Choson Dynasty". National Institute of Korean History. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  7. "About the Annals of Last Two Emperors of the Choson Dynasty". National Institute of Korean History. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  8. Yu Seok-jae (유석재) (2007-01-14). "고종·순종실록의 '찜찜한' 인터넷 공개". The Chosun Ilbo.
  9. Jae-un Kang; Suzanne Lee; Sook Pyo Lee (2006). The Land of Scholars: Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism. Homa & Sekey Books. pp. 218–219. ISBN 1-931907-30-7.
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