Hong Gye-hui

[1] In 1748, King Yeongjo of Joseon directed that a diplomatic mission to Japan would be dispatched.

[1] This diplomatic mission functioned to the advantage of both the Japanese and the Koreans as a channel for developing a political foundation for trade.

[2] This delegation was explicitly identified by the Joseon court as a "Communication Envoy" (tongsinsa).

[1] Pak Tong-chi's historical significance was confirmed when his mission and his name were specifically mentioned in a widely distributed history published by the Oriental Translation Fund in 1834.

Joseon foreign relations and diplomacy are explicitly referenced in the 1834 work.

This image of a Joseon tongsinsa procession through the streets of Edo in 1748 is entitled Chosenjin Ukie by Hanegawa Tōei , c. 1748.