| An official from the Cultural Heritage Administration touches the Royal Seal of King Hyojong, next to “Daegunjubo” national seal, at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul, Wednesday. The two seals were donated by Korean-American Lee Dae-soo. Yonhap |
English name inscribed on 'Daegunjubo'
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Two seals of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom ― "Daegunjubo," a national seal created in 1882, and the Royal Seal of King Hyojong, made in 1740 ― were returned from the United States, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Wednesday.
Daegunjubo is “guksae,” an official seal of the state crafted under King Gojong's reign to present Joseon as a sovereign state. The Royal Seal of Hyojong is “eobo,” a ceremonial seal created during his great-grandson King Yeongjo's rule to commemorate King Hyojong's achievements.
Daegunjubo is a 7.9-centimeter-high, 12.7-centimeter-long silver seal with a turtle-shaped handle. It was crafted in 1882 on the order of King Gojong for diplomatic purposes as documented in historical records such as "Gojong Sillok" (Annals of King Gojong), "Seungjeongwon Ilgi" (Diaries of the Royal Secretariat) and "Ilseongnok" (Daily Records of the Royal Court and Important Officials).
Previously, Joseon used state seals from the Ming and Qing dynasties, but King Gojong replaced them with Daegunjubo for the Korea-United States Treaty of 1882, as Joseon tried to forge diplomatic relations as an independent sovereign state. Daegunjubo was mainly used from 1882 to 1897.
The Royal Seal of King Hyojong is a gold seal 8.4 centimeters high and 12.6 centimeters long. King Yeongjo created the eobo to present the posthumous title "Myeonguijeongdeok" (Bright Righteousness and Correct Virtue) to King Hyojong in 1740.
| 'Daegunjubo,' left, the seal of the state of Joseon Kingdom created in 1882, and the Royal Seal of King Hyojong, made in 1740 / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration |
According to the CHA, "W B. Tom" is inscribed on the Daegunjubo. Seo Jun, a researcher at the National Palace Museum of Korea, said it is likely that a foreigner who acquired the seal had carved his name on it.
As Joseon lost its national sovereignty to Japan in 1910, its official and royal objects were taken into Japan's Imperial Household Agency and later smuggled out of the country.
"There are no known cases of inscribing English onto national and royal seals of Joseon," Seo said. "Except for the foreign language engraving, both seals are in a good state.”
A total of 412 guksae and eobo were crafted during the Joseon era, including the Korean Empire, and 73 are still missing.
The two seals were donated by Lee Dae-soo, an 84-year-old Korean resident of the U.S., in December. The CHA unveiled them at the National Palace Museum of Korea Wednesday.
Lee, who has lived in the U.S. since the 1960s, is interested in Korean cultural heritage and bought some cultural properties at auctions, including the two Joseon seals in the late 1990s. Recently, Lee recognized that guksae and eobo are valuable cultural assets of the Korean government and decided to donate them to their home country.
Lee's son Lee Seong-joo attended the ceremony in Seoul. "My father thought historical objects of Korea should return to Korea and decided to donate them to the Korean government," he said.
Cultural Heritage Administrator Chung Jae-suk handed a plaque of appreciation to Lee Seong-joo.
"Still over 70 national and royal seals are wandering overseas,” Chung said. “The CHA will do its best to make sure all of the missing heritage artefacts can return home."
The two seals will be exhibited at the National Palace Museum of Korea through March 8.
| 'Daegunjubo,' left, the seal of the state of Joseon Kingdom created in 1882, and the Royal Seal of King Hyojong, made in 1740 / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration |