At Insa Historic Sites Museum, heritage is preserved through destruction
Some of the world's oldest extant movable metal type is on display at a new museum in central Seoul, and entry is free of charge for anyone who wants to see it. However, Insa Historic Sites Museum comes across as surprisingly modest in how it displays these remarkable pieces of typographic history. The museum's collection includes 441 examples of movable metal type, selected from approximately…
A new museum in central Seoul is preserving some of the world's oldest movable metal type, allowing visitors to view these historic artifacts free of charge. Insa Historic Sites Museum houses 441 examples of metal type, out of around 1,700 replicas found at the site. Among these are gabinja, cast in 1434, and eulyuja, cast in 1465, making them the oldest known surviving metal types with Hangeul, or Korean characters.
Hundreds of these metal pieces were discovered during a 2020-21 archaeological survey and subsequent excavation, as mandated by the redevelopment process that demolished the southeastern part of Seoul's historic Insa-dong neighborhood to create G1 Seoul, a new office building housing the museum.
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