Historical usage and changes in scientific and vernacular plant names in the early Korean botanical literature: I. <i>Chosen Sikmul Hyangmyoung-jip</i>

<i>Chosen Sikmul Hyangmyoung-jip</i> is an early source of scientific and Korean vernacular plant names, yet it has not been reassessed under modern nomenclatural and taxonomic frameworks. We evaluated 1,944 records of scientific and Korean vernacular names. Scientific names were assessed for valid publication, legitimacy, author citation, and orthographic accuracy using the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, global taxonomic databases, and the Korean Plant Names Index. Historical Korean vernacular names were compared with currently recommended Korean names, and the historical classification system was evaluated against the current taxonomic framework. Of these, 1,196 (62%) were concordant with currently recommended Korean names, whereas 748 (38%) differed. Among the scientific name records, 882 matched currently accepted names, 720 were treated as synonyms, 212 represented misapplied names, and one case remained unresolved. In addition, 62 records involved invalidly published names, 56 involved illegitimate names, and 11 involved isonyms. Four combinations representing three accepted taxa are attributed to <i>Chosen Sikmul Hyangmyoung-jip</i>. A comparison between the historical classification system and the current taxonomic framework revealed an increase in recognized families and genera but a decrease in the total number of taxa. These results show that discrepancies between historical and current plant name records reflect corrections of scientific names, differences in Korean vernacular name usage, and shifts in taxonomic circumscription. <i>Chosen Sikmul Hyangmyoung-jip</i> should therefore be understood not merely as a historical list but as a critical record of nomenclatural usage, taxonomic concepts, and the association of Korean vernacular names with scientific names in early modern Korean botany. This study provides a baseline for reconstructing the long-term development of scientific name usage and associated Korean vernacular names in Korea.