First Korean Bible Donated to National Library of Korea... "Kang Sunae Collection" Established

Kang Sunae, Professor Emeritus at Hansung University, Donates 324 Rare Old Books
Includes the First Korean Bible and Numerous Religious Texts
"Kang Sunae Collection" to Be Established, Available for Viewing from October

The National Library of Korea announced on September 18 that it has received a donation of 324 volumes of rare old books, including the first Korean translation of the Christian Bible, from Kang Sunae, Professor Emeritus at Hansung University, and will establish the "Kang Sunae Collection." The donation ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on September 22 in the Old Books Room on the 5th floor of the main building.

The first Korean Bible manuscript, 'The Gospel of John in Korean'. Provided by the National Library of Korea

The "Kang Sunae Collection" includes 324 volumes, such as rare Christian literature, old documents used for educational purposes, wooden movable type, and printing tools. Among them, "Yesuseonggyo Yoannaebokumjeonse" is the first Korean-translated Christian Bible, published in 1882 at the Mungwangseowon in Shenyang, China. It was translated by Scottish missionaries John Ross and John McIntyre, together with Korean collaborators Lee Eungchan, Paek Hongjun, and Seo Sangryun. This is considered a rare resource that is difficult to find within Korea. The collection also includes other rare old books such as "The Gospel According to Luke" and "Jukyoyoji," as well as wooden movable type used in the late Joseon Dynasty and Neunghwapan, a type of decorative woodblock used for book covers.

Professor Emeritus Kang Sunae gained practical experience working at the National Library of Korea and the National Assembly Library, and continued her research and discovery of old books while teaching library and information science at the university.

Professor Kang Sunae stated, "I thought providing the old books I have collected to researchers was the best choice," adding, "I am happy that, as a user, I will be able to encounter the materials I collected once again."

Hyun Hyewon, Director of the Old Books Division at the National Library of Korea, said, "It is highly meaningful that Professor Kang Sunae has donated the rare old books she collected over many years to the National Library of Korea, making them accessible to everyone," and added, "We will ensure the materials are preserved and digitized so that the public can make full use of them."

The materials in the "Kang Sunae Collection" will be available for viewing in the Old Books Room on the 5th floor of the main building of the National Library of Korea starting in October.

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