The Story of Culture and Arts

Scenario

Having the latest map was important to the Joseon government for administrative and military purposes. This is why various maps of the country were produced from the early to late Joseon Dynasty. Even among the maps that accurately depicted the shape of the Korean Peninsula, the Detailed Map of the Great East stands apart from other Joseon Dynasty maps.

The Detailed Map of the Great East is a foldable map comprised of 22 panels. The various map sections can be carried separately for convenience or connected together for viewing various regions! It has a ground-breaking design that is both convenient and technological. When all the panels are connected, it forms a large map measuring 3.8m wide by 6.6m long.

The most noticeable feature about the map is its depiction of geographical features. The range of mountains are drawn as ranges, and the lines have varying thicknesses that represent the size and height of the given mountain. This design sprang from the idea that mountain ranges are organic entities, like the frame of the human body.

Another unique feature is that the roads are drawn in straight lines. On a black-and-white map, it can be hard to distinguish between a road and river. This was a new attempt to avoid such confusion and clearly distinguish the two. Also, the roads were functionally marked at every 10-ri to easily calculate distance.

Upon closer examination, you can note symbols like those found in modern maps. The map provides various information, such as the locations of encampments, signal-fire stations, government rest stops, and royal tombs. More information could be shown through the use of symbols.

The Detailed Map of the Great East is just as valuable and useful as modern maps. To this day it amazes that Kim Jeong-ho was able to create such a masterpiece of the period. Popular knowledge says that the map is so detailed because of the fact Kim Jeong-ho climbed Baekdusan Mountain multiple times and surveyed the entire country to make it. But, is this really true?

“The Detailed Map of the Great East is large, and as such, holds a wealth of geographic information. The locations of over 13,000 military facilities, counties, and townships such as place names and fortress walls are accurately marked. However, it would be extremely difficult for one person to survey the entire country and collect such a load of information in his lifetime. Master Kim Jeong-ho was an excellent mapmaker and geographer, whose work reflected the results of scientific mapmaking achieved by the government, the authorities, and the people in the late Joseon Dynasty, as well as the territorial and geographical information accumulated in geographical texts.” Yang Bo-kyung / Professor, Dept. of Geography, Sungshin Women’s University

Before he created the Detailed Map of the Great East, Kim Jeong-ho published various maps and even a book of geography. This shows how endlessly he researched previously published maps and systemized varied geographical information.

In the late Joseon Dynasty, maps of counties and townships produced per administrative unit developed and played a large role in the production of the map of the whole country by supplying military, administrative, and geographical information for each local region.

During the Joseon Dynasty, maps were kept in government buildings and palaces where they were not easily accessible by the people. However, the Detailed Map of the Great East was printed using wood blocks, allowing its mass production. This opened up a new era where people could look at places miles away through maps and use accurate and detailed geographical information to make life more convenient.