Everything that happens on earth is connected to geography.

“A book that properly organizes geography so that anyone can understand it has finally been published.
I guarantee that the moment you finish reading and close it, you will be completely captivated by the magic of geography!
Park Jeong-jae (Professor of Geography, Seoul National University, author of "The Origin of the Korean People")

“Among the many geography books, this one stands out and will remain a long-lasting one!
“A very friendly introductory book and a useful resource for investors and professionals of all walks of life.”
- Kim Si-deok (urban literature scholar, author of "The Future of Korean Cities")

When we talk about geography, many people will first think of the geography subject they learned in high school.
You might only remember it as a subject to memorize to get a good score.
However, geography is a discipline that is closer to our lives and more practical than we think.
Moreover, geography is becoming more important in the 21st century, when everything is becoming more complex and uncertain.
Because everything that happens on this earth, from the homes and cities we live in to wars and climate crises, is connected to geography.


"Finally, We Meet Geography Class" is an introductory book written by Professor Lee Dong-min, a geographer who has practiced and researched geography education for over 15 years, to convey the charm and usefulness of geography.
Everything about geography, from physical geography and human geography to the history of maps, is organized in one volume.
Rather than providing textbook-style knowledge, it contains essential knowledge and insights that help us understand the world, including economics, society, and geopolitics.
Includes 68 colorful maps, diagrams, and color photographs to explain basic geography concepts in a very easy-to-understand manner.
It also contains a wealth of examples closely related to our lives, helping us apply the perspective of geography in real life.

To properly understand what is happening on earth, it is essential to have the ability to interpret and perceive things from a geographical perspective, that is, to have a “geographic eye.”
If you look at the world through the eyes of geography through this book, you will be able to easily and accurately understand the difficult yet unfamiliar world.

To properly view and understand not only the climate crisis but also the various problems of this world, we need a perspective that understands the interactions between humans and the land, the spatial background in which they live.
That is, we need insight based on geography.
In this book, we will call this the 'eye of geography.'
It's important to understand where we stand on the Earth, what the natural environment is like, how the land is used, what kind of people live there, and how it connects to other places and regions around us.
Only when we truly understand how we live in that land can we gain a deeper and broader understanding of our lives and the world we live in.
--- From "Entering"

People live on these different surface spaces.
As a result, the way people live changes depending on the surface space.
With such a changed way of life, people are reshaping the surface space, and this changed surface space in turn affects human life.
Through this cycle, numerous ethnic groups with different languages, customs, and traditions were born on Earth, and various civilizations, nations, and societies were established.
They have shaped human history by interacting with each other, but also by arguing and clashing with each other.
It would not be wrong to say that the reason such diverse human civilizations and dynamic world history have been able to unfold is because humanity has lived in a vast and heterogeneous surface space.
--- From "Chapter 1: Reading the World Through the Eyes of Geography"

In our country, there was a world geography textbook called 『Saminpilji (士民必知)』, which was the first modern Korean textbook published.
This book, compiled in 1889 by Homer Hulbert, an American Protestant missionary who was also an English teacher at Yukyoung Park, Korea's first modern educational institution, was written with the aim of increasing Koreans' understanding of the world and enlightening them while they were caught up in the turbulent waves of imperialism through the study of world geography.
『Saminpilji』, which means that all people including the nobility and commoners must know geography, was banned by the Japanese because it was believed that understanding world geography could enhance the national consciousness of Koreans.

Since the 1990s, globalization has transformed borders from closed to passable, and the large-scale movement of people and information across regions has become routine.
Therefore, rather than understanding various geographical phenomena at one or two fixed scales, such as the nation, a multiscalar approach is gaining attention, which approaches them from the perspective of interactions across various scales, such as cities, regions, neighboring countries, cultural spheres, continents, and the world.
Issues such as the global management of multinational corporations, environmental issues including the climate crisis, and terrorism cannot be properly explained at the national level, and it is difficult to find effective solutions.
In today's reality, where such issues have become commonplace, a multi-scale approach is a more sophisticated "geographic eye" that allows us to view the surface space and the world from a more multifaceted and realistic perspective and address problems.
--- From "Chapter 3: Minimum Geography for Beginners"

In 1569, Mercator, a geographer from the Netherlands, the greatest maritime power in 17th-century Europe, achieved a milestone in human history.
He published a world map using the cylindrical projection, which is now called the Mercator projection.
Originally designed for the purpose of making maps for navigation, the Mercator projection, unlike previous projections, was able to reproduce the angles of geographical features existing on the coordinate system with great precision, while at the same time allowing the vast world to be displayed in a pleasing way on a small, rectangular plane.
Thanks to this, European navigators were able to use the Mercator map to navigate the oceans much more safely and efficiently than before.
Exploration and geographical discovery could also be further promoted.
Because of its widespread use over a long period of time and its suitability for creating world maps, many world maps are still created based on the Mercator projection.
--- From "Chapter 4 Maps: From Prehistoric Rock Art to Google Maps in Your Hand"

No matter how famous or large a multinational corporation is, it cannot manage solely by the standards of its headquarters or home country, ignoring the diverse cultures around the world.
No, because we are a multinational corporation that operates globally, our management cannot be limited to 'universal' standards.
The reason Carrefour failed in our country was because it insisted on the 'global standard' without analyzing the unique culture of Korea.
Selling beef in a Hindu culture or pork in an Islamic culture is bound to fail.
In an age of globalization where the entire world is connected, the local uniqueness of each region is becoming increasingly important.
--- From "Chapter 5 Economy - Knowing Geography Shows the Flow of Money"

In our country, too, places that are emerging as so-called 'hot places' are suffering from the side effects of gentrification.
Increasingly, such places are losing their unique charm and atmosphere and eventually becoming places where only large corporate franchises gather.
Gentrification certainly has the effect of improving the environment of old and run-down downtown areas or transition zones.
But it also pushes residents away from these improved places, causing them to lose their unique identity and charm.
Above all, the problem is that the indigenous people who made that place their home and worked hard to make it a better place are not receiving fair compensation, while only the companies that came in later reap the profits.
Decrepit old towns are a side effect of urbanization and the capitalist economy.
So, is there a way to revitalize these spaces without the harm of gentrification?
--- From "Chapter 7 Society: Spaces of Discrimination and Resistance in Our Society"

Today, as discussions about a new Cold War unfold, the Heartland theory is once again being highlighted, along with Spykman's Rimland theory.
Russia and China are challenging the US-led international order, linking Central Asia as their axis. In response, the US is strengthening its influence in the Indian and Pacific Oceans to check them and maintain a US-centered international order.
This geopolitical confrontation of the new Cold War is reminiscent of Mackinder and Spykman's Heartland versus Rimland conflict.

--- From "Chapter 9 Military and Geopolitics - The Power to Read the Victory or Defeat of War and Move the World Order"