If they had never met, would history have been different?
From 'Go Jumong X Soseono' to 'Kim Gu X Kim Wonbong',
The various events that shook Korean history

Figures in history never exist alone.
The direction of history is determined through their encounters, cooperation, conflicts, and confrontations.
『The Stars and Stripes of Korean History』 is a history book that focuses on the relationships and interactions between key figures in Korean history, rather than looking at them individually.
The fierce battle between King Seong and King Jinheung, the tragic power struggle between King Danjong and King Sejo, the starkly different choices made by Han Gyu-seol and Yi Wan-yong…
The relationship between these two, whose names alone create a sense of tension, contains choices and changes that shook an era.
By following the trajectory of the relationships between each character, from king and subject, teacher and student, and comrades turned rivals, you can see the flow of Korean history at a glance.

The author, a current history teacher, vividly captures various moments that occurred in the relationships of 21 special figures that permeate Korean history, spanning from ancient times to modern times.
Rather than simply listing events, it illuminates the human stories created by the choices of people within a historical context, helping to provide a more three-dimensional and interesting understanding of Korean history.
Additionally, we reconstructed the fictional conversations between characters to make it easier for young readers to understand historical events, adding a sense of familiarity.
Additionally, you can download a post-reading activity sheet summarizing the main content through the QR code included in the book, making it effective for independent study as well as at school or academy.

History is the result of what people have done.
Although values ​​and ways of life may have differed depending on the times and circumstances, the essence of what humans pursue and hope for is not very different.
Because human emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, such as happiness, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, are not much different now than they were in the past.
Based on this, we comfort those who are sad, console those who are angry, take risks for those we love, and pursue things we enjoy and enjoy.
Moreover, when we see injustice, we try to correct it, we strive to overcome difficulties, and sometimes we move forward with allies, but sometimes we encounter those who stand in our way.
Yet, throughout history, those who chose the right thing have always triumphed, and as a result, a better world has been created.


Through this book, I hope you will meet countless people who, from the Three Kingdoms period to the Japanese colonial period, lived fiercely to create a better world.
I hope you can learn wisdom from how they overcame hardship and apply it to your own life.

---p.7-8 From “Introduction: History is Born Between People”

Yi Bang-won and Jeong Do-jeon, who were the main players in the founding of Joseon and political partners, became less friendly with each other after the founding of the country.
The complicated relationship between the two ended only after Lee Bang-won killed Jeong Do-jeon.
After that, Jeong Do-jeon was branded a traitor for 500 years during the Joseon Dynasty.
Ironically, Jeong Do-jeon, who conceived and designed the nation called Joseon, was not recognized in Joseon history, and was only reinstated during the reign of King Gojong.
What's even more ironic is that the first thing Yi Bang-won did after ascending to the throne was to abolish the private army.
He also understood that in order to stabilize the monarchy, the military base of the king's relatives and those in power had to be destroyed.


In addition to this, King Taejong Lee Bang-won laid the foundation for the Joseon Dynasty by utilizing the policies proposed by Jeong Do-jeon during his lifetime as needed.
Thanks to Taejong's political stability and economic prosperity, his son Sejong was able to usher in an era of peace in Joseon.
Perhaps Jeong Do-jeon's intentions were passed on to Yi Bang-won and blossomed.
A close comrade becomes an arch-enemy in an instant, and he inherits the will of the person he killed with his own hands… .
I guess history is a series of ironies.

---p.73-75 From “From Comrades to Strife Who Led the Founding of Joseon”

Unfortunately, Lee Sang-hwa passed away from stomach cancer in 1943 without seeing the liberation he had so desperately hoped for.
However, even after his death, efforts to honor Lee Sang-hwa, a representative resistance poet of the nation, continued.
(…) greeting

If Lee Sang-hwa used literature as a weapon to constantly resist Japanese imperialism, Kim Dong-in used literature as a useful tool to show loyalty to Japan.
After liberation, he used literature as a means of justification by writing the autobiographical novels “The Influence of a Ruined Country” and “The Influence of a Ruined Country” to justify his pro-Japanese activities.

---p.194 From “14 Same Era, Different Literature”

In the late 1930s, China, which was fighting the Second Sino-Japanese War, was pushed into a disadvantageous position due to Japan's fierce offensive.
China, which had been a stronghold for the independence movement abroad, was in danger of falling into the hands of Japan.
Accordingly, Kim Gu and Kim Won-bong met in Chongqing, China, and decided to cooperate beyond the ideologies of nationalism and socialism.
In particular, Kim Gu said, “Now is not the time to discuss ideology.
After liberation, we decided to unite according to our own principles.
“Now is the time to unite and unify each group,” he said, strongly advocating for the unification of independence movement forces.


Kim Gu, who had promised cooperation with the Korean National Revolutionary Party, including Kim Won-bong, sent letters to independence movement groups in China and the Americas asking them to join him.
Let's join forces with an eye on independence rather than ideology.
But not everyone agreed.
Among them, the Korean National Association in the Americas said, “We agree with the purpose, but Kim Won-bong is a communist.
He strongly opposed the idea, saying, “If you collaborate with the Communist Party, you should know that your relationship with us Koreans living in the United States will be severed.”
But Kim Gu and Kim Won-bong did not give in to this.
We persuaded people, reconciled differences of opinion, and continued cooperation.

---p.273 From “20 Seeking Independence Beyond Ideology”