A major project that traces the full history of science, technology, and civilisation in Korea—from ancient peoples' understandings of nature as reflected in tumulus murals to modern semiconductor technologies—has reached a triumphant conclusion.

Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Institute for Korean Science and Civilization (Director Shin Dong-won), with support from the Academy of Korean Studies' Korean Studies Promotion Project Group, launched the series publication project in 2010 and, after 12 years, has completed the series: 30 Korean-language volumes and 7 English-language volumes covering the past, present, and future of Korean science and technology.

The series traverses Korea's traditional and modern eras, documenting achievements across all fields of science and technology as well as the impact of science on everyday life. In an era rife with skepticism about the future of printed books, the scholarly achievement of executing and completing such an ambitious large-scale series has drawn admiration from neighboring countries such as Japan and China and acclaim in the international academic community.

The Institute for Korean Science and Civilization that completed this major project was established at KAIST in 2010 to begin the related project, and it expanded and relocated to JBNU in 2015, accelerating the series publication effort that led to this result.

Because the series captures the past, present, and future of Korean science, it is being compared to—or judged to surpass—the world-renowned 'Science and Civilisation in China (SCC)' series initiated by Joseph Needham of the University of Cambridge (1900–1995). The fact that it was accomplished in just 12 years has also attracted attention from the global academic community.

In particular, the seven English-language volumes attracted significant attention at home and abroad after a contract was signed with the internationally renowned Cambridge University Press. This is only the second time Cambridge University Press has published a humanities and science series originating from the non-Western world, following 'Science and Civilisation in China.'

The project also signed translation and publication rights agreements with China Science and Technology Press for two volumes, and Cambridge University Press has pledged full support for publishing an additional five English volumes.

Shin Dong-won, Director of the Institute for Korean Science and Civilization, said, "The achievement completed over 12 years is being regarded as the establishment of a canonical work that can reveal the full scope of Korean scientific civilisation to the world. With numerous domestic and international inquiries for new topic identification and further translation and publication, we will work to turn this achievement into an opportunity to launch a Korean Wave in academic publishing, following the Korean Wave in culture and the arts."

Meanwhile, to commemorate the publication of the series, the JBNU Institute for Korean Science and Civilization held a press conference at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Seoul on August 31 at 3:00 PM, where Director Shin Dong-won and the authors discussed the significance of the achievement and future plans.