Collin de Plancy

It was through Victor Collin de Plancy, a French minister to Korea in the late 19th century, that Jikji went to France. Collin de Plancy initially came to Korea in 1888 as France’s first minister to Korea and held the position until 1891. He was later reappointed to the same position and his second term began in April 1896. During this period, Collin de Plancy collected various artworks such as old Korean books and sent them to France, Jikji included among them. It is estimated that Collin de Plancy collected Jikji between 1896, when he began his second term, and 1899 before Jikji was exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exposition.