Recommendation 1: I've found a proper Korean history book! (Kim Yong-seok)
Recommendation 2: Korean History for the Developed Republic of Korea and for Global Citizens (Han Young-jun)
Recommendation 3: No history book has ever recreated the past more vividly! (Park Jun-hong)

Author's Note: Looking at Korean History Beyond Korean History

Chapter 1: Why is the tiger, not the bear, the animal that symbolizes our people?
: Historical facts told by the Dangun legend

Is Hwanung the real protagonist of the Dangun legend? │ The 4.2ka event collapses the ancient world │ The changes brought about by Hwanung's forces with advanced agricultural knowledge │ The Dangun legend shows the changes in the ruling power of the Korean Peninsula │ So why did the tiger become the symbol of our people?

Chapter 2: The Truth Behind the History of Lelang Commandery, the Ancient Chinese Empire of the Korean Peninsula
: The legacy that Hansagun left in our history

Han (漢) attacks Gojoseon and establishes the Four Commanderies of Han│Why did Emperor Wu of Han attack Gojoseon 1: Decoupling│Why did Emperor Wu of Han attack Gojoseon 2: Isolate the Huns│Where were the Four Commanderies of Han?│Nakrang, the cosmopolis of ancient East Asia│The legacy of the Nakrang Commanderies│Is the Nakrang Commanderies a shameful part of our nation's history?

Chapter 3: The Decisive Event that Led to the Rapid Rise of Silla, a Weak State on the Frontier
: The Trojan War on the Korean Peninsula, the Rebellion of the Eight Kingdoms

The Southwest Coastal Sea Route, National Route 1 of the Three Kingdoms Period│Trade Routes Blocked by the Destruction of Lelang Commandery│Geumgwan Gaya, the Jewel of East Asia│The Trojan War of East Asia, the Rebellion of the Eight Kingdoms of Posang│The Reversed Status of Silla and Geumgwan Gaya

Chapter 4 Why did King Jangsu abandon the vast Manchuria and head south?
: The diplomatic power of Goguryeo, a military powerhouse

The era of the boring Jangsu King│Go South│The cold spell and Goguryeo's southward advance│Block Goguryeo: Baekje's version of the 'Quad'│Neutralizing Goguryeo's 'Quad'│King Gaero's bold gamble│King Jangsu takes action│Unification of the Sui Dynasty, Goguryeo's crisis│The last spark of Goguryeo diplomacy│What the Afrasiab murals tell us

Chapter 5: The Ancient Mysteries Hidden in Japanese Tombs and Chinese Customs Remaining in Our Land
: What do the uncomfortable traces engraved on our land tell us?

The birth story of King Muryeong, like a soap opera│Was Wa a weak, underdeveloped nation?│The mysterious tomb│Jeollanam-do stuck in the tomb?│The era of the Japanese kings│Corpses discovered in Gyeongju│The Qin people who came to Silla

Chapter 6: The Habsburg Dynasty of the Korean Peninsula and the Goryeo Dynasty's Ruling Strategy
: Observing the international situation with a businessman's mindset

A Merchant Family│Why Did Wang Geon Go to Naju?│Goryeo's Habsburg Strategy│Was Goryeo a Free Trade Nation?│The Multipolar International Environment That Created Goryeo

Chapter 7: Pax Mongolica's Legacy in Goryeo and Joseon
: Is the Mongol intervention a history of shame?

Wang Jeon's Gamble Against the Mongols│A Successful Gamble Saves Goryeo│Kublai Khan's Gift│Goryeo's Abandonment of Resistance Against the Mongols and the Invasion of Japan│The Legend of Mukuri and Kokuri│Was Goryeo's Abandonment of Resistance Against the Mongols a Humiliation?│Was All Mongol Intervention in Politics Bad?│The Benefits of Pax Mongolica

Chapter 8: World Affairs and Climate Change That Made the Founding of Joseon Inevitable
: A climate story that shook the medieval history of the Korean Peninsula

Pax Mongolica, swept by the 14th-century cold snap. The cold snap's scarcity sparked innovations in land use. Jeong Do-jeon's land reforms. The Japanese pirates, a greater threat than the Mongols. The end of the free trade system.

