Traces Left by Joseon Suto Officials on Rocks... Comprehensive Survey After 70 Years

Northeast Asian History Foundation to Survey Ulleungdo Starting April 20
Renowned Rubbing Master Monk Heungseon Joins the Project

The First Academic Survey Team of Ulleungdo

An academic survey aiming to trace the footsteps of the Suto-gwan, government officials who regularly inspected Ulleungdo Island during the Joseon Dynasty, will be conducted for the first time in about 70 years.

The Northeast Asian History Foundation announced on April 17 that it will organize a survey team comprised of around twenty members, including research fellows and external experts, to investigate the Ulleung County area from April 20 to 24.

The suto system was a policy in which the Joseon court dispatched officials on a regular basis to manage and safeguard Ulleungdo Island. The first suto official to visit the island was military officer Jang Hansang in 1694, followed by several others in subsequent years.

Rubbings of Inscriptions by Park Seokchang in Sutogwan, Ulleungdo

Some of these officials left their marks by inscribing writings on rock walls. In 1711, Pak Seokchang, the commander of Samcheok, toured Ulleungdo and subsequently submitted a map titled 'Ulleungdo Shape.' Of the engraved writings (gakseokmun) discovered at various sites, such as the rock cliffs of Taeha-ri beach, four are known to remain today, although it is believed that more existed originally.

Unlike previous surveys that took a field-specific approach, this investigation is significant in that it will comprehensively examine the past and present of Ulleungdo and Dokdo, with suto as the central theme. The main tasks will include a status survey of the engraved writings, field visits to related historical sites such as Hwangtogul and Dolgori, and verification of place names found in old maps and historical records.

Heungseon, a Buddhist monk who has produced more than 1,100 rubbings nationwide for over 40 years, will also join the survey. He is expected to revive the weathered and faded engraved writings using ink and rubbing techniques. The foundation stated, "We aim to maximize the academic reliability of historical sources."

Ulleungdo Sutodido 'Ulleungdo Island'

After completing the survey of Ulleungdo, the scope will be expanded to Dokdo in the second half of the year. Kim Youngsoo, Director of the Dokdo Research Institute, said, "We will comprehensively examine changes over the past 70 years since the 1953 survey, considering documentary records, relics, and rubbings together."

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