Korean Metal Movable Type Printing

Timeline

1. 1590–1592Hanseong · Joseon dynastyIn the early 1590s, Korea inherited the copper type and type-casting workshop system accumulated since the 15th century; central and local printing shops held large numbers of type molds, able to quickly compose and print Chinese-character classics and official documents.
2. c. 1592–1598Printing shops across Korea · Joseon dynastyAfter the war broke out in 1592, the court and the righteous army networks used metal type to quickly print proclamations, military orders, edicts, and Chinese-character battle reports; some printing shops relocated along with the court to Ganghwa Island and elsewhere to continue operating, supporting wartime information dissemination.
3. c. 1598–1600Hanseong · Joseon dynastyAfter the war ended in 1598, the central printing shops reorganized scattered type and cast new characters, resuming the printing of classics and administrative documents; the metal type system continued as one of Korea's mainstream printing methods into the early 17th century.