The world’s oldest book made by movable metal print, “Jikji Simche Yojeol,” will be on display for the first time in half a century in France.

According to the National Library of France, the "Jikji" as it is commonly known will be part of an exhibition on the history of printing that runs from Wednesday to July 16 alongside two of the other oldest printings in the world, the Gutenberg Bible and the "Bois Protat,” marking the first time that the three books are on display together.

The Jikji, about the teachings of great Buddhist priests, was printed at Heungdeok Temple in Cheongju, a region south of Seoul, during the Goryeo Kingdom in 1377.

The print was made 78 years before the Gutenberg Bible, the earliest substantial book printed using metal type in Europe, while the "Bois Protat" is the earliest surviving woodblock from the Western world.

The Jikji originally consisted of two volumes but only the second original volume currently exists after the book was initially acquired by the first French minister to Korea, Collin de Plancy, in the 19th century, put up for auction in Paris in 1911 then donated to the National Library of France in 1952.

The last time that the Jikji was made available for public viewing was in 1973 at the same library.