National Institute of Korean History Korean History Database (NIKH db.history.go.kr)

Overview

The Korean History Database (db.history.go.kr) is the primary online scholarly database of the National Institute of Korean History (NIKH; Korean: 국사편찬위원회). It provides research-grade public access to digitized primary historical sources related to Korean history, including royal annals, colonial-era archives, diplomatic documents, and modern records.

About the National Institute of Korean History

The NIKH was established in March 1946 in Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul, as the Office of National History. It was reconstituted in 1948 as the National History Compilation Committee under the new Republic of Korea government, and became known in English as the NIKH from 2000. Today it is located in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and operates as a branch of the Ministry of Education. The NIKH certifies history textbooks, conducts educational programs, and has been digitalizing historical materials since the 1990s. In 2012, the NIKH announced a project to translate the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty into English by 2033.

Collections and Holdings

The Korean History Database includes the full text of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (Joseon Wangjo Sillok), the Seungjeongwon Ilgi (Diaries of the Royal Secretariat), and other classical chronicles. It holds approximately 2.7 million archival sources, covering the colonial period, audio-visual materials and photographs, serials from government and non-government sources, presidential archives, foreign documents related to Korea, and oral histories. Thesaurus functionality and original document images are available. The database also provides access to Korean modern newspaper sources, research series, and document collections in classical Chinese with Korean translations.

Access and Usage

The database is available online in Korean, with an English interface for selected content at the related History Net portal. It is used by historians, academic researchers, students, and the general public. The NIKH additionally holds and provides online access to image reproductions of historical Korean newspapers including the Tonga ilbo (1920–1962) and Chungang ilbo (1931–1933).