[7] The beginning of Samguk yusa describes Dangun Wanggeom, a mythological ancestor of all Koreans, founding the first nation of Korea, named Gojoseon.

[8] The author, Il-yeon, became a monk at the age of eight in 1214, working as an abbot in various temples, attending royal conferences at the king's command, and hosting important Buddhist events until his death in 1289.

Il-yeon collected and analyzed many works of Korean culture for a long period of time prior to the writing of Samguk yusa.

[8] Samguk yusa consists of two books containing a total of five volumes, divided into nine parts (fascicles): Wangryeok, Gii, Heungbeop, Tapsang, Uihae, Sinju, Gamtong, Pieun, and Hyoseon.

Gii contains the archive from Gojoseon to the late Three Kingdoms Period; it opens with an introductory passage explaining why it was written.

[10] 20th-century Korean scholars such as Choe Nam-seon established the Buddhist monk Il-yeon (1206–1289) as the main compiler of the text, on the basis that his name (and full official title) was indicated in the fifth fascicle.

Moreover, the Samguk yusa is one of a limited number of sources for the study of ancient Korean language systems.

In particular, Tapsang (part 4), "which mainly focuses on the founding of pagodas, Buddhist images and temples, is an essential source for the study of various remains and relics of both historical and archeological value.

[15] According to the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, "the book contains a wide range of records about young soldiers of the Silla Period, which are more religious and poetical than those written in Samguk sagi.

"[1] On the other hand, studies have found that "Samguk Sagi was almost immediately accepted as one of the most definitive histories of its time and within several decades was read even in China.

Despite the reasonable writing of the Samguk sagi, nationalist historians and scholars refer to it as a Chinese Confucian-centered book, arguing that it instils a subordinate attitude (sadae), with the ancient tradition ignored.

Il-yeon's work provides four bizarre stories depicting the discovery of archaeological artifacts to demonstrate the existence of Buddhism in the pre-modern era, the time of the tale's telling.

The text covers legends from many Korean kingdoms, including Gojoseon, Wiman Joseon, Buyeo, Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, and Gaya.

[20] In terms of Il-yeon's research approach, he regarded the quality and quantity of the resources as crucial elements for his work, used the "inserted textual commentary" in order to seriously evaluate his resources, allowed readers to access comparative information about the history, and even expressed concerns about the reliability when there was insufficient information to depict.

The inscription of Samguk yusa is also a relatively credible source, but its contents are mainly confined to the mobilization of the peasantry for dike construction and the description of land property for the temple.

[18] One bias of the Samguk yusa is that it chiefly relays stories of the upper class of Silla instead of the ordinary people.

[7] Although historical interpretations of the content of the Samguk yusa are dependent on the resources Il-yeon chose to include, the book is nonetheless worthwhile in comprehending the overall landscape of Silla.

"[21] The king selects "a piece of high and clear ground" for the creation and enshrinement of the large statue, and it is successfully cast on the first attempt.

[21]: 3 The text covers a wide range of subjects, including geography, literature, religion, art, and folklore, as well as ancient history.

The stories naturally came from the lives of Goryeo people under the extreme suffering in the Mongol-dominant era in order to strengthen both a sense of national identity and descendance from a common ancestor.

When Soon Jeong-gong has lunch at Imhaejeong Pavilion while taking office as Gangneung Taesu during King Seongdeok's reign, Soon Jeong's wife, Lady Suro, sees that the royal azalea flowers are in full bloom.

An old man, walking along the street with a cow, appears and says, "If you gather the people and sing a song and hit the river hill with a cane, you will be able to meet your wife.

Choshin, a monk who adores Kim Nang-Ja, enthusiastically begs Gwaneum Bodhisattva to realise love with her.

[15] When Kim Nang-ja says, "Let's break up with each other rather than continue the miserable life as it is," Choshin agrees, and after sharing the children with each other, he awakens from his dream.

It is the only complete book without missing pages, out of all the copies published in Gyeongju in 1512 (the 7th year of the reign of King Jungjong of the Joseon Dynasty), which is the earliest extant edition.

[1] Two woodblock-printed editions of Sanguk yusa have been excavated in addition to this copy, and they have been designated as National Treasure Nos.

Additionally, the collection at Beomeosa Temple is found to be closely related to the 1512 publication in terms of its font, size, and spacing between the lines, which shows its importance for bibliographical research was recognized even during the Joseon dynasty.

Moreover, as it contains information on how to read the Chinese characters used in the text in Hangul (Korean alphabet), it is an applicable material for researchers of Korea’s ancient language.

Moreover, the word "Nisanjang" on the middle of back cover indicates that it was purchased and kept by a person with surname Nam in February of the 55th year of the Chinese sexagenary cycle.

Even though only volumes 3 and 5 remain, this copy is valuable in that it is a complete edition without any missing pages as an early Joseon book.