Chapter 9: Why King Sejong the Great, a Monarch Who Loved the People, Was Passive in His Policy of Suppressing Slavery
: Why did the slave system develop so much in the late Goryeo and Joseon societies?

The Global Slave Market of the 16th Century│Joseon Slaves of Jewish Portuguese Merchants│40% of Joseon's Population Were Slaves│Why Did the Number of Slaves Increase So Rapidly in the Late Goryeo Dynasty?│The Age of Large Farms│The Concentration and Selection of the Founding Powers of Joseon│Yi Hwang, the Man Who Increased the Number of Slaves through Yangcheon Marriage│The King Who Tried to Reduce the Number of Slaves, and the Nobles Who Tried to Increase It

Chapter 10: The Age of Exploration: A Crucial Event That Reversed the Positions of Joseon and Japan
: The rapid changes in the world situation after Pax Mongolica

The closed trade system of the Ming Dynasty│The secret behind tribute diplomacy│The Iwami Silver Mine│Was the Imjin War an economic war?│Why did China withdraw from the sea?│“One jin of lead can make two dong of silver.”│A huge amount of silver came from Japan│The silver-lead separation law blossomed in Japan│Whose specialty is ginseng?│To Japan instead of China

Chapter 11: Unsung Heroes of Korean History Who Overcame Climate Disaster
: The Byeongja Horan and the Daedong Law brought about by the Little Ice Age

The Imjin War was a trailer│The Byeongja War staged by the Little Ice Age│The starving Jurchens target Joseon│Joseon becomes the rear supply base of the Later Jin Dynasty│Forests disappear with the spread of Ondol│The final crisis│The emergence of the Daedong Law│The Little Ice Age revives the Daedong Law│Hyeonjong did his best

Chapter 12 Why did the Koreans who were taken to Japan during the Imjin War not return to their homeland?
: Changes in Japan as seen through the eyes of Joseon Tongsinsa

Why did Joseon potters go to Kyushu? │Nabeshima or Shimazu, the conflicting fates of potters│Naeshirogawa, a small Joseon in Japan│The Meiji Restoration and the dissolution of Naeshirogawa│From potter to foreign minister, the journey of Park Pyeong's family│Why didn't the potters return to their home country?│Joseon and Japan needed to reestablish diplomatic relations│"Will there be no international missions in your country?"│The meeting of the Keimi envoy and Kamei Nanmei│Japan is a 'country of heresy'│The end of the envoy

Chapter 13: When did the sentiment of preferring Seoul begin?
: The origins of the Hanyang monopoly era and the concentration phenomenon in Seoul

From the TK Heyday to the Hanyang Heyday │ The Beginning of Seoul's Dominance │ Seoul's Allure and Soft Power That Captured Choi Han-ki │ Why Did Yoo Man-joo Go to Mapo to Borrow Money? │ East End and Mapo │ Seoul's Soaring Housing Prices

Chapter 14: The Value of the Korean Peninsula and the Fate of Joseon as Seen by Modern Powers
: The crossroads chosen by Korea and Japan in the face of the massive waves of imperialism

The Strange Cohabitation of the Islanders of Geomundo and the British Navy│Russia's Expansion into the Ocean and Britain's Confrontation to Block It│The Value of Geomundo That the Great Powers Pay Attention to│Joseon's Unintentional 'Gamble': Ina Geocheong│Japan and Joseon's Attitudes to the Great Powers│Japan's Anti-Russian Fear and the Eulmi Incident│The Anglo-Japanese Alliance That Gave Japan Wings

“You can never properly understand Korean history within the framework of Korean history!”

Why did King Jangsu of Goguryeo, the nomadic peoples of China, and the Germanic peoples of Northern Europe move south at similar times?

Every citizen of the Republic of Korea studied ‘Korean History’, which was a required subject during their school years.
Even if you have built a wall with Korean history after graduating from school, you will probably remember some events.
Among them, there may be scenes that bring about regret, such as, ‘If only it had been like that back then…’
Perhaps one such example is King Jangsu of Goguryeo's southward expansion policy. King Jangsu's decision to abandon the vast territory his father, King Gwanggaeto the Great, a rare conqueror in Korean history, had expanded into northern Manchuria and instead turn his attention to the Han River region of the Korean Peninsula is bound to leave a deep regret for modern Koreans, who live in the hustle and bustle of the narrow Korean Peninsula.

