President Moon's SNS Book Introduction, 'Seoul Seen Through Old Paintings'

"A Rare Good Book Read, an Art Historian Who Has Devoted His Life to Korean Art History"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 24th, President Moon Jae-in introduced the art historian Choi Yeol's book 'Seoul Seen Through Old Paintings' on social networking service (SNS).

President Moon said, "I read a good book after a long time. It is 'Seoul Seen Through Old Paintings' by art historian Choi Yeol, who has devoted his life to Korean art history," adding, "The subtitle is ‘Almost All Paintings of Seoul,’ and it reflects the author's pride that nearly all the old paintings of Seoul he knows are included."

President Moon continued, "In fact, 125 paintings from the Joseon Dynasty are included with the best commentary, so it can be called a masterpiece both as an author and as a publisher. However, the price of the book is about twice that of a normal book, which is a bit burdensome," expressing his regret.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon said, "Today's Seoul is completely different from the old Seoul, which was called Hanyang or Hanseong. The rivers, streams, mountains, and valleys have all changed, and only parts untouched by humans retain their old appearance," adding, "There has been dazzling development and construction, but much has been lost because of it. We lament that if only we had realized the importance of nature and the environment earlier, but now we only take it as a lesson for the future."

President Moon explained, "The old appearance of Seoul can only be seen through paintings. Fortunately, fragments of the old scenes remain in the true-view landscape paintings (silgyeong sansuhwa or jingyeong sansuhwa) developed since the mid-Joseon period. The author shows ‘almost all’ paintings with confirmed locations along with faithful interpretations of the painters and the history of the paintings."

President Moon evaluated, "Carefully looking at the commentary and paintings and comparing them with today's appearance takes quite a bit of time to read and view. However, it is enjoyable to see our history and culture. It also has great value as a reference like an encyclopedia on true-view landscape paintings of Joseon-era Seoul and the painters."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.