Chairman
"The national classics are valuable national heritage embodying the long history and national culture and a great asset of our country."
Among the national cultural heritages associated with the creative wisdom and talents of the Korean nation is the national classic "Records on Pyongyang".
The "Records on Pyongyang" was compiled at the end of the 16th century and was written in the period of the feudal Joson dynasty about the history, geography, politics, the economy, military affairs and culture of the counties, prefectures and towns.
This book was published in 1590 by Yun Tu Su (O Um, 1533-1601) who was a inspector of Phyongan Province and governor of Pyongyang.While he was a inspector of Phyongan Province, Yun Tu Su compiled nine volumes of "Records on Pyongyang", collecting data gathered in Pyongyang and books on 16 kinds of history at home and abroad including Samgukshagi and Fuhanso.
The "Records on Pyongyang" has 34 items in total, and they can be divided into several categories–history of Pyongyang, nature, politics, the economy, culture, military affairs, characters and mysterious facts.
The historical content contains data on the political transformation of Pyongyang from the legend that Tangun was a provincial town to the beginning of the feudal Joson dynasty. The content of the historical content is the introduction of the geographical location of Pyongyang, the mountains and scenic spots and historical relics in Pyongyang. The content of the political relations contains information about the ruling machinery, management structure and administrative structure of the Pyongyang Ministry and the administrative district of the Pyongyang Ministry.
The materials on economic relations include the state storehouses, landfills, arable land, lodging and various kinds of articles and quantities devoted to the central government offices of the Pyongyang Ministry. The cultural content of the items is the customs, historical relics, educational system and poetry of the Pyongyang area.
In particular, the historical poems, which are composed of scenic spots and natural scenery in Pyongyang, account for a great deal of the poems, which account for more than one third of the total number of books.
The contents of military relations introduced the number of soldiers, beacon lighthouse, posting station and others of the Pyongyang Province.
The "characters" introduce the "famous" people, the "filial", "royal girl" and the characters of the past pass who have been known to be related to Pyongyang from olden times, and the "magic fact" item gives information on the special natural phenomena.
The "Records on Pyongyang" carries a lot of data which can be used to study Pyongyang and the socio-economic situation of the period before the 16th century.
The value of the "Records on Pyongyang" is that it reflects the history and cultural relics of Pyongyang and some of the socio-economic conditions in the area of Phyongan Province centred on Pyongyang in the late 16th century, and thus helps the study of history.
The "Records on Pyongyang" carries a lot of valuable data on the history of Pyongyang, the struggle of the Koguryo people who defeated the aggressors, the struggle of the Pyongyang people who defeated the Kitan aggressors and the struggle of the peasants in Phyongan Province against the feudal rule in the 12th century.
The "Records on Pyongyang" contains agricultural products, fruits, vegetables, medicines, livestock, fish, etc. produced in the area of Pyongyang, the total area of paddy and non-paddy fields and the lodging of the Pyongyang Ministry, and the kinds and quantities of artifacts dedicated to the Pongsangsi(the central office in charge of the memorial service and posthumous name in the royal palace), Kungisi(the central office in charge of military affairs), Jeyonggam(the central office in charge of the work of devoting insam and cloth to the king, of sending down the clothing and silk of bureaucrats in the name of the king, of dyeing and weaving.),Songonggam(the central office in charge of the construction and repair of the government buildings). This is worth reference to the economic study of the end of the 16th century.
The poem, which covers a large part of this book, includes many poems representing the beautiful natural scenery of Pyongyang, including the Taedong River, Moran Hill, Ulmil Pavilion, Ryongwang Pavilion and Pubyok Pavilion, many poems reflecting the social image of those days like "Nampho" from Jong Ji Sang, and works of prose showing the origin of the historical sites in Pyongyang. These are of certain help in the study of the history of the literature of the Middle Ages.
The "Records on Pyongyang" is one of the valuable books not only for studying the nature and history of Pyongyang but also for studying the social and economic situation and culture of Korea in the medieval period.
The ruling class, like other records, compiled the " Records on Pyongyang " as a means to understand the situation of the village as if it were a finger at it in order to facilitate its rule.
The national classic "Records on Pyongyang" has several shortcomings due to the class limitations and limitations of the times, but it is one of the most typical and oldest of the records for cities of Korea, and it is one of the valuable geographical heritages that contains rich data needed for the study of the nature, history and history of Pyongyang at that time.
