Haedong chegukki

• Date: 1471
• Author: Sin Suk-chu
• Korean/Japanese: 海東諸國紀　(Haedong chegukki / Kaitou shokokki)

The Haedong chegukki ("Account of the Various Countries of the Eastern Sea") is a compilation of the history, geography, language, and foreign relations of Japan and Ryûkyû, compiled by Korean official Sin Suk-chu (1417-1475) in 1471. It has been identified as an important source for understanding Joseon Dynasty Korean views and attitudes towards Japan and Ryûkyû.

This text drew upon earlier precedents and regulations for diplomatic relations, and codified them into a new, streamlined system, which would then serve as a basis for the protocols followed in the Korean embassies to Edo during the Tokugawa period. The text was also read by Japanese scholars, including Arai Hakuseki, who wrote a highly detailed annotated version with his own commentary.

References

• Etsuko Hae-Jin Kang, Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: From the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century, Palgrave Macmillan (1997), 74.