How did Printing Presses get to Korea?

Woodblock printing had been developed and practiced in Korea since the 13th century which was far before Gutenburg’s invention of the printing press in 1440. Although printing in Korea was practiced far before the West, it was done using wooden type which was slower and less efficient when compared to Western metal type printing presses stemming from Gutenburg’s press (Suarez and Woudhuysen). Metal type printing presses came into Korea from two external sources: Christian missionaries and Japanese settlers. 

Christian missionaries brought printing presses in order to print Bibles and spread Christianity in Korea. For instance, printing presses such as the Hansong Sunbo/ Seoul News press printed books such as The Bible as well as language learning aids such as the “English and Corean Dictionary”. Other western books printed in Korea by missionaries include: “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, “Aesop’s Fables”, and “Gulliver’s Travels” (McGovern). 

Japanese settlers also brought Western style printing presses from Japan. The intentions of these presses were to supply other Japanese settlers with books and newspapers in Japanese and did not usually try to appeal to a Korean audience despite being used in Korea. This shows us the cultural tensions felt between Japanese and Koreans at the time as more and more Japanese settlers were immigrating to Korea (McGovern).