Forensic Anthropological Analysis of the Korean Empire’s Post-mortem Examination Report on Park Bong-Un of Unbong County

During the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, a reasonable investigation of the dead was well developed even before the introduction of modern forensic techniques from Western countries. Various reviews have been attempted on those investigation records currently stored in the Gyujanggak library, but an in-depth analysis has not been conducted on the extent to which the evidence mobilized at the time is valid from the perspective of modern forensic science. Therefore, we conducted a full-scale forensic review of the Gyujanggak record as an interdisciplinary study between forensic science and humanities. The case of Park Bong-Un which occurred in 1902 was investigated by Korean Empire officials who concluded that the deceased was killed by the beating of the suspect. The entire investigation of the Park Bong-Un case was described by the officials in detail, and the conclusion was made according to a credible process although various methods used in modern forensic investigation were impossible during the period.