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One of the 770 Joseon palace plaques that says Geongugogung (건구고궁, 乾九古宮), from right to left, which means ‘the old house where king lived,’ shows the handwriting of Joseon’s 21st monarch, King Yeongjo (영조, 英祖) (r. 1724-1776).

By Kang Gahui and Kim Young Shin 
Photos = Cultural Heritage Administration

The name boards and verse plaques on royal buildings from Joseon times (1392-1910), as well as Joseon-era maninso, so-called “10,000 people’s petitions” (만인소, 萬人疏), have now been officially listed as UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Memory of the World items.

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced that these items have been voted as Reginal Memory of the World items at the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific General Meeting, held in Gwangju from May 28 to 31.

Specifically, the name boards and verse plaques on royal Joseon buildings refer to 770 wooden panels that have letters or drawings on them that were hung on Joseon royal buildings constructed between the 16th and 20th century and which are now all owned by the National Palace Museum of Korea.

Maninso were the petitions to the ruler written by 10,000 Joseon scholars. There were a total of seven maninsopetitions throughout the years. The first maninso was written in 1792. There are only two original copies, both about 100-m in length, of such petitions that remain today. They are the maninso that requests honoring Crown Prince Sado (사도세자, 思悼世子) (1735-1762) as a an official “king,” written in 1855, and one opposing clothing reformation, written in 1884.

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The maninso petition to the king that requests honoring Crown Prince Sado (사도세자, 思悼世子) (1735-1762) as an official monarch was signed by some 10,000 scholars in 1855.

kgh89@korea.kr