Preface to the Revised and Expanded Edition
Preface to the first edition

1.
A story that goes around

What is Poland famous for?
If your name ends in 'ski', are you Polish?
Are Polish people drinking hippos?
Polish sausage and budaejjigae
Polish is that difficult?

2.
Polish people's stories

Why are Polish people so kind?
Is Catholicism the state religion of Poland?
Apple juice as a side dish?
Were there really that many Jews in Poland?
There are Buddhists in Poland?

3.
A legend that doesn't make sense

Poland, Czech Republic, and Russia were founded by three brothers?
They say Warsaw was founded by a mermaid.
They say that a long time ago, a dragon lived in Poland.
Poles discovered America?
The beginning of Faust

4.
The story of barely protecting the country

Tatars rape Poland
Hohenzollern bows to the Polish king
Was Poland the only country that succeeded in conquering Moscow?
Is Captain Bulliba Polish?
The country was destroyed by a great flood
Did the Ottoman Empire fall because of Poland?
Is the Polish Constitution the world's first constitution?

5.
The story of losing one's country

Poland, lost its country three times?
Was the last king of Poland the mistress of Catherine the Great of Russia?
Napoleon failed to conquer Russia because he fell in love with a Polish beauty?
Polish heroes during the time of national loss
Polish people are experts in the independence movement
Was national self-determination created for Poland?

6.
Stories of war and struggle

Poland was a neighborhood book every time there was a world war?
Poland cracked Enigma?
Polish army spearheads the recapture of Rome?
Polish troops were involved in the Normandy offensive?
What was the Warsaw Uprising?
Auschwitz is not a 'Polish Death Camp'?

7.
Political Stories of Free Poland

Pope John Paul II formed Solidarity?
The free trade union made history and then fell right away?
Is Walesa an ignorant person?
Polish politicians don't campaign?
Polish President and Prime Minister: Who Comes First?

8.
Stories of the nation's livelihood

The Polish economy is writing Europe's best growth story?
Is the euro accepted in Poland?
Are the banks that sound?
Poland is an oil producing country?

9.
A story about living with neighbors

Is Poland in Eastern Europe or Western Europe?
Is Poland a barrier-free country?
Kuklinski, the spy of the century: a national hero or a traitor?
From the Warsaw Pact to NATO
Is the United States a blood ally of Poland?
The Polish president is said to be a Eurosceptic.
Which do Poles hate more, Russia or Germany?
Special Appendix / The Kremlin, Katyn, and Smolensk: The Troubled History of Polish-Russian Reconciliation and the Path to Reconciliation

10.
A story about Poland and Korea

When did you first meet?
What history is so similar?
Poland is the third country to recognize North Korea?
The nightmare of the 2002 World Cup
Korean companies are said to be dominating Poland.
A Fantastic Partnership Between Korea and Poland

11.
Stories of Culture and Arts

What were Chopin's last words as he died in George Sand's arms?
What's so great about Chopin?
Poland has won the Nobel Prize in Literature five times?
Poland a film powerhouse?
If you don't know Penderecki, you can't talk about classical music?
The world's best piano competition is being held in Warsaw?

12.
Stories of Science and Invention

The Earth revolves, not the Sun
Is Patek, the king of luxury watches, from Poland?
Madame Curie, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes
Was the person who invented Esperanto Polish?
“This sentence is false.”

13.
Polish Sports Stories

Poland beat Brazil in the World Cup?
Irena Shevinska, the sprint record breaker
Adam Mahish, the flying ski jumper
Polish merchants and fighters
When it comes to women's tennis, Poland?

14.
Things to see and do

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Poland
The Black Madonna grants your wishes
The sea is far away, but salt comes from the mine?
Is there a mountain as high as Baekdu Mountain in the flat land of Poland?
Lenin lived in Poland?
Halong Bay and Lake Masuria in Poland
Go to hell

15.
Food and shopping stories

Is vodka originally from Poland?
I heard that Poland also has lamb soup and pig's feet?
Did you know there were vegetable dumplings in Poland?
I heard that pine mushrooms are abundant in Poland?
Polish pumpkin that melts Korean women

16.
Polish Stories in Fiction

Poles in War and Peace and The Brothers Karamazov
Pola Negri, the dashing actress of early Hollywood
Is the main character of A Streetcar Named Desire Polish?
Was Oscar from The Tin Drum born in Poland?
Poland in The Deer Hunter, Schindler's List, and The Pianist

17.
A story about playing and having fun

What are these people doing for fun?
What is a polonaise? What is a mazurka?
How can polka or polska not be Polish?
Polish obscenities and brilliant profanity
Prostitution is not illegal in Poland?

18.
A boring Polish story

Hriniewiecki kills the Russian Tsar
Leon Czolgosz shoots US President McKinley
Rosa Luxemburg Dreams of a Workers' Paradise
Felix Dzerzhinsky founded the Soviet KGB.
Niewiadomski shoots Poland's first president

Polish chronology
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About the Author

It's not a history book, a travelogue, or a guidebook.
The Polish 'storybook' that is all of that

There is no country on earth that doesn't have a story to tell, and those stories contain the colorful essence of that country that can't be discovered through books, the internet, or a few days of sightseeing.
Each story is filled with exceptional figures and unique cultures that are worthy of being boasted to other countries, uniqueness that cannot be found anywhere else, and facts that should be kept hidden.
This is why, when you approach a country through a story, you can get closer to that country more deeply and easily.

This book is a Polish 'story book'.
The author, a lifelong diplomat, compiled the stories he experienced while living in Poland, the stories he learned from interacting with Polish people, and the experiences he heard directly from Korean residents.
It is neither a history book on Poland, nor a cultural reference book, nor even a travel guide, yet it is all of these things.
Let's meet the 'real' Poland through stories that contain everything about Poland.

A country that lost its country three times and is now writing the greatest growth story in Europe.
Discover Poland, a country that is interesting because it is similar and even more interesting because it is different.

Poland has many similarities with Korea.
In fact, the two countries have gone through similar histories, including national ruin, division, the Cold War, democratization, and economic growth.
Poland was once a powerful European nation boasting vast territory, but in the late 18th century it was ruled by neighboring countries, including Russia, for 123 years.
It was devastated by the invasion of Nazi Germany, and was reduced to a satellite state of the Soviet Union in the midst of the fierce Cold War.
Nevertheless, honest Poles achieved democracy under the leadership of 'Moustache' Walesa and are currently writing the greatest economic growth story in Europe.

There are many more differences between us.
Poland, with its winding history, is full of interesting stories.
Poland is the homeland of Copernicus, who 'rotated the Earth', Chopin, the 'poet of the piano', and Madame Curie, the world's first 'two-time Nobel Prize winner'.
People in this country who enjoy drinking vodka drink apple juice as a side dish to ease the bitterness of the strong drink.
Ski jumping is a national sport, there is a legend that the capital city of Warsaw was founded by a mermaid, and politicians do not engage in noisy street campaigns.
From fascinating legends to the tumultuous history of Poland, from its complex electoral processes to its mouthwatering cuisine, this book is packed with stories about Poland.

From the complex political landscape of Europe to a hopeful vision for Korea
Knowing Poland reveals our present and future

Poland is geographically located in the center of Europe and most of its land is flat.
Naturally, Western European religion and culture, Eastern European language and lifestyle were mixed here and there.
This is why knowing Poland also leads to knowing Europe.

Poland was a key communist country until just over 30 years ago, but since joining NATO and the European Union, it has been more active than any other member state.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, the country actively helped Ukraine by providing ammunition the very next day.
Thus, Poland has been one of the major stages through which modern European history has passed, and is currently playing an increasingly important role as it actively intervenes in international politics.

Recently, we have also become rapidly closer to Korea.
In July 2022, the Russo-Ukrainian War led to the signing of a large-scale defense industry contract between South Korea and Poland, and currently, over 300 South Korean companies are operating in Poland.
Beyond understanding the historical, political, economic, and cultural landscape of Poland and modern Europe, this book will provide a glimpse into the future Korea and Poland will create together.

'Plus One' not included in the 2010 first edition
The latest introduction to Poland, covering the past 13 years

This revised and expanded edition includes a ‘special appendix.’
The Smolensk disaster occurred just before the first edition was published in 2010.
The plane crash killed nearly 100 leaders, including President Kaczynski and his wife.
At the time, the author had written a voluminous article about the bloody past and present of Poland and Russia, including the historical background and the reasons why President Kaczynski had to go to Smolensk, but the book had already gone to print, so it could not be published.
The special appendix included in this revised and expanded edition is a revision of the text written at that time to reflect the current situation.
We can take an in-depth look at the turbulent relationship between Poland and Russia.
It has been 13 years since the first edition was published, and Poland has also changed in many ways.
People's interests have also changed a lot.
This is why the author rewrote all manuscripts while preparing the revised and expanded edition.
From the Polish players who burst onto the women's tennis scene in 2022 to the general elections in October 2023, to the Polish people's views on the introduction of the euro, to the government's policies for energy supply, to the progress in relations with Korea, we've compiled the latest news as comprehensively as possible.
The image of Poland 'right now' is also conveyed in a three-dimensional and vivid manner.