Buljo Jikjisimcheyojeol (hereafter referred to as Jikji) is the world's oldest text printed with metal type. Printed in 1377, it predates by 78 years the Gutenberg Bible of Germany, which was also added to the Documentary Heritage list in 2001. Jikji, currently in the possession of the National Library of France in Paris, was printed at Heungdeoksa Temple in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do province, Korea.

Jikji is a collection of Buddhist treatises and teachings compiled by the ancient monk Baegun (1298-1374). It contains abstracts from the eulogies, songs, precepts and dialogues of great Buddhist monks and is intended for the instruction of Buddhist ascetics. They are the teachings that were needed to come to the core of Seon (Zen) Buddhism. Jikji simche is taken from a Buddhist writing and means "when you meditate and see truly into a person's mind is when you come to know the mind of the Buddha." The Jikji that has been handed down to the present is a book of Buddhist teachings printed with metal type.

One of the most impressive things about Korean culture during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) was the development of printing and publishing, the representative example of which is the Tripitaka Koreana, a collection of Buddhist writings carved on 80,000 wooden printing blocks that has already been designated a World Heritage. In 1234, the 21st year of the reign of King Gojong, metal type was invented and a text called Sangjeong gogeum yemun was printed. The invention of metal type predates the invention of the same in the West by some 200 years. But as the aforementioned book no longer exists, Jikji printed in 1377, is recognized as the world's oldest book printed with metal type.

For several decades, there has been a movement in Korea to try to find other volumes of Jikji. The copy of Jikji that is in the National Library of France is the second of two volumes. But because it was printed in metal type, it is estimated that many must have been printed and judging by the fact that the Jikji in France was taken there in early 1900, there are probably other copies of the book somewhere in Korea.

The search has centered on the records of old temples, libraries with big collections of antique books, and the collections of descendents of ancient scholars. The Printing Museum on the grounds of Heungdeoksa Temple in Cheongju serves as the headquarters for the campaign. On December 3, 1999, a curator of the museum visited France to see the original Jikji.

In the West, the book is known as Jijki simgyeong. This name originates from the journal Books printed by the National Library of France in 1972. A year later, in a volume titled Tresors d'Orient published by the library, it was once again referred to by that name. There is a reason for this. Though the date is uncertain, when the book was in Korea, it was dismantled and the pages mounted on board and then rebound. On the cover someone wrote with brush and ink "Jikji simgyeong." The word gyeong indicates that the book was considered the same as Buddhist scripture. However, the correct name is Buljo jikji simche yojeol.

The other Korean book designated a Documentary Heritage in 2001 is Seungjeongwon IIgi (National Treasure No. 303). This book is a collection of records and accounts written daily under royal order by the Seungjeongwon during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The 888-volume Joseon Wangjo Sillok (Annals of the Joseon Dynasty) is an unprecedented work of its type written in Chinese characters. The Seungjeongwon IIgi was the basis for the annals.

The Seungjeongwon was the equivalent of today's presidential secretariat. The diary is a vast record covering almost 300 years from the time of King Injo (1623) to King Gojong (1910). It consists of 3,243 volumes and contains 242 million Chinese characters. As such, it is much larger in size than the 888-volume Joseon Wangjo Sillok, containing 54 million Chinese characters, and a 3,386-volume history of China containing 40 million Chinese characters.

The book is a historical treasure trove containing not only detailed accounts but also documents sent by the office of the king and other government offices, and the details of all kinds of events and incidents. If the Joseon Wangjo Sillok recorded that "the king went to Suwon," the Seungjonwon IIgi would contain a record of the date and time the king went, who accompanied him, what kind of palanquin he rode, who he met on the way, what he ate and what he drank. And if there was a fire, it recorded the cause, how the fire progressed and how it was cleaned up afterward.

The diary is meaningful for many different reasons. For example, the weather for each day is recorded and this enables an analysis of changes in weather over a period of 300 years. As such, there is much interest in the current process of translating the diary into Korean.

When the Korean translation of the Joseon Wangjo Sillok was completed, it was hailed as an event that would advance Korean studies and the study of Korean history by many decades. Considering this, the translation of the Seungjeongwon IIgi is bound to have a great influence in many different areas.

The translation of 220 volumes from the Gojong period has been completed during 1994-2004. There are six specialists who spent three to five years in training working on the translation. It is planned that 1,800 volumes of the total 3,243 volumes will be translated and it is estimated to take about 30 years to complete.

In order to ensure a balanced and unified translation, in principle the whole translation is the joint work of the six translators. To ensure accuracy, the whole team discusses any part in question before a decision is made.

"The sense of accomplishment that we get when each page is finished, when each volume is completed, is indescribable," explained one of the translators. The results of their endeavors are eagerly awaited.