Exhibition to be held to commemorate the founding of Goryeo

An exhibition about Sambyeolcho, an elite military unit of Goryeo, will be held next year, marking the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of the ancient dynasty.

The Jeju National Museum is currently hosting a special exhibition entitled “Sambyeolcho and East Asia,” which sheds light on the Sambyeolcho military that had tenaciously fought back against the Mongol Empire that had conquered East Asia in the late 13th century. The special exhibition features the journey of the Goryeo’s forces all the way from Ganghwa, Jindo and Jeju to Japan. It is the first of its kind, which encompasses all the remains of the special military unit.

In an effort to show a comprehensive exhibition, the museum has collected some 570 relics from 27 institutions home and abroad. It has also introduced recent excavation results that display social aspects of the late Goryeo period.

The exhibition includes the Tripitaka Koreana, a collection of Buddhist literature (National Treasure No. 272), and the embodiment of ancestors’ strong mind overcoming national crises with sincere Buddhist belief (Treasure No. 1156), as well as a rare armor of the times such as Gen. Jeongji’s protection equipment (Treasure No. 336). It has shown the total of 10 state-designated cultural properties including National Treasures and Treasures. Starting with the Jeju National Museum, a series of the special exhibitions commemorating the founding of the Goryeo Dynasty with various themes, will be held in major museums across the country. The exhibition continues until Feb. 28 next year.

Sang-Un Kim sukim@donga.com