The Hwarang Segi Manuscripts - (Brill's Korean Studies Library) by Richard D McBride (Hardcover)

About the Book

This study and annotated translation of the Hwarang segi manuscripts examines the controversy over the authenticity of these pseudohistorical documents in Korea and demonstrates that they are an in-progress novel composed by Pak Ch'anghwa during the Japanese colonial period.

Book Synopsis

The Hwarang segi manuscripts, written by Pak Ch'anghwa (1889-1962), have been a hot topic in Korean history since their discovery in 1989. Some scholars claim that Pak discovered the lost Hwarang segi of Kim Taemun (fl. 704) in Japan while working for the Imperial Library during the 1930s and made hand copies of it; others maintain they are forgeries. Richard McBride's detailed study of the arguments on their authenticity, analysis of evidence from Pak's other writings about Silla, comprehensive historical context, and full English translation demonstrates that the manuscripts constitute an in-progress novel composed by Pak during the 1930s.

About the Author

Richard D. McBride II, Ph.D. (2001), UCLA, is Professor of Korean Studies at BYU. He has published books and articles on Korean and Chinese Buddhism and early Korean history, including The Three Kingdoms of Korea (Reaktion Books, 2024).