Even before the implementation of the postal system, letters were actively exchanged between individuals, groups, and institutions. In personal correspondence, people exchanged greetings, communicated about matters both large and small, and even conducted transactions of goods. For organizations and institutions, many of these letters would have involved the delivery of official documents. Such letters, depending on their significance, can still be found today collected in museums or by private collectors.
Through letters written in elaborate calligraphy in classical Chinese (한문, 漢文), we can indirectly observe the intellectual level and social standing of the ruling elite of that period. Among the leaders of Joseon society, there was a high degree of interest in Western civilization and in religion. Catholicism, in particular, entered Korea via China.
