Chairman
"The name of our country, Koryo, was also widely known to the world as the production of goods and culture at the time were developed and widely known to other countries."
In Koryo dynasty, our wise and talented people achieved fame of the country with Koryo paper which was well known in the world as the best together with good inventions including Koryo ceramic, Koryo silk cloth and metal printing types.
They produced a lot of good paper because the superior skill of paper making in the period of Three Kingdoms including Koguryo was handed down to the Koryo period.
The paper called Paechuji was as white as snow and Kyonji was as durable as silk. Achongji was shining but not mothy and Kumbunji was famous for its luxury, Jukyobji known for thin and slippery paper, Chanhoji for very durable one. There were also Hwanggumji, Kojongji and etc.
Koryo paper was so well known and widely used in the world because of not only its variety but also its high quality that its demand increased and neighboring countries used to buy it. It is recorded in history that Koryo exported 2,000 sheets of taephuk paper to Song China in 1080. It is also on record that a Mongolian representative asked 100,000 sheets of paper to Koryo in August, 1221.
World people admired the superiority of Koryo paper.
It is said in "Kobanyosa", Chinese old document, "Koryo paper is made of cocoon so that its color is similar to Rung (綾) and it is as durable as Paek (帛). It is absorbed ink so well that it is easy to write on. We don't have it in China and it is something extraordinary." "Kyerimji" (鷄林志) says "Koryodak paper is lovely with its white color and it is called Paekchuji." and it is described in "Somokru" (書目漏), "Zhang Zheng in Jin China always wrote on Koryo Chongja paper."
Also Wuankai in Wuan China had a sheet of Koryo paper as a present and kept it for 7 years. After meeting the famous painter Wang Chongming, he allowed him to draw a picture on it. In 1369, Songtan and others in Ming China made book covers of Koryo Chiji when they wrote "Wonsa" (元史).
Koryo paper was included in the most important items of exports to merchants of China and several countries and it was used widely in their writing lives. Among them, Koryo Kyonji was regarded as treasure and Koryo Anji was used to cover books.
Koryo paper was well known not only to the East but also to European countries.
1n 1894, the book "Korean Bibliography" published in Paris, France, appreciated Koryo paper that Korean paper had the soft and solid quality in any dynasty and the books discovered in old libraries in Europe weren't yellowish and was never worm eaten.
The reason why the world people appreciated as follows.
Koryo people used the united power and wisdom of the whole nation after territorial reunification and made the best use of the previous paper making skills, experiences, tactical ideas and special methods. Also they created and developed them.
Koryo paper was known to the Eastern and European countries and it has achieved fame until now catching world people's admiration.
It is our national pride showing the superior wisdom and talent of our people.
