The Hwarang segi Manuscripts: From In-progress Fiction to Pseudohistory

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.