Louvre is known to be one of the top three museums in the world. In 2020 alone, Louvre recorded first when it came to the number of visitors from around the world. Even during the pandemic, 2.7 million visitors have arrived in Paris to see the art and its history. With all these facts taken into consideration about the Louvre, it can be said that it is significant regarding a restoration project of Hanji, a traditional Korean paper, from 2014 by the museum. Louvre has been working with Minjung Kim, a professional restorer of cultural assets on this project.

Hanji is a traditional Korean paper which people guess originated somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd century. The paper was at a golden peak in the Goryeo dynasty and was widely spread and used in the Joseon as well. Hanji is made with some parts of mulberry trees, which can be turned into laminated sheets and then ultimately to compress the fibers.

Minjung Kim, who was an intern at the Louvre in 2014, was passionate to let the world know the value and importance of Hanji. This led to Ariane de la Chapelle, the head of the museum’s restoration team reading one of Kim’s thesis during the time of his master. The thesis covered the comparison of traditional papers from Korea, China and Japan. At this time, Washi, the Japanese paper, was frequently used for the restoration of cultural assets. However, after reading Kim’s thesis, Louvre became interested in Hanji and carried out an experiment to decide on which paper they should use. So they wet both Washi and Hanji and tried to compare the results. Ultimately, Hanji was found to be preserved longer than the Washi, due to its less shrinkage and deformation.

Taking the outcome of the experiment into consideration, Hanji proved to be excellent and outstanding in its quality for the restoration. The paper had strong durability and contractibility. Also, unlike the Japanese Washi, which was weaved only vertically, Hanji was done both horizontally and vertically. This allowed the traditional Korean paper to be even more solid and its fibers strong, making it less likely to get ripped. With these qualities, Hanji was expected to be used in various aspects to transform the old, worn-out masterpieces into new by filling the cracks in some of the art works, furniture and sculptures.

Louvre had recognized the value of Hanji after they had seen what the paper could do. So in 2017, the museum officially adopted the Korean paper and used the one from Jeonju, a region in South Korea to restore the King Maximilian II of Bavaria’s desk from the 18th century. The damaged padlock of the drawer was perfectly restored by using Hanji. In 2018, the South Korean first lady visited the museum to see the desk. Also, in May 2021, 14 art pieces of Fragonard and 4 pieces of Lemonnier that have been restored by Hanji were displayed. This whole process took about a year.

Not only France and its Louvre Museum are showing interest in the Korean traditional paper, but other European countries are also recognizing the value of Hanji. For instance, Italy has officially designated the paper as a material to restore its historic artifacts. Then it was actually used to restore a drawing called “Codex on the Flight of Birds” by the famous artist, Leonardo Da Vinci.

As the world is starting to acknowledge the worth of Hanji, this will only be the beginning of the journey as an excellent Korean traditional paper. The ultimate goal for Minjung Kim and South Korea is turning every paper used for restoration of ancient relics into Hanji, promoting the outstanding qualities and its meanings in terms of history and value.

Yeahwon Shim

K-UNIV Reporter

Jikji is the world’s oldest extant Korean book made by movable metal type printing. It’s known to be older than Germany’s Gutenberg Bible, which was thought to be the oldest existing book in the world for quite some time. This book was written by Buddhist monk Baegun. The name, ‘Jikji’ means that when someone’s heart is seen correctly through Zen meditation, there will be the nature of Buddha in the heart. Baegun printed and published two volumes in the Goryeo dynasty in the year of 1377. The book has in total of 307 chapters with 154 subsections. Currently, the first one is lost and the second one is in the Manuscrits Orientaux department of the National Library of France. In September 2001, Jikji was officially confirmed by UNESCO and was included in the Memory of the World. Then in 2004, the Jikji Memory of the World Prize was invented to commemorate Jikji.

Jikji is comprised of the teachings of the most famous and respected Buddhist monks throughout the centuries. By Buddhist teachings, they are his sermons, conversations, and literary writings. Baegun hoped that the book would guide his students and the followers of Buddhism to Buddha and its religion, aiming to help people reach their inner freedom.

At the end of Joseon Dynasty, Colin de Plancy, a French diplomat brought Jikji from Korea to France. While he was working in Korea, he started collecting Joseon’s traditional ceramics and history books. Then after his term ended, he brought the collection back to his country. Plancy then sold Jikji to Henri Vever, an antique dealer for 180 francs. After Vever’s death, the second volume of Jikji was given to the National Library of France according to his wish. The first page of the second volume was torn out so only 38 sheets remain today. The Early Printing Museum and the World Jikji Culture Association have been working together to find the first volume, but it still somewhat remains a mystery. In 1972, Jikji was presented to the world for the first time when the National Library of France hosted the “International Book Year.”

With regard to this matter, it brings a controversy on the topic of ownership. Is it Korea or France? To which country does Jikji belong? This is a sensitive issue for both countries. The National Library of France contends that the artifact should remain in France because it is a representation of meaningful and historic heritage of the world and does not belong to any specific country. The fact that Jikji was taken legally at that time also supports their opinions. On the other hand, Korean activists say that the book should come back to Korea since it originated there and that it has a lot of meaning and significance to Korean people.

During the presidency of François Mitterrand, a former French president from 1981 to 1995, he searched for ways to return various Korean antiquities, including 650 relics of Silla, Goryeo and Joseon era. In 2011, the president sent about 297 volumes with 191 different Uigwes of the Gyujanggak back to Korea. They were then placed at the National Museum of Korea. Jikji was also on the agenda, but eventually it was not included in the return list because of opposition from France.

To this day, there still remains the unsolved problem of Jikji, but the fact that the oldest book made by movable metal type printing from Korea is preserved to this day should be remembered and treated with great attention.

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K-UNIV Reporter

Yewon Shim