Redefining the Sky of Joseon – The Scientific Brilliance of Chiljeongsan Naeoe-pyeon (from Volume 156 of the Veritable Records of King Sejong) During the Goryeo Dynasty, Choi Seongji accompanied King Chungseon on a visit to the Yuan Dynasty in China. There, he obtained a copy of the Shoushili Calendar (授時曆法) and brought it back to Korea, where it was adopted for the first time. However, at the time, local calendar officials only understood how to construct the calendar itself. They lacked the knowledge to calculate solar and lunar eclipses or determine the positions of the five planets—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. In response, King Sejong commissioned Jeong Heumji, Jeong Cho, and Jeong Inji to conduct astronomical research and refine the calendar system. These scholars successfully unraveled the underlying principles. Where their understanding fell short, King Sejong himself, with his keen insight, discerned the correct interpretations. Moreover, the Joseon cou...
The Ice Storage Legacy of Korea — The Stone Icehouse (Seokbinggo) Today, thanks to refrigerators, we can make ice and enjoy chilled drinks at any time of the year. But in the past, especially in the height of summer, eating ice was a rare luxury. Remarkably, our ancestors had already developed an ingenious system to preserve winter ice well into the summer months. At the heart of this system was the Seokbinggo (石氷庫), or stone icehouse. What is a Seokbinggo? A Seokbinggo was a stone-built storage facility designed to preserve ice harvested from rivers and streams in winter. It did not produce ice like modern refrigerators but served as a long-term storage chamber, keeping ice intact until the hottest days of summer. Historical records also mention Mokbinggo (wooden icehouses), but none have survived; today, only stone icehouses remain as physical evidence of this ancient practice. Seokbinggo (Stone Ice Storage) Historical Records — Origins of the Icehouse Three Kingdom...
Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido: A Masterpiece of Korean Astronomy and a Global Scientific Heritage(part-1) Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido (Map of the Constellations and Regions of the Heavens) is the oldest known full celestial chart in the world based on observation records. Completed in 1395, the 4th year of King Taejo’s reign (founder of the Joseon Dynasty), it was engraved onto a massive black stone slab (oseok) the following year in 1396. This chart represents the culmination of Korea’s unique astronomical observation traditions and is widely regarded as one of the most precise and scientifically valuable star maps in East Asian history. Chart of the Constellations and Regions of the Sky 1. Historical Background and Origins Soon after founding the Joseon Dynasty, King Taejo Yi Seong-gye ordered the creation of a star map to assert the legitimacy and scientific prowess of the new regime. Scholars recovered fragments of Goryeo-era star charts and revised them under the directio...
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