Donation of 75 Years of Local History Materials Collected by Foot Across Busan... Local Historian Ju Yeongtaek Spreads the Value of Sharing

Donation of Over 1,400 Personal Local History Items to Busan Library

Includes Author's Own Works, Old Books, and Maps Related to Korean History and Busan Local History

Local Chronicles of Busan, Dongnae, and Gimhae (1922) (left), Detailed Map of Japanese Occupations (1930) (right).

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Busan Library announced that Ju Young-taek, a local historian of Busan, donated about 1,400 personal collections including books and maps that he had collected throughout his life.

The donated materials include his own authored and co-authored books and historical columns written over 75 years of researching Korean history and the history of Busan, as well as old books such as Shin Chae-ho's Joseon Sanggosa (朝鮮上古史) and Choe Nam-seon's Gosa Tong (古事通).

In particular, a tourist guide map titled "Busan·Dongnae·Gimhae Local Records," produced during the Japanese colonial period, is valued as a precious resource that offers a glimpse into the perspective of Japanese people toward Busan over 90 years ago.

The donor, Ju Young-taek, director of the Gamagol Local History Research Institute, is a native of Busan who was born and raised in Haeundae, Busan.

He majored in history at university and taught history to students for over 40 years in the education field. After retiring as principal of Dongbaek Middle School in Haeundae-gu, Busan, in February 2000, he founded the Gamagol Local History Research Institute and has devoted himself to local history research for more than 20 years.

Director Ju Young-taek said he was deeply impressed to see Busan-related materials gathered in the Busan Library’s ’Busan Aeteul Archive Room‘ and, although these materials were precious to him, he happily donated them so that more people could see and study the history of Busan.

Busan Library plans to select the books donated by Ju Young-taek by subject and exhibit them on the 3rd floor Busan Aeteul from January 17 to March, and will give due respect to the donor.

Kang Eun-hee, director of Busan Library, said, “The value of each donated material is beyond words,” and added, “We will also carefully manage the materials not introduced in this exhibition so that Ju Young-taek’s noble intentions can be widely known.”

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