Introduction · 4

Chapter 1 There is another story within the story!
1-1 Why did King Sejong create Hangul?
→ Why Interpretation Matters in History · 12
Yi Sun-sin's inner thoughts as recorded in the 1-2 diary
→ Stories you can only hear when you look deeply · 24
1-3 Was Goryeo really a society where men and women were equal?
→ Interpretation can change at any time · 36
1-4 There are pro-Japanese graves in the National Cemetery?
→ The process of finding a better idea, not the right answer · 48
1-5 Samilcheonha Kim Ok-gyun
→ What role do individuals play in history? · 60
1-6 Shin Chae-ho is so complicated
→ The Zeitgeist Reflected in One Life · 70
1-7 Genealogy of the Hague Special Envoy
→ There is no story that has ended in history · 83

Chapter 2: Reading and Writing History Today
2-1 Is it the March 1st Movement or the March 1st Revolution?
→ The Meaning of the Word Revolution · 96
2-2 What happened at Namhansanseong in 1637
→ Escaping the Trap of Dualism · 109
2-3 The Demise of the Joseon Dynasty College Entrance Exam
→ A historical exploration to find precedents for the problem · 120
2-4 Reading Natural Disasters and Epidemics in History
→ New interests create new perspectives · 131
2-5 The Birth of a Nurse
→ A story so obvious it was invisible · 141
2-6 The Liberation Army is not the exclusive domain of men!
→ Stories of Women in the Independence Movement · 151
2-7 There is a woman here
→ History of the Women's Rights Struggle · 160
2-8 Remembering Gwangju in May 1980
→ History Slowly Rewritten Over Time · 171
2-9 The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic.
→ History of the Constitution · 181

Chapter 3: Enjoying My Cultural Heritage
3-1 What I learned in Croatia
→ Time cannot be created · 194
3-2 Since when have people started making songpyeon for Chuseok?
→ Every lifestyle has a reason · 207
3-3 I'll cut the rice cake, you write.
→ Cultural History of Food · 217
3-4 What is a national flag?
→ A History of Symbols Seen Through the Taegeukgi · 227
3-5 The Taste and Style of 18th Century Joseon Intellectuals
→ The World of Customs and Life History · 238
3-6 Do you know Seoul?
→ History of Space · 248
3-7 Now is the era of world heritage
→ Let's erase the illusion that ours is the best · 260

“Studying history is a challenge to take a leap forward in this world.
“We can change the world by incorporating current concerns into history, attempting bolder interpretations, and gradually proving our own interpretations.”

Studying history becomes more fun when you change your approach.
Reorganizing, understanding, and imagining history from my perspective

History, it takes a long time to learn.
From elementary school social studies classes to middle school history classes and high school Korean history and integrated social studies classes, we read and listen to history for hundreds of hours in total.
So what was the result?

“Isn’t history a subject that you can do well on tests if you just memorize it?”
“I learned it in school, but I don’t really know it.”
“I never really studied history because I didn’t have enough time for English and math.”

Before we can say that history is a great tool to help us live in the present, there is something urgent that needs to be done first.
Studying history should be made easier.
It should be easy yet useful.
With these two goals in mind, Sim Yong-hwan wrote a new book, “Friendly Korean History,” for teenagers.

The first thing to do to reduce the burden of studying history is to not confine history to a syntactic structure and a single interpretation.
Shim Yong-hwan says that rather than focusing on the flow of time and explanations in textbooks or history books, we should “be interested in stories that aren’t in textbooks, historical facts that don’t appear on tests, and things that no one teaches are important,” and “develop the ability to question and criticize.”
Let's not be stingy with our imagination about history.
Depending on the assumptions made, the approach and interpretation of the results will differ.
And the real power of studying history lies in selecting the best ideas from among the different results that come from different perspectives.

Re-organizing, understanding, and imagining history from my perspective.
This is the secret to studying history that Sim Yong-hwan proposes in this book.
First, let's change the way we study and find something fun.
Then the meaning will follow one after another.

Interpretation can change at any time,
Studying history isn't about finding definitive answers, but rather finding better interpretations.

Chapter 1 of the book re-examines Korean history, which had been presented in a linear fashion on a chronological table, in a deeper and broader way.
Even the history that Sim Yong-hwan shows again has multiple sides at the same time, like a dice.
In 『Nanjung Ilgi』, we can see not only Yi Sun-sin's brilliant military exploits but also his complex inner thoughts, and if we expand the aftermath of the Imjin War, in which Joseon and Ming China in East Asia fought an all-out war against Japan, into the context of world history, we can see a different side of history than the 'common sense that I learned and thought was history'.


