Seongwoo Han, Emeritus Professor at Seoul National University, Passes Away After Finding Breakthrough in History

Summary from Progressive Perspectives on Early Modern and Modern Thought and Economy
Emphasizing Legal Reform and Innovation... Proposing Gyujanggak as a National Think Tank
Authoring 'Joseon Wangjo Uigwe,' Known as the 'Uigwe Encyclopedia'

Han Young-woo, a professor emeritus at Seoul National University who had researched Korean history for nearly 60 years, passed away on the 15th at the age of 85. According to the publisher Jisik Sanupsa and others, he died at his home due to an illness.

He was a leading historian in Korea who devoted himself to the study of the Joseon Dynasty and modern history. Born in Seosan, Chungnam, he graduated from the Department of History at Seoul National University and earned his master's and doctoral degrees from the same graduate school. Since 1985, he nurtured future scholars at the Department of Korean History at Seoul National University and served as president of the Korean History Research Association, member of the National Institute of Korean History, cultural heritage committee member at the Cultural Heritage Administration, director of the Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation, dean of the College of Humanities at Seoul National University, and was also the first director of the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University.

He reorganized the intellectual, economic, social status, and cultural history of Korea’s late Joseon and modern periods from a progressive perspective. He corrected the distorted historical views caused by colonial historiography and emphasized beopgo-changsin (法古蒼新, learning from the old to create the new). As a foundation, he pointed to Kyujanggak, where young civil officials were re-educated and where the king and officials debated scholarship and policy. He compiled the rise and fall of Kyujanggak over 230 years, from its establishment in 1776 at Juhapru Pavilion of Changdeokgung Palace to its rebirth as the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University in 2006, publishing “Kyujanggak, the Cradle of Cultural Politics.” He said, “In the 21st century, where cultural value creates economic value, institutions like Kyujanggak, which nurtured the top scholars of Joseon as a national think tank, should play a powerful role.”

He also researched the uigwe (儀軌, royal protocols) held by Kyujanggak for over ten years. Kyujanggak holds 553 of the 637 existing types of uigwe, making it a “treasure trove of uigwe.” He published facsimiles of Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe and translated others such as Yeongjo Jeongsunhu Garaedogam and Chingyeong·Chinjam Uigwe. He compiled and explained their editorial and historical significance, completing “Joseon Wangjo Uigwe,” known as the “encyclopedia of uigwe.” This was not a simple collection of commentaries; he meticulously examined the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and extracted related materials to narrate their stories. He emphasized, “The uigwe did not exist even in the Goryeo period and cannot be found in any other country; it is a unique record culture of the Joseon Dynasty,” adding, “They are invaluable materials essential for research in politics, economy, architecture, art, language, and costume history.”

He was recognized for his contributions to the advancement of academic research related to Korean cultural heritage, receiving the Order of Okjo Geunjeong (2003), the Presidential Citation of the Korea Cultural Heritage Award (2005), the Korean Publishing Culture Award for Writing (2006), and the Minse An Jae-hong Academic Award (2012). His funeral is being held at Seoul National University Hospital Funeral Hall Room 2 in Jongno-gu, Seoul. He is survived by his wife Kim Chae-jung, and his sons Han Jeong-hoon, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University, and Han Seung-hyun, a professor at Konkuk University. The funeral procession will take place on the morning of the 18th, and the burial site is Seoul Memorial Park.

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