From Kim Whanki's Cover Art to Baek Seok's Poetry: Reading Modern Joseon Through Magazines

National Library of Korea Presents "Joseon’s Hipster Archive"

A Comprehensive Collection of Rare Materials, Including the First Issue of "Kaebyeok" and Magazines Featuring Poems by Baek Seok

Modern Sensibilities of Joseon Through 80 Types of Early Magazines

130 years ago, magazines were more than just reading material. They served as windows to imagine a new era and as modern platforms where literature and art, women and children, and popular culture were, for the first time, intermingled on a single page.

The National Library of Korea, in collaboration with the Korea Magazine Association, will hold a special exhibition titled "Modern Magazine: Joseon’s Hipster Archive" in the first-floor exhibition hall of the main building until June 21. Photo shows the exhibited magazine "Byeolgeon-gon." Photo by National Library of Korea

The National Library of Korea, in partnership with the Korea Magazine Association, will hold a special exhibition titled "Modern Magazine: Joseon’s Hipster Archive" in the exhibition hall on the first floor of the main building from April 28 to June 21. The exhibition commemorates the 130th anniversary of the publication of Korea’s first magazine, the "The Independent Association Bulletin of Great Joseon," and brings together 80 types of modern magazines in one place.

The exhibition illustrates how modernity appeared in Joseon through magazines. Part 1, "The Birth of Magazines, The Birth of a Nation," features the "The Independent Association Bulletin of Great Joseon," as well as student magazines such as "Chinmokhoe Bulletin" and "Hakjigwang," along with "Boy" and "Youth" published by Choi Nam-seon’s Shinmungwan, and the general magazine "Kaebyeok." This section showcases the period when magazines first emerged as vehicles for enlightenment, independence, and the dissemination of knowledge.

Part 2, "The Age of Modernity and Romance," focuses on literary magazines and women’s and children’s magazines. It highlights literary coterie magazines such as "Creation," "Ruin," and "White Bird," as well as "Munjang," which featured contributions from Lee Tae-jun and Kim Yong-jun, "New Woman," which envisioned the liberation of modern women, "Women," edited by Baek Seok, and the children’s magazine "Children." Of particular note are the surrealist literary magazine "Samsa Literature," with cover art and illustrations by Kim Whanki, and "Women," which published Baek Seok’s poem "Me, Natasha, and the White Donkey"—both core materials for this exhibition.

The National Library of Korea, in collaboration with the Korea Magazine Association, is hosting a special exhibition titled "Modern Magazine: Hipster Archives of Joseon" in the first-floor exhibition hall of the main building until June 21. The photo shows the cover section of the magazine "Women." Photo by the National Library of Korea

Part 3, "The Golden Age of Popular Magazines," demonstrates how magazines became central to popular culture. Magazines such as "Byul Geon-gon," "Samcheonri," "Shin Dong-A," and "Jogwang" reveal what modern readers read and what hobbies and sensibilities they shared. Early magazines in various fields are also on display, including the first art magazine "Seohwa Association Bulletin," the first comprehensive science magazine "Science Joseon," and the first mining magazine "Mining Joseon."

The exhibition does not stop at presenting rare editions. By tracing magazine covers, bindings, illustrations, and contributors, visitors can see how the sensibilities of modern Joseon were crafted through text and images. While the term "hipster" in the title may sound lighthearted, the exhibition itself is anything but. Each magazine contained independence and enlightenment, literature and leisure, women and popular culture, all at once.

After touring the exhibition, visitors can participate in interactive programs such as "Create Your Own Magazine Cover" using AI, and an AR-based "Modern Magazine Quiz." These programs allow for a contemporary experience of these old magazines. The exhibition expands the role of past magazines beyond retro relics, positioning them as a mirror reflecting today’s content platforms.

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