Korea, Republic of, National Institute of Korean History History Net (NIKH)

Overview

History Net (contents.history.go.kr) is the online educational and reference portal of the National Institute of Korean History (NIKH; Korean: 국사편찬위원회). It provides free, multilingual public access to digitized Korean historical sources, cultural history databases, thematic historical topics, and educational resources developed by the NIKH.

About the National Institute of Korean History

The NIKH is a South Korean government organization under the Ministry of Education, located in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. It was established in March 1946 as the Office of National History (Guksagwan) inside Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, formed to write history textbooks and compile historical materials following Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. It was renamed in its current form in 1949 and has operated as a branch of the Ministry of Education since. The NIKH certifies and supervises history textbooks for middle and high schools, conducts educational programs for government officials and teachers, and operates training programs for translators of classical Chinese and pre-modern Japanese historical texts.

Collections and Holdings

History Net aggregates several major content databases. It includes a database of 52 volumes of Korean History published by the NIKH from 1993 to 2002, available in text and e-book formats, and a database of 40 volumes of Korean Cultural History published from 2005 to 2011. The platform also offers primary source documents with original texts, translations, overviews, and further references; thematic collections on major topics in Korean history with supplementary images; and image materials spanning prehistoric times through the modern era. An English-language interface provides access to selected translated content. The broader NIKH Korean History Database at db.history.go.kr includes the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, the Seungjeongwon Ilgi (Diaries of the Royal Secretariat), digitized historical Korean newspapers, and 2.7 million archival sources.

Access and Usage

History Net is freely accessible online in Korean and English. It serves academic researchers, students, educators, and the general public. The NIKH also provides image reproductions of historical Korean newspapers, including the Tonga ilbo (1920–1962) and Chungang ilbo (1931–1933).