The story of Lee Jun, Lee Sang-seol, and Lee Wi-jong does not end in The Hague, but continues with new events and characters.
I thought it was the end of my role as a special envoy, but as a new story was created, the foundation for the independence movement that would unfold later was formed.
The history of the independence movement continues like a butterfly effect, with the Hague envoy, Dr. Lee Jae-myung's assassination of Lee Wan-yong, Dr. Jang In-hwan and Dr. Jeon Myeong-un's assassination of Stevens, and Dr. Ahn Jung-geun's assassination of Ito Hirobumi.
And this trend became the most important foundation for the independence movement after the Japan-Korea annexation.
Beyond King Gojong's intentions, the will and determination of countless people continued to write history.
_Page 92, “The Genealogy of the Hague Envoys - There is no story that has ended in history.”

The story of the Hague Special Envoy, who was dispatched to The Hague by order of Emperor Gojong to protest the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905, but failed to achieve their goal, does not actually end in The Hague, but continues through England to the United States, and then to Manchuria and the Maritime Province, and finally reaches Ahn Jung-geun's assassination of Ito Hirobumi in 1909.
This is a clearly different way of studying history than simply memorizing the order of '1905 Eulsa Treaty - 1907 dispatch of special envoy to The Hague, martyrdom of Lee Jun - 1909 Ahn Jung-geun assassination of Ito Hirobumi at Harbin Station'.
In it, we must reconsider how we, now, view and judge the preceding events from what perspective.


Finding what we need now
Reading and Writing History Today

Chapter 2 actively attempts to tie the knot between the past and the present.
He argues that history can help us find precedents for the problems we face, understand the way we live now, and even map out the blueprints for the future.
In fact, this is not a completely new or special claim.
The usefulness of history, one of the oldest disciplines in human history, has always been here.
However, Sim Yong-hwan has moved the stage of history to the present, showing that problems in Korean society today, such as overheated nationalism, excessive educational fervor, and unprecedented infectious diseases, can be solved by studying historical precedents and seeking solutions.


With the full-scale introduction of modern Western medicine in the late Joseon Dynasty, concrete efforts to overcome infectious diseases began to develop.
In 1888, Park Yeong-hyo, who was in exile in Japan, presented the “Proclamation of Enlightenment” to Emperor Gojong, arguing that both humans and livestock should be protected from zoonotic diseases through smallpox vaccination.
It also emphasizes the need to establish regulations for the disposal and removal of waste such as manure, dust, and rags, to benefit health and agriculture.
Now, epidemics are no longer considered to be a colossal disaster beyond human control or a harsh divine punishment, but rather diseases that can be prevented and treated, and problems that must be addressed through the state's administrative systems.
_Pages 138-139, from “Reading Natural Disasters and Epidemics in History - New Interests Create New Perspectives”

In this way, the study of history becomes the foundation of civic education that broadens one's understanding of modern society as a whole, including the constitution, democracy, national institutions, labor issues, and women's rights.
I simply took the time that was inside the textbook and took it outside the textbook to reflect on the present, and it became the story of my life today.


Let's connect time and space at a glance.
As if I were studying history for the first time

“History is the story of people living through time.
The final chapter, which begins with the words, “And humanity lives in a space called Earth,” expands the reach of history’s magnetic field to space.
The author informs us that records of the past are not only passed down through words and writing, but also through traces left in space. In this case, space does not only refer to historical sites such as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Bulguksa Temple.
The space that Sim Yong-hwan speaks of is a concept that includes not only cultural assets but also the customs and culture that remain in each region and locality.
The moment you recognize the history of a space by asking questions like where the "Paradise Rice Cake Shop" in every neighborhood came from, or why there is an Independence Movement Memorial Park next to Hyochang Stadium in Yongsan, Seoul, your study of history is sucked into a deeper level.


Japanese people lived mainly in the south of Cheonggyecheon, around Namchon, Myeongdong, and Euljiro.
For generations, the Joseon yangban class lived in Bukchon and enjoyed their power, while commoners lived in the Cheonggyecheon area and Namchon. However, during the Enlightenment Period, a large number of foreign merchants, including Japanese, flocked to Namchon, and the status of Namchon began to overwhelm that of Bukchon.
And soon after, the important commercial district expanded to the Namdaemun area.
It's not far from Seoul Station.
When you get off at Seoul Station, the road in front of you passes Namdaemun Market and leads to Myeongdong and Euljiro.
The opposite direction leads to Jongno or Seodaemun.
Anyone who arrives at Seoul Station by train can go anywhere in Seoul.
The combination of ships, railways, and roads made it possible to transport people and goods anywhere.
_Page 251, from “Do You Know Seoul? - History of Space”

People, events, accidents, phenomena, and changes from the distant past... Let's not allow all that content to remain limited to a single interpretation, limited to the answers in textbooks.
You can roll it like a dice and look at each side, find the story you need and eat it like ice cream, and change the commands and result values ​​countless times like coding.
What is important is ‘my interpretation’ and ‘the explanation that serves as the basis for my life.’
From now on, let's begin studying history, which starts from me, continues on, and returns to me again.
As if you were studying history for the first time, have fun!