National Library of Korea

Public library in Seoul, South Korea

The National Library of Korea (hangul=국립중앙도서관) is located in the Seocho District of Seoul, South Korea. It was established in 1945. It houses over 10 million volumes, including over 1,134,000 foreign books and some of the National Treasures of South Korea.

Korea did not have a national modern library until the Korean Empire period. The first modern library on the peninsula was the Daehan Library, which was established in 1906 by Lee Keun sang, Lee Beom gu and Yun Chi ho. However, it was not publicly accessible. Its 100,000 books were eventually confiscated by the government in 1911. The first library that allowed free public access (although it was still privately owned) was called Daedong Seogwan. It also printed its own books. However, the Japanese colonial government eventually limited access to printed materials, including newspapers, magazines, and books. It was then restricted to printing approved media and propaganda. After the 1919 March 1st Movement protests against colonial rule, the Japanese government general loosened its restrictions on Korea. As part of this, they constructed the Government General of Chōsen Library in Sogong dong, Jung District, Keijō (Seoul) in 1923. In October 1945, weeks after the liberation of Korea, the National Library of Korea inherited the Government General of Chōsen Library. Park Bong seok created it by gathering materials from a number of libraries in the area. He also contributed to the development of a national library system in the South. In 1946, Park created a national library school to train librarians. He also continued consolidating materials from other Korean libraries. The library also possesses an extensive digital collection, including archives of newspapers and primary sources related to Korean history and society. Many of these resources are freely available online, although some require paid or special permission to access. The library is served by Seoul Subway Lines 3, 7 and 9 which all connect at Express Bus terminal Station.