Invented to communicate information more widely and accumulate knowledge, the printing technology has come a long way in the dissemination of knowledge and served as the engine for the innovation of all sectors of human activities including arts, literature, science, etc.

Jikji shows that Korea is a forerunner in metal-type printing technology, and experts agree that it has contributed greatly to the development of the cultural history of mankind.

Last April, we held a special exhibition titled “Jikji: The Beginning of It All: Korea’s Metal Movable Type Big Bang” at Klingspor Museum in Germany. Likewise, in May, we introduced Jikji as well as the printing culture of Korea at Drupa 2024—one of the world’s largest printing industry expos—in Dusseldorf, both as part of preliminary events of the 2024 Jikji Festival.

We hope that the 2024 Jikji Festival will serve as an occasion to renew our resolve to inherit our ancestors’ advanced technology and the cultural value of Jikji and to create future value through close cooperation with the locals in Cheongju, based on various results made through similar festivals held in the past.

Throughout the festival period, we will encourage people to take part through people-content contests, enjoy unique performances related to local artists’ creations, and visit the Digital Book Jikji event as an attempt at the globalization of Jikji amid the rapidly changing world.

Experts say that the invention of movable metal types lies at the center of development of mankind’s civilization over the past thousand years, and we take pride in the fact that Jikji was the one that started it all. I hope that the 2024 Jikji Festival provides an opportunity for many people to share the value of Jikji, enhance the status of Jikji as the forerunner of movable metal types, and remember that Cheongju is a city playing a central role in the documentary culture of the world. Thank you.