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What is the Tripitaka Koreana and when was it produced?

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Map of the Korean Peninsula highlighted in orange, showing North Korea in the north and South Korea in the south. The peninsula is bordered by China and Russia to the north, the Yellow Sea to the west, the East Sea (Sea of Japan) to the east, and Japan across the sea to the southeast. A small inset globe at the top left shows the peninsula's location in East Asia. — Korea Map of the Korean Peninsula, indicating northern and southern regions.

The Tripitaka Koreana is a monumental collection of Buddhist scriptures consisting of more than 80,000 wooden printing blocks. It represents the most complete set of Buddhist religious texts in Asia and is currently preserved at Haein Temple in South Korea.12

These blocks were produced in the mid-13th century during the Koryŏ dynasty (918–1392). The project was commissioned by the Koryŏ government while it was in exile on Ganghwa Island to escape Mongol invasions. The resulting wood-block edition is considered a masterpiece of printing technology, comparable to the finest Chinese editions of the Song period.231