Ryang Song Ji, the main compiler of “Tonggukyojisungnam” (50 volumes), which was an important part of the geography book of our country, was a well-known scholar who made great achievements in several fields. He started learning at the age of six. From a very early age, he was so clever and good at composing poems that he attracted everybody’s attention. He thought that it was of utmost importance for everyone to be well aware of the geography of their native places and homeland, and that learning and technical research should be focused on both the prosperity of their country and making the lives of common people better.
Possessed of many-sided knowledge including history and geography, he was involved in compiling and publishing several books in the fifteenth century. In fact, almost all the geography books and maps of that time were related to him. Among them, geography part of “Sejong Sillok” (Chronicles of King Sejong) and “Tonggukyojisungnam” played very important parts in writing the geography book in the feudal age of our country. Together with 23 scholars including Ro Sa Sin and Kang Hui Maeng, Ryang Song Ji completed “Tonggukyojisungnam” (50 volumes) in 1481 on the basis of “Geography of Eight Provinces” compiled in 1432, geography part of “Sejong Sillok” compiled in 1454 by amending “Geography of Eight Provinces”, “Sinchan Geography” and “Tongmunson” compiled in 1477. With rich and detailed contents, “Tonggukyojisungnam” is a priceless classic of great value in the historical and geographical study of several fields of our country including society, economy, military affairs, culture, etc. around the fifteenth century.
In addition to it, Ryang Song Ji made several maps that demonstrated the level of the Korean cartology of that time.
As a scholar of noble birth, he presented to the feudal government a “reform plan” several times that reflected his creative opinion on making some changes to the affairs in several fields of the feudal system including military affairs and economy for building up the national power and defending the security of the country.
His exploits for the development of geography performed in those days are being conveyed through generations together with “Tonggukyojisungnam”.
Kim Kwang Jo, researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences
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