This seal, which reads, “大君主寶” (‘daegunjubo’ meaning “the seal of an emperor”), was crafted in 1882 (the 19th year of King Gojong’s reign) to use on diplomatic documents. Before then, Joseon Kings used a seal inscribed with “朝鮮國王之印” (‘joseongukwangjiin’ meaning “the seal of the Joseon king”) when communicating with the Ming and Qing dynasties; however, the seal was replaced by 大君主寶 (daegunjubo) signifying the seal of 大君主 (daegunju, emperor) of 大朝鮮國 (daejoseonguk, the Great Joseon Dynasty). With the strong intention to move away from the unequal diplomatic relationship centered on China, and in line with the period of the rapid transformation of the time, King Gojong ordered this seal to be made to internationally present Joseon as an independent sovereign state. He used this seal from the year of its production through to 1897, and an example of its actual use was identified in a document issued in 1883 appointing a minister in charge of trade treaty affairs with foreign nations. It was revealed that based on the newly reformed system for official document management, the seal was also stamped on the laws promulgated in the name of the king, decrees, or documents for the appointment of relevant officials. It was not until 2019 that the seal was repatriated to Korea after having been illegally taken out of the country during the Korean War (1950-1953).