Among the historians both in Korea and in Vietnam, Lee Soo-Gwang has been well known for his long term contact with a famous Vietnamese scholar Phung Khac Khoan in Beijing during the years of 1597-1598. As the members of official mission to China from each country, Lee Soo-Gwang and Phung Khac Khoan stayed together in the royal guest house called Ok Ha Gwan (Ngoc Ha Quan in Vietnamese pronunciation) for several months. During this stay the two scholars exchanged many poems that have been left until now both in Korea and in Vietnam. Lee Soo-Gwang left bunch of records on his meetings with Phung Khac Khoan in his literature collection, Chi Bong Jip and Chi Bong Yu Seol.
This article examines Lee Soo-Gwang's records including poems, essays, and interviews in the historical context. Lee's writings are full of the historical evidence on the various aspects of Vietnam. In other words, those writings were valuable information about Vietnam to the Korean intellectuals at that time. Especially his poems were the treasure bowls of his knowledge on Vietnam.
In the main body of this article, three issues are discussed. First is about the state titles of Vietnam. Second is the important products. Third is about people and custom. By the analysis of the three issues, author examines how far Lee accumulated information about Vietnam.
As the state titles, Bach Viet, Viet Thuong, Giao Chi, Cuu Chan, An Nam, and Quang Nam were used according to the steps of Vietnamese history. Lee Soo-Gwang's fluent handling of these state titles is a clear evidence that he had collected enough information on the history of Vietnam.
Lee Soo-Gwang's image on Vietnam in terms of local products can be summarized as the 'richness.' He mentions warm and cozy weather, trade, and abundant local products such as rice, elephant tusk, rhinoceros horns, aquila, calamba, and silk. Especially, the silk attracted Lee very much as the main product of Vietnam for export.
During his stay in the Ok Ha Gwan, Lee had enough chance to closely observe the members of the Vietnamese mission. By the observation at this time, he provides us with the basic features of the personalities and the way of living of the Vietnamese including Phung Khac Khoan. Furthermore, he conducted a kind of interview with Phung Khac Khoan on the matters of Vietnamese history, culture, politics, products, geography, and so on. By Lee's information, the outlooks and the personalities of the Vietnamese in the end of the 16th century can be understood in a clearer form, and Vietnamese society can be imagined in a more concrete way.
Lee Soo-Gwang's descriptions on Vietnam are not based on hearing, but on the substantial readings, observations, and interviews. His way of descriptions is the example of an initial work amongst the products of Korean silhak (study of reality) tradition that lasted to the 19th century. Lee Soo-Gwang can be regarded as the first Korean scholar who seriously studied Vietnam in Korea. In other words, Vietnam was standing at the starting point of the silhak study.