Seungjeongwon Ilgi, the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat

Seungjeongwon Ilgi has the largest amount of authentic historic recordings and state secrets of the Joseon Dynasty from the 17th century to the early 20th century. 

Diaries written in the late 19th century and the early 20th century show how Western influence opened the door of the closed Joseon Dynasty. A vast amount of records from close observation of the king was kept by royal secretaries and scribes. 

Some portions of the diaries have been restored after wars and fires. Still, they have an importance of their own in showing how our ancestors collected authentic data and restored records, while reminding us of the importance of preserving historic recordings. Read more on the UNESCO Memory of the World website.