The Annals of Joseon Dynasty are the annual records of the Joseon Dynasty, who ruled Korea, and were written from 1413 (year 13 of the reign of Taejong) to 1865 (year 2 of the reign of Gojong). The annals comprise 1,893 volumes.

The Annals of Joseon Dynasty are the most important primary source for studying the history of Joseon, with very high credibility—each King was even forbidden to read the record of his own reign, for the purpose of maintaining its independence.

Joseon established four separate repositories to store copies of the Annals: Chunchugwan (in Seoul), Chungju County, Jeonju County and Seongju County. All three except the repository in Jeonju were burned down in the Japanese invasion of 1592 to 1598 (known as the Seven-Year War). Joseon printed five more copies after that war and stored them in Chunchugwan and the mountains Myohang-san , Taebaek-san , Odae-san , and Mari-san . The Chunchugwan copy was lost in 1624, due to the treason of Yi Gwal . Part of the Mari-san copy was lost during the Manchu invasion (1638), and the surviving volumes moved to Jeongjok-san in 1678. The Myohyang-san copy was moved to Jeokseong-san in 1633.

The copies of the Annals were preserved to the end of Joseon Dynasty. In Japanese Colonial Period, the Japanese moved the Odae-san copy to Tokyo University, but the copy was soon lost in the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923.

The Annals are written in Classical Chinese; it was translated into modern Korean in the 1980s in North Korea and in 1994 in South Korea. Parts of the Annals of Joseon Dynasty have been scanned by Seoul National University and are available online.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics

External links

• Kyujanggak Online : The fifth column lists Annals of Joseon Dynasty