Maps are an important tool for humans to understand and communicate about space, and have undergone many changes from ancient times to modern times. Maps have become increasingly sophisticated in response to the needs of the times and technological advances, and have had a profound impact on society through governance, administration, and popular use.
Maps have been used since early times because they are very useful as a means of human communication about surface space. Perhaps in the distant past, they were simply representations of spatial information on dirt, sand, or stone. Although maps were very primitive compared to today, they were an important tool for humans to understand and communicate about space. The recording and communication of spatial information became more than just a way to indicate location; it was essential to the survival and development of communities. The use of these early maps played an important role in expanding human geographic understanding and facilitating interaction with other groups.
In Korea, spatial information has been found in petroglyphs left by the Seonsaen people nearly 3,000 years ago, and in Goguryeo wall paintings. Various literary sources have also revealed that military and administrative maps were produced during the Three Kingdoms period and the Goryeo Dynasty. Since then, maps have undergone many changes as production technology has developed and their uses have diversified.
The maps that exist in Korea were created after the Joseon Dynasty. In the early Joseon Dynasty, the energy of the nation’s founding was expressed through maps. For example, the Mixed History of Korea, created in 1402, was a comprehensive map of the world at the time, from China and Japan to Europe and Africa. The map was not actually surveyed, but rather assembled from existing maps of the time, and it reflects the desire of people at the time to see the emerging nation of Joseon in the world. These maps played an important role in shaping Joseon’s political and cultural identity and served as a visual representation of the country’s territory and authority.
Later in the Joseon Dynasty, the development of woodblock printing led to the production of many woodblock maps, which were larger in size and more detailed and rich in information. However, most of the maps produced during the Joseon Dynasty were centered on the kwan, which was used primarily as a means of governance and administration. The development of maps during this period contributed to the strengthening of the country’s centralized governance system and played an important role in effectively managing the characteristics and resources of each region.
After the opening of the port, Western printing and cartographic technologies were introduced. During the Japanese occupation, Western sophisticated cartography was introduced mainly by the Japanese. They created maps to control the Korean Peninsula, and in that sense, maps still served as a tool for governance and administration. The maps were used to record precise geographical information to determine the location and availability of resources on the Korean peninsula. This played a crucial role in strengthening Japan’s economic and military dominance. It wasn’t until after Japan’s liberation that maps were made available to the public.
In recent years, the widespread use of computers and the increasing capacity of computers have led to the development of computerized maps. Computer maps differ significantly from traditional paper maps in that they are numerical maps (digital maps). Numerical maps are maps that use the same symbol system used in traditional maps, but categorize and store various geographic information in a standard code. Numerical maps are widely used for land use maps, cadastral maps, underground facility location maps, road maps, weather maps, and vegetation maps. A system that utilizes numerical maps in this way is called a geographic information system (GIS). The development of GIS has revolutionized the analysis and use of geographic information, which plays an important role in a variety of fields, including urban planning, environmental management, and disaster response.
As we have seen, maps have evolved gradually to meet the needs of each era. Maps contain a variety of information about the space in which we live, which is meaningful to the lives of people at the time. The development of maps has also served as an important indicator of the science, technology, cultural background, and social needs of each era. Through different maps, we can learn not only about ourselves, but also about the lives of people who lived in the distant past. We can also meet people living in places we’ve never visited and learn about their thoughts and lives. In this sense, maps are windows to the world. When we understand the world through the window of a map and derive various meanings from it, the map becomes a thick book with a wealth of information.
