The first Gutenberg Bible, which was first mentioned in the correspondence of Pope Pius II, was published in 1455. That was the time when the world got the news of the great innovation of Johannes Gutenberg which was a new technique of printing. That event is said to be the beginning of printing in Europe (in Asia the first book had been already published in China in 868 with the usage of a wooden block). However, the eldest published book in the world which was made with the usage of a metallic block was not the Gutenberg Bible, but a Korean book titled «The Monk Baegun's Anthology of the Great Priests' Teachings on Identification of the Buddha’s Spirit by the Practice of Seon» or shortly Jikji. It was printed in 1377 during the reign of the Goryeo dynasty, 78 years before the innovation of Johannes Gutenberg. The author of the book – a Buddhist monk Baegun – was honored with one of the most popular museums of South Korea – the Cheongju Early Printing Museum.

This unique museum was build in almost 6 years. It was opened in 1992 and since then it has been one of the main popular touristic places in the city. It was built opposite the ancient Buddhist temple of Heungdeoksa where the first Korean book was published.

In 2007, the museum got its second name – «Jikji Cultural Park». Numerous cultural and educational projects dedicated to printing in Korea from the Goryeo dynasty to the present day started developing on its territory. There you can learn about the first printed bronze blocks and the latest modern printing technologies. You can also see the oldest Korean document «Dharani Sutra» which was printed with wooden blocks. The document and the wooden blocks which were used for its printing date back to 751. The small but interesting museum keeps secrets of many old hand-written and printed books, including a copy of legendary Jikji.