Korean Modern Literature Museum (한국근대문학관) to Hold Special Exhibition on Modern Maps and Literature

121 rare archival items unveiled...modern landscapes seen through maps and literature

Kim Hyun-soo, Reporter Posted 2026/07/14 [11:38] Article No. 52058

The Korean Modern Literature Museum (한국근대문학관), run by the Incheon Foundation for Arts & Culture (인천문화재단), announced on the 14th that it will hold the special exhibition “Sentences Following the Map: Between Signs and Landscape” from July 15 to March 31, 2027. The exhibition examines how modern Koreans perceived the space of the Korean Peninsula through 121 rare archival items — including maps, travelogues and literary works produced from the Korean Empire (대한제국) period through the years after liberation.

[코리안투데이] Poster for the Korean Modern Literature Museum’s (한국근대문학관) special exhibition © 김현수 기자

121 Rare Archival Items on Display, Including First Edition of “Daehan Jiji”

This third archival exhibition by the Korean Modern Literature Museum (한국근대문학관) features the first edition of “Daehan Jiji” (대한지지, 1899), Korea’s first modern geography textbook, published by the Korean Empire’s Ministry of Education, along with the first edition of Jang Ji-yeon’s (장지연) “Daehan Sinjiji” (대한신지지, 1907), as well as provincial maps, geography books and tourist guides.

Notably, the “Complete Map of the Korean Empire” (대한전도) included in “Daehan Sinjiji” (대한신지지) places the Gando (간도) region within North Hamgyong Province (함경북도), reflecting the Korean Empire’s territorial perception at the time. Maps from the Japanese colonial period also depict railways, sea routes, road networks, local specialty products and urban planning, offering a glimpse into the social and spatial changes of the era.

[코리안투데이] First edition of “Daehan Jiji” (대한지지), a Korean Empire-era geography textbook featured in the exhibition © 김현수 기자

Modern Travelogues by Yi Gwang-su and Choe Nam-seon Also on Display

First editions of modern travelogues, including Yi Gwang-su’s (이광수) “Diary of a Journey to Geumgangsan” (금강산유기) and “Bando Gangsan” (반도강산), as well as Choe Nam-seon’s (최남선) “Simchun Sullye” (심춘순례) and “Baekdusan Geunchamgi” (백두산근참기), will also be on display. These writers traveled across the country — to Geumgangsan (금강산), Baekdusan (백두산), Jirisan (지리산) and beyond — recording not only natural scenery but also history, folklore and the lives of the people they encountered.

Visitors can also view maps and geographic materials representative of the era, such as “Joseon Myeongseunggi” (조선명승기), “Joseon Yeohaeng Annaegi” (조선여행안내기) and “Complete Map of the Republic of Korea” (대한민국전도).

[코리안투데이] View of the exhibition featuring rare modern travelogues, maps and other archival materials © 김현수 기자

Exhibition Spans First and Second Floors, with Interactive Spaces

The exhibition is organized across two spaces. The first-floor section, “Diverse Perspectives on the Korean Peninsula,” explores how modern Koreans surveyed and understood the nation’s territory through maps, geography books and tourist guides, while the second-floor section, “Modern Literature Seen Through Maps,” presents poems and novels set in various regions of the Korean Peninsula alongside actual maps.

The exhibition is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last admission 30 minutes before closing), and admission is free. The museum is closed every Monday, as well as on Lunar New Year, Chuseok (추석) and January 1.

A museum official said, “Maps record space, and literature captures the memories of the people who lived in that space,” adding, “We hope this exhibition offers visitors the chance to encounter rare modern archival materials firsthand and to view the spaces we inhabit today from a fresh perspective.”