• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.240-253
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• 2021

Various decipherment technologies, including manual rubbing, have been continuously applied to the Goguryeo Stele in Chungju. However, an official document for advanced decipherment is required as there remain characters to be deciphered. This study focuses on interdisciplinary digital decipherment using digital visualization results based on reflectance transformation imaging and three-dimensional scanning. On that basis, the joint decipherment document in 2019 is classified into eight types according to character changes from 1979 to 2000, and decipherment achievements are discussed. Important outcomes of the joint decipherment document include a new interpretation of four existing characters and the identification of 28 new characters. Additionally, 68 characters on the front face and 20 on the left face, which are listed differently in previous decipherment documents, are determined to be a single character through a consensus process. Compared to the previous decipherment document, the "decision" character is increased by a total of 89 characters (22.6%), and the "different opinion" character is decreased by 126 characters (32.0%). Thus, this digital decipherment greatly contributes to the reexamination of the Goguryeo Stele in Chungju and complements the previous decipherment document through reflectance transformation imaging and three-dimensional scanning. However, continuous research is necessary to enhance decipherment rates, since 123 characters (31.3%) are yet to receive decipherment. In the future, decipherment advancement regarding the Goguryeo Stele in Chungju should be based on convergence research between the humanities and science. Furthermore, it seems that researchers must make constant efforts to apply new imaging analysis technology and to develop customized technology for decipherment.