But did you know that around the time King Jangsu abandoned Manchuria and headed for the Han River, similar events unfolded in China and Europe? In China, five nomadic tribes from the northern grasslands invaded the Central Plains in the south, pushing back the Chinese dynasties and ushering in the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms period.
In Europe, Germanic tribes who had been living in Northern Europe migrated south in large numbers and shook the Roman Empire.
This is an event we learned about in school as the 'Great Migration of the Germanic Peoples'.
What caused the northern powers of the Korean Peninsula, China, and Europe to move south during such a similar period? The answer is climate.
Around the 4th to 5th centuries, a cold period occurred across the globe, lowering the average temperature. Grain production in the northern regions became difficult. King Jangsu of Goguryeo, the nomadic peoples of northern China, and the Germanic peoples of Northern Europe had no choice but to move their bases to the warm south, which brought about a historical transformation that cracked the existing order.

Without incorporating the variable of ‘climate’, there is no way to explain the flow of history that occurred during this period.
In Europe, the United States, China, and other countries, climatology, geography, and sociology are already being applied to interpret history.
On the other hand, our historical research still uses only the results of research within Korean history as data, and thus uses the political decisions of specific groups or territorial disputes as the most important yardstick.
But if we look at it from such a narrow perspective, there are so many unresolved issues.
It is a mistake to blame the isolationist policy of Heungseon Daewongun entirely for the reason that Joseon's modernization was later than that of Japan.
In fact, the biggest reason was that the slave system, which began in the late Goryeo Dynasty and was strengthened and expanded during the Joseon Dynasty, prevented the country's main labor force from being incorporated into merchants and urban workers.

“Making Korean history clearer
“An in-depth analysis of 14 cases!”

Expanding Korean history into world history while simultaneously bringing it into the daily lives of modern people.

This book comprehensively covers five thousand years of history from Gojoseon to the Japanese colonial period.
In doing so, it hits on 14 key points that must be addressed.
These 14 historical events are turning points that changed the course of Korean history, and at the same time, they are also points that resolve questions that have been difficult to resolve while studying Korean history.

Why did the Gom tribe, which united with Hwanung's forces, possessing advanced agricultural knowledge, and became part of Gojoseon, disappear from our history? What impact did the Hansa Commandery (Nangnang Commandery), which entered our land after the fall of Gojoseon, have on our nation-states on the Korean Peninsula? Why did Silla, the most backward of the three kingdoms of the Three Kingdoms period, become the driving force behind unification? Why did the Korean Peninsula, despite suffering numerous invasions, not become part of China or Japan? How did the Korean people's obsession with real estate originate? What is the connection between the Age of Exploration, which began in Europe, and the Imjin War? Why did Koreans taken to Japan during the Imjin War not return home? Why did the TK (Daegu/Gyeongbuk) region, a hideout for influential families, decline, giving way to the golden age of Hanyang (Seoul)? What was the geopolitical value of Joseon that modern powers coveted?

To answer questions that can never be overlooked while studying Korean history, this book covers 14 topics in depth, while not losing sight of the chronological structure that continues from 'Gojoseon - ancient states of the Korean Peninsula - Three Kingdoms Period - Unified Silla - Later Three Kingdoms Period - Goryeo - Joseon - Japanese Colonial Period.'
This structure is not only useful for reflecting on the historical significance of each event within the overall context of Korean history, but also opens up an easily accessible path for beginners in Korean history.

As previously stated, this book interprets our history by applying various elements such as climatology, geography, sociology, world affairs, changes in the times, and group psychology.
This attempt is a unique strength of this book that cannot be found in any other book on Korean history.
However, this does not mean that a new attempt to interpret history is a virtue in itself.
The true virtue of this book is that it uses a variety of tools to uncover the "real facts" hidden beneath the surface of historical events.
The facts unearthed in this way are not so simple as to be summarized in just a few lines, but they share a common thread: the struggles of the people of that time to survive by overcoming or adapting to changing times.
Because these struggles and efforts in life transcend space and race, the major events in Korean history are inevitably connected to world history.
The somewhat provocative title, “There Is No Korean History,” does not deny Korean history, but rather reveals that the time and events accumulated by our ancestors as they sought to overcome changing times and environments were an important trend that shaped world history and cannot be confined to the framework of Korean history.