"Unyeongjeon," a classic novel of unknown authorship created in the late Joseon Dynasty, deals with the life, love, oppression and anguish of a palace woman. The palace woman narrative contained in this novel was later reborn as "Dae Jang Geum," which expanded the scope of K-dramas into traditional food and culture.
"Local Entertainment of Joseon (1941)," which recorded children's games and folk games from across the country during the Japanese colonial period, vividly introduces the play culture of the era, such as "Mugunghwa Kkochi Pieotseumnida" (the "red light, green light" game) and "squid game." This play culture was reinterpreted as a modern narrative of a survival game in the Netflix drama "Squid Game" and expanded into global content.
An exhibition is being held showing that K-content, which has captivated people around the world today, originated from Korea's books and records accumulated over many years. It is the special exhibition "From a Single Book to the Whole World, K-Content," held at the exhibition hall on the first floor of the National Library of Korea in Seocho-gu, Seoul, until October 6. The exhibition was arranged to commemorate the holding of the "2026 World Library and Information Congress (WLIC)" in Busan. It highlights the virtuous cycle in which Korean classics and stories are reborn as K-content, spread across the world, and return once again as library archive materials.
The exhibition first introduces the books and records that became the prototypes of K-content. Visitors can encounter early materials through which foreigners who visited Korea in the late 19th century introduced Korean culture to the world. On display are "The Korean Repository," the English-language magazine that first published the sheet music of "Arirang" collected by Homer Hulbert, and "Guunmong" translated into English by James S. Gale.
Next, the exhibition examines cases in which Korean classics and records have been reinterpreted today into films, dramas and webtoons. "Eowu Yadam," a collection of unofficial stories from the Joseon Dynasty, leads to the fantasy worldview of the drama "My Love from the Star," and "Bulgasalijeon," published in 1921, connects to the film "The Host." In addition, translations of Korean literature in various languages held by the National Library of Korea and the first German edition of Mirok Li's "The Yalu Flows" are also on display.
Song Yoon-seok, acting director of the National Library of Korea, said, "We arranged this exhibition to shed light on the roots of K-content and to show that the library is a space where new creation and culture begin again."
