A-Z Databases

Chosŏn Wangjo Sillok (the Annals of the Chosŏn Dynasty) is the annual records of the Chosŏn dynasty of Korea. The annals, or Sillok, comprise 1,893 volumes and cover the longest continual period of a single dynasty in the world. With the exception of two sillok compiled during the colonial era, the Annals are the 151st national treasure of Korea and listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World registry. The Annals has since 2006 been digitalized by the National Institute of Korean History and available on the internet with Modern Korean translation in Hangul and original text in Classical Chinese. In January 2012, the National Institute of Korean History announced that they are to translate the Annals into English by the year 2033. In 2017, ‘The Veritable Records of King Sejong’ was translated for the first time in English. [search in Korean]

Sŭngjŏngwŏn ilgi is a daily record of Sŭngjŏngwŏn (Royal Secretariat) during the Chosŏn dynasty of Korea (1392 - 1910), which records the king's public life and his interactions with the bureaucracy on a daily basis. It is the 303rd national treasure of Korea and designated as one of the UNESCO's Memory of the World. UNESCO confirmed Sŭngjŏngwŏn ilgi as the world's longest continuous record of king's daily life in 2001 and designated it in the Memory of the World Programme. Searchable any record by name, place name, book title, article title, and period. [search in Korean]

Data Portal is a system that provides integrated public data operated by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security in South Korea. Searchable by different categories, including education, transportation, finance, social welfare, unification diplomacy, environment, law, science and technology, and more. [Search in Korean]

Collections provides access to over 50 million digitised items – books, music, artworks and more – with sophisticated search and filter tools to help you find what you’re looking for. Our dedicated thematic collections on archaeology. art, fashion, industrial heritage, maps and geography, music, natural history, photography, sport and World War I contain galleries, blogs and exhibitions to inform and inspire.

Tongnip Kinyŏmgwan Hanʼguk Tongnip Undong chŏngbosisŭtʻem focuses on the indepence movements of the Japanese colonial period. Provides the list of victims of the Japanese colonial period, independence activists index, independence movement index, and its history. Searchable its collections by subject, year, category, and publication. [search in Korean]

Korean National Bibliography is a bibliography created to cover all publications published in the Republic of Korea. The site provides access to Data Collection, Korean Library MapDigital Collection, Cataloging in Publication (CIP), and Korean Library Information System Network (KOLIS-NET). As an integrated database, KOLIS-NET is searchable by subject, title, author, and keyword search. [search in Korean]

Provides information on research results in the humanities and social sciences through an integrated search portal. Search for the following: reports, thesis, dissertations, books, world humanities forum, Korea forum, online humanities course, full-text DB, integrated DB on comparative study of Korea, various dictionary DBs, including Buddhist Encyclopedia, Korean culture terms translated into other languages, etc. It is accessible by mobile. [Interface: Korean and English]

KOSIS is the national statistical database, operated by Statistics Korea. As a gateway for Korea’s official statistics, KOSIS offers a convenient one-stop service to full range of major domestic, international and North Korean statistics. Official statistics produced by over 120 statistical agencies covering more than 500 subject matters as well as the latest data on international finance and economy from international organizations (i.e. IMF, World Bank, OECD) are available on KOSIS. In English interface, official statistics on 226 subject matters are provided. [Interface: Korean and English]

Kyujanggak was a royal academic research institute and royal library in the late Chosŏn dynasty, and remaining books were transferred to Kyujanggak of Seoul National University after liberation. Kyujanggak Korean Studies Institute was established in 2006 to promote of Korean studies at home and abroad, and for the preservation and management of collections. Kyujanggak Korean Studies Institute has a total of 300,000 materials, including 175,000 Korean rare books, 50,000 old documents, and 18,000 books. All these materials can be searched in the original text in the e-Kyujanggak Charyo Ch’ongso. [search in Korean]

The North Korea Information Portal website was established in 2014 by the Ministry of Unification in 2014 to provide information on North Korea. The site constitutes North Korean society through North Korean politics, military, economics, society, education, and culture, etc. In the North Korean character search, you can find a total of 544 major figures, including their names, place of birth, career, date of birth, education, affiliation and position, and family relations. [search in Korean]

Founded on November 30, 2007, the Presidential Archives is an organization belonging to the National Archives of Korea that oversees the affairs of the management of Presidential records. It collects, manages, services, preserves, and reclassifies secret records and private presidential records during and after the presidency. It includes letters sent and received, photographs, video records, speech records, and more. There are 7,600 past presidential speeches, from the first president (Syngman Rhee, 1948-1960) to the 18th president (Pak Kŭn-hye, 2013-2017). [Interface: Korean and English]

Research Methods Primary Sources is an exciting new platform that introduces humanities and social science students to the key approaches and methodologies of working with source material. Designed to be used in the classroom or for independent study, this resource will empower students to engage with primary sources and assess historical evidence with confidence. At the heart of Research Methods, you will find nearly 200 hundred essays, videos, "How to" guides and case studies by subject specialists which answer all of your questions about working with primary sources. From guidance on where you can find historical documents, to the questions you might want to pose and how best to approach analyzing the content they hold, this platform gathers together practical advice and instruction from experts working around the world.