Seoul's National Library Revisits Joseon King Danjong and Eom Heung-do in Manuscripts

The National Library of Korea in Seoul announced a special exhibition that revisits the story of Danjong, the Joseon era king, and the loyal official Eom Heung-do through rare historical manuscripts. The show, titled Looking at Danjong and Eom Heung-do Through Old Manuscripts, follows the film-driven surge of public interest in these figures, as the movie The Man Who Lives with the King has drawn more than 13.7 million admissions.

The exhibition runs on the main building’s first-floor Open Plaza from the 24th of this month to the 19th of the following month. It seeks to connect popular culture with archival heritage, offering visitors direct access to primary sources related to Danjong and Eom Heung-do.

A highlight of the display is Wanmun, a 1733 document issued by the Ministry of War under King Yeongjo. It certifies the exemption of Eom Heung-do’s sixth-generation descendant from military and corvée duties, and was produced to document this special favor. The mounted Wanmun measures about 205 centimeters wide by 37.4 centimeters tall.

Alongside Wanmun, the library will present six original source documents related to Danjong and Eom Heung-do. Visitors can examine portions of the Joseon Dynasty’s Veritable Records, including the Danjong Silrok and Sejo Silrok, which demonstrate the historical sequence surrounding Danjong’s exile.

Also on display are literary and biographical materials: the historical novel Danjong Aesa by Lee Kwang-su, with both a manuscript from the 1930s and a printed edition from 1935. The exhibition will also feature biographical works such as Jeung Champan Eom Gong Silgi (1817) and Chung Ui Gong Silgi (1936), which compile narratives of Eom Heung-do’s life and loyalty.

Hyun Hye-won, head of the National Library’s Old Manuscripts Division, described the show as a three-dimensional illumination of Danjong and Eom Heung-do through diverse manuscripts. She added that public interest generated by cinema could help sustain and enrich these valuable archival records for researchers and the public alike.

For U.S. readers, the exhibit illustrates how Korea memory-crafts its history through both official records and literary works, tying domestic culture to broader themes in security, diplomacy, and education. The event highlights how archival provenance and historical narratives from the Joseon era connect to contemporary interest in Korean history, culture, and storytelling as the country expands its global cultural footprint.