Late Middle Ages · East Asia · Technology

1447

Joseon Court Refines Metal Movable Type

1447

Korean printers under royal patronage refined their bronze movable type system into the Gabinja typeface, which dramatically improved the speed, clarity, and quality of book production in the Korean script. The state printing office issued Confucian classics, medical texts, and agricultural manuals in growing numbers. Korea's printing technology remained the most technically advanced in the world, though its reach was limited by the court's strict monopoly over presses.