The author was a silhak scholar and a military officer of the mid-Joseon period of Korea.
[1][2] The title came from his pen name, Jibong and yuseol which literally means "topical discourses" in Korean.
[3] Parts of the book are drawn from Sugwang's experiences in the Ming Dynasty, meeting people from modern day Italy, Thailand, Vietnam, Okinawa.
From the information he obtained from the trips, he wrote a 20-volume encyclopedia, with the title Jibong yuseol.
Jibong yuseol contained not only information on Catholicism and China, but also on Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand.