There's a lot of information out there about Korean history, whether through academic study, historical sites or even period K-dramas. We know, or at least think we know, how society functioned, how people dressed, where they lived and so on. But was Korea ever funny? The history of humor in Korea has been largely overlooked by historians. When a visiting professor at Korea University introduced a 1916-published joke book to his class, it got the attention of G.S. Hand, then a grad student, now a professional literature translator. "I decided to start translating these jokes the moment I saw them because they're hilarious — at least sometimes — and I don't think many people know about them," he said. "Scholars of Korean modern literature usually study things from later than that, classical literature scholars usually study things from earlier, and neither group is all that interested in humor." "Kkalkkal Useum" contains 72 short humorous texts that were considered funny in 1916, although many are likely much older, with clear indications they date back to the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty