In publishing the book
prolog

1 Dream of a New Country 1876–1910

Interpreter Lee Eung-jun creates the first Taegeukgi (Korean flag)
The Origin of Korean Literature: The Tale of Chunhyang
Let's go! To Joseon, the land of opportunity!
The sorrow of a weak and insecure country
The Gyeongseong War of June 1894
Stand up to Mama
The Lost Lunar Time
Please deliver this letter quickly.
Dari-pung, Deokyul-pung or Jeon-eo-gi
A western ghost charging with a fire demon
The house is a crying mess with the railroad tracks and pillows
The places where Koreans live are full of shit and urine.
Military checks stained with the blood, sweat, and tears of Koreans
Economic sovereignty taken away by currency reform
Won Tae-woo confronts Ito with a stick
Could it be that we were deceived from the beginning?
I would rather die a free man than live as a slave.
May our country become a country of boys
Execute the students' short hair immediately
Heroes, save us.

2 Losing the country 1910-1930

The Fall of the Empire, the Beginning of the Republic
Joseon, the new territory of the Empire of Japan
Taegeukgi in the Meiji era
Shine brightly in the three thousand ri Rose of Sharon Garden
How did Oh Bong-du from Pyeongan Province get to Chandler?
Subdue Koreans with Koreans
He sold unripe fruit, he took off his shirt…
From the edge to the level
Between republicanism and restorationism
Korea is an independent nation and Koreans are a free people.
A riot, not an independence movement
Teachers wearing uniforms and carrying swords
Realization of the right to vote?
Time is more precious than money
Hot items of the time: economicization and rubber shoes
Let's create a society as equal as a scale.
The words that call for death, Jugoen Gojusen
Keijo Imperial University is established
Explain the reasons for the annexation of Korea by Japan.
The Government-General of Korea, a symbol of colonial rule
Korean rice on the Japanese table, Manchurian grains on the Korean table
Koreans targeting the royal family
Know everything about Joseon
Who is school for?

3 Daily Life in the Continuing War 1931–1939

Manbosan Incident and Yun Bong-gil's Uprising
Let's build a paradise of harmony among the five races.
The south grows cotton, the north raises sheep
Let's wear colored clothes
Let's learn, let's teach, let's all be together!
Kim Jeong-ho, a mountaineer, assisting the Japanese?
A patriotic plane named 'Gamani'
If you go to Gyeongseong, be sure to see the Independence Gate.
The ghosts are coming in on the train
The story of the year-end sympathy week and the gisaeng Kim Jin-hyang
Kim Dong-in's novel "Sweet Potato"?
“No, I’m an asshole!”
Korean and Japanese, which is the national language?
When did you ever tell me to only use Japanese?
From National Foundation Exercises to Imperial Subject Exercises
I will die under the flag
The craze for applying to become a special forces soldier in the Army
Comrades we meet again in 10 years
The birth of the Ban Sang-hoe
Paying taxes is a citizen's duty, and non-payment is a disgrace to a civilized nation.
The Ordeal of Joseon Hanwoo
From elementary school to elementary school and then to national school

4 Under the Shadow of the Empire 1940-1945

Construction of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and the Eightfold Path
A woman's weapon is her body!
If it's metal, hand over everything, even brassware.
Weaving a sack is also patriotic.
People who bow their heads twice a day
I'll give you a good name
'Long live' the true flag of Joseon
Taegeukgi on a U.S. postage stamp
Joseon's traditional liquor becomes moonshine
Let's save rice and give back to the country.
Senoya Senoya We live in the sea
A truly humane farewell speech
The sorrow of a father leaving on a long journey
Japan won, Japan won.
When an enemy plane appears
Gathering the sincerity of a thousand people
The death of a kamikaze is never pretty
The Testament of a Falling Young Cherry Blossom
The atomic bomb ended the war

5 The Light of Liberation, the Coming Darkness 1945-1950

Liberation, the excitement and joy of that day
Fellow Koreans! Be absolutely self-restrained.
First Encounter with the 'Gwichukmije'
Is it artificial? Is it provisional?
A name regained with liberation
Let's learn from the past and build a new country.
Yeah!!! Let's go!!
Japanese police make a comeback
Until we achieved stamp independence
The birth of the 'post office'
Graduation ceremony in June
Attempting to break away from the remnants of Japanese imperialism
Where did all those Imperial Subjects' Oaths go?
From a symbol for everyone to a symbol for only one
Learning American-style democracy
The era of 'Kkappitan Lee'
Korea and Arirang drawn on a scarf
History of ID card changes since liberation
When I was taking the middle school entrance exam
Nine candidates for the symbol stick!
A school trip to Korea in its 30th year
The "National Foundation Day" Controversy Seen Through National Foundation Commemorative Deposit Certificates
Our wish is independence, even in our dreams, our wish is independence.
Goodbye, teacher!
A small war on the Ongjin Peninsula

Epilogue

The deep emotion of history conveyed through faded and old objects
─A fresh look at the history of the Japanese colonial era with a collection of 110 historical items.
─Over 200 images capture the essence of the times.

A few years ago, after publishing his first book as a 'history collector,' the author appeared on a TV show and introduced the 'Taegeukgi made by recycling the Japanese flag.'
On August 15, 1945, the Taegeukgi was hastily created by painting over the Japanese flag in the excitement of liberation.
That faded Taegeukgi, just one of the author's many collections, touched the hearts of many.
Its visual power brought us to that scene that day and allowed us to fully experience the thrill of liberation.
The author's room is filled with his extensive collection of artefacts that he has amassed over the past 30 years.
There is no single item without a story.
So, selecting 110 points among them was not an easy task.
The author and editor combed through piles of materials to select and include in this book items that are rich in the scent of the lives of people of old.


From the opening of ports to the fall of the country, Japanese colonial rule, and immediately after liberation, the collection of 110 items and over 200 images conveys the resonance of that era that cannot be fully expressed in words alone.
From grand narratives like the first Taegeuk design printed in a book by the U.S. Navy, the Edict of Sunjong, and a manuscript of the Declaration of Independence, to everyday objects left behind by ordinary people, such as letters, diaries, booklets, receipts, stamps, postcards, and various certificates, you can encounter a three-dimensional history where macro and micro history intersect.
Furthermore, by looking into the lives and daily lives of individuals hidden in the vast history that textbooks don't cover, and by examining the stories and historical context of each collection from the perspective of everyday people rather than simply listing past events, we can experience modern and contemporary Korean history in a more vivid and familiar way.


(Collections) Most of them are things that reflect the lives of ordinary people who left no significant trace in history.
As a history collector and archival student, I collect these seemingly trivial historical materials, uncover the stories they contain, and preserve them as history to be remembered.
…I wanted to go beyond simply conveying historical facts, and fully convey the lives of ancient people contained within these objects.
─ From "Preparing a Book" (pp. 4 and 8)

A history that we all share in the collection in my room.
─Where a collector's passion, a historian's insight, and a history educator's expertise meet.
─A new historical narrative for a new era that encounters, records, and remembers history.

"The History Collection in My Room" is a book born from a triple identity: the expertise of an educator who has taught history to students for over 30 years, the experience of an archivist who deals with historical records, and the passion and insight of a collector who has personally collected numerous historical materials.
Narratives and images of the collection, which illuminate its historical context and background along with the stories behind the collection, add the pleasure of 'seeing' history to the fun of 'reading' it, and help readers have a visually rich historical experience.
The 110 articles that make up the book are 'curated' into five major periods in chronological order, from the opening of the country to immediately after liberation (just before the Korean War).


The book itself becomes a small museum, allowing readers to follow the flow of history as if viewing an exhibition.
Each article also sheds light on the historical context and background of the collection while conveying its content briefly and concisely, allowing modern readers accustomed to visual and intuitive content to easily access history.
〈Chapter 1: The Dream of a New Country〉 covers the period from the opening of Joseon to just before Japan's forced annexation of Korea in 1910.
Through a variety of fascinating collections, we explore the daily lives of Koreans as they began to interact with the outside world, the reforms of the new Korean Empire, and the unsettling process of losing their national sovereignty.

ㆍThe first Taegeukgi design (page 20, only page numbers are given below), French edition of Chunhyangjeon (24), Korean language self-study book for Japanese (28)
ㆍEdict of King Gojong (45) with the name of the Geonyang era, ordering short hair (92), order immediately after the enactment of the Sanitation and Cleanliness Act (64)
ㆍRecords of the Gyeongseong War (36), military badges issued during the Russo-Japanese War (68)
ㆍIllustration of Governor Won Tae-woo (76, 78) included in the Russo-Japanese War photo album, and Baekdonghwa (72) that disappeared during the currency reform project

Beginning with Emperor Sunjong's imperial edict announcing the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty, Chapter 2: Losing the Country, Chapter 3: The Continuing Daily Life of War, and Chapter 4: Under the Shadow of the Empire cover the period from Japan's forced annexation of Korea in 1910 to Japan's defeat in 1945.
It contains collections that show the colonial control and oppression of Japan, the blatant exploitation under the wartime system, and the resulting changes in lifestyle.


ㆍCriminal law book containing the punishment rules for police officers and photos of flogging (120, 122), photos of teachers in uniform and carrying swords (138)
ㆍJapanese elementary school textbooks using the Kim Jeong-ho myth (206)
ㆍPatriotic Airplane Donation Collection Poster (210), Imperial Subject Narrative Leaflet with Japanese Pronunciation in Korean (238)
ㆍA certificate of merit for a cattle competition showing the exploitation of Korean cattle (262), a commemorative photo of the offering, and a dinnerware set for the final battle (278, 280)
ㆍFlyer for the song "Destroy the US and Britain" (320)

In addition, it also includes a collection of items that provide a glimpse into the unwavering, quiet resistance and desire for independence of Koreans both inside and outside the Korean Peninsula.
But these aren't the only heart-pounding collections and stories.
The collection of artifacts that capture the lives of colonial Koreans who had to survive those dark times allows us to gauge their complex thoughts and minds.

ㆍAward with Taegeukgi (106), Mugunghwa Korean Peninsula embroidery (111)
ㆍManuscript of the Gimi Independence Declaration (130), Appeal for a strike at the Middle East School (185)
ㆍCertificate of Admission to the American National Congress (114), the first Taegeukgi (Korean flag) depicted on a U.S. postage stamp (298)
ㆍPhotos of young men enlisting as special forces soldiers (248, 250), will of a father enlisting (330)

〈Chapter 5: The Light of Liberation, the Coming Darkness〉 covers the period from August 15, 1945 to just before the outbreak of the Korean War.
In addition to the excitement of liberation, you can also examine the political conflict and tension between the left and right forces as they strive to establish an independent nation, the daily efforts to eliminate the remnants of Japanese imperialism and the countermoves, and the various social changes during the US military government.

ㆍTaegeukgi (340), a recycled Japanese flag, and a postcard and stamp commemorating the first anniversary of liberation (370)
ㆍProclamation of the Joseon National Foundation Preparatory Committee (342), 'First Independence Greetings' leaflet from the Special Envoy Office of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (350)
ㆍPhoto taken with US soldiers and Koreans (344)
ㆍA nameplate with the original name and the original name written on the front and back (352), a genealogy that reveals the fact of the original name (354), 'Sangjjang' written in Korean (380), a monument to the Imperial Subjects with the letters erased (385), a resume of a person who served as a Japanese police officer (364)
ㆍA democratic education book titled "Overview of Constitutional Politics" (390) published by the US military government, Korean language textbooks and posters recruiting Korean language teachers (356, 358), and election campaign materials with a stick symbol (410).

From a history of suffering and trials to a history of achievement and joy
─Containing the dreams and hopes of the ancient people who remained unbroken even in despair.

"We are all in the gutter.
But some of them are looking at the stars in the sky." The author's preface (which opens the book) begins with these words from Oscar Wilde, revealing that this book is not simply intended to show the dark history of the Japanese colonial period.
Amidst the harsh turmoil of modern Korean history, which began over 150 years ago, and especially during the dark days of Japanese colonial rule, the story of Koreans who never gave up on their dreams tells not only a history marked by pain and hardship, but also the fleeting moments of achievement and joy.

The dream of an anonymous writer published in the Imperial Newspaper in 1899, introduced in the preface, is astonishing.
“In Jongno, Seoul, there are high-rise houses made of jade, each about ten stories high, well-connected to electricity and communication networks,” “the education system is so developed that the literacy rate is over 99 percent,” and “representatives elected by the people discuss national affairs in the National Assembly.” This dream seems to prophesy about the Republic of Korea in the 21st century.
Baekbeom Kim Gu also wanted “our country to become the most beautiful country in the world,” and said, “The only thing I desire infinitely is the power of high culture.”
These dreams were not all vain.
In the preface, the author points out that their dreams have become a reality in Korea today, saying, "This achievement was by no means achieved for free.
He emphasizes that "it is the result of countless Koreans' blood, sweat, tears, and fierce struggle."
This book reminds us that even in the harshest and most desperate of times, there were people who lived with dreams and hope, and it makes us realize that those unrecorded, ordinary lives have shaped who we are today.