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Busan Metropolitan City Publishes Volume 32 of the Busan Historical Records Series, Korean Translation of Joseon Office Documents (5)

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) has announced the publication of Volume 32 of the Busan Historical Records Series, titled Korean Translation of Joseon Office Documents (5), which offers insight into Korea-Japan relations around the time of Korea’s opening to the outside world.

This newly published volume is a translation of Books 14 to 16 of the Joseon Office Documents, a collection compiled by the “Japanese Consulate General in Busan” after Korea's opening to foreign trade, detailing diplomatic records related to Joseon.

The Joseon Office Documents is a comprehensive collection of diplomatic records between Korea and Japan, authored by officials at the Japanese settlement in Busan during the opening period. Following the establishment of the Japanese Consulate General in Busan in February 1876 through the “Japan–Korea Treaty of Amity,” the need arose to organize Korean-Japanese diplomatic archives.

In response, the Japanese Consulate General in Busan collected diplomatic documents—including reports from individuals involved in diplomacy while residing in the Japanese settlement from 1867 to 1874, instructions and communications among Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, and directives from the Dajōkan*, Japan’s highest administrative body established during the Meiji Restoration. These were systematically compiled into 29 volumes by date.

* Dajōkan: The highest administrative organ established during Japan’s Meiji Restoration.

The newly published Korean Translation of Joseon Office Documents (5) presents diplomatic records from August to November 1872. The translations were carried out by two experts with in-depth knowledge of Korean and Japanese historical documents, and reviewed by two historians to ensure the quality and accuracy of the translation.

Books 14 to 16 of the Joseon Office Documents include diplomatic records from August to November 1872, a period that reflects the two nations' responses to Japan's institutional reforms and the evolving Korea–Japan relations.

These documents provide valuable insight into the actions of the Lord of Tsushima*** during the collapse of the Giyuyakjo system** following the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the Haihan-chiken reforms*, as well as into the attitudes of Dongnae Prefecture. The records are crucial for understanding the historical context of Busan’s opening as a port.

* Haihan-chiken: A centralization policy in Japan that abolished 261 domains and reorganized the country into prefectures on August 29, 1871.
** Giyuyakjo: The foundational agreement between Joseon and Japan, signed in 1609, which resumed diplomatic ties after the Japanese invasions of Korea and allowed the Japanese to reside in the Dongnae settlement.
*** Lord of Tsushima: The feudal lord who governed Tsushima Island.

Korean Translation of Joseon Office Documents (5) is available for public access at local libraries and can be downloaded from the Busan Cultural Portal (busandabom.net) or the website of the Busan History Compilation Committee (bssisa.com).

Jo Yoo-jang, Director General of Busan’s Culture Bureau, stated, “Through the translation of pre-modern historical records, which form the foundation of research on Busan’s history, we are striving to compile historical sources and build an infrastructure for academic research on Busan.” He added, “We hope this latest volume will serve as an opportunity to better understand the historical significance of Busan, which stood at the forefront of Korea–Japan diplomacy prior to Korea’s modern opening.”

Meanwhile, as part of its historical compilation initiative, the city has been publishing the Busan Historical Records Series, translating pre-modern historical materials related to Busan. Since the first volume, Dongnaebu Case Records, was released in 1963, a total of 32 volumes have been published, including this latest edition. The translation project of the Joseon Office Documents is planned to span a total of nine volumes and will be completed by 2029.