Dictionaries of Korea, A New Perspective

We all probably remember a time when we looked up an unfamiliar word in a thick paper dictionary. And now in the digital age, we carry a small mobile dictionary. Although the shapes of dictionaries have changed with the change of times and the advent of technology, dictionaries are still with us.

This Exhibition reilluminates the value and significance of dictionaries that have always existed in our lives. The Exhibition consists of two parts, Part Ⅰ: The birth of Korean dictionaries, and Part Ⅱ: The secrets of Korean dictionaries. We intend to review the manuscript of Mal-moi (A word collection), the very first Korean dictionary, and examine how the Korean language has defined and embraced the times and our culture through the definitions of words in dictionaries.

In this age when there is an overflow of information, the importance of dictionaries has increased. Dictionaries are the guides of knowledge to the contemporaries, and at the same time they also show the next generation the life and culture of the previous age. It is hoped that this Exhibition will provide an opportunity to rediscover what we have forgotten, namely, the true merit and significance of dictionaries.