preface
Character introduction

Chapter 1: The Spread of Donghak and the Awakening of Peasants

Great powers and Joseon
The Lost Decade
The rise of Donghak
Before and after the Boeun rally

Chapter 2 1894, the year of Gap-o

It's happening, it's happening, it's chaos
Into the Sino-Japanese War
Gabo Reform
Peasant Army's Sewing Machine
The mung bean flowers are falling

Chapter 3: The Day of Rejection

Japan's victory, and…
Before and after the Triple Intervention
fox hunting
Movements of anti-Japanese forces
Agwan Pacheon
Empress Myeongseong and Heungseon Daewongun

Chapter 4: The Korean Empire and the Independence Association

Become emperor
Independence Association Movement
People's Common Assembly
The End of the Independence Association
Gwangmu Reform and various treason plots

Chapter 5: The Fadeaway Dream of a Sovereign Nation

Russo-Japanese War
Eulsa Treaty
Shock and anger
Self-reliance movement

Chapter 6 The Dynasty Collapsed

Gojong's abdication
Anti-Japanese volunteer army
3rd year of Sunjong
An Jung-geun
The curtain falls

Author's Note
Chronology of the Fall of the Nation
Joseon and the World

The rest of the story
Imperial family after the fall of the country

congratulatory message
The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty
Summary: The Fall of Joseon
World Cultural Heritage, The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty
Books that helped me

※ Cover illustration of Volume 20 of Park Si-baek's Annals of the Joseon Dynasty: King Gojong

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, a legacy of humankind, becomes content for everyone to enjoy.

“The Memory of the World belongs to everyone and must be preserved and protected for everyone, fully and permanently accessible to all, with full recognition of cultural practices and practicalities.”
-UNESCO

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, registered as a UNESCO Memory of the World in 1997, is the longest-running record of a single dynasty's history, and is an invaluable historical record with an unparalleled rigorous compilation process and systematic structure. It is undoubtedly a shared heritage of humanity that should be preserved and enjoyed by not only the Republic of Korea but also the world.
However, despite its importance, the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty remained in the realm of intellectual study for a long time, as the overwhelming volume and scope of the original, which chronicled 472 years of Joseon history, hindered access.


In this way, in the early 2000s, when the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty were still unfamiliar to the public, the monumental series “Park Si-baek’s Annals of the Joseon Dynasty” was born, which opened a refreshing path to Joseon history.
Artist Park Si-baek, who dedicated over ten years to Joseon history, starting with the concept in 2001, publishing the first volume in 2003, and completing the 20-volume series in 2013, recreated the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, which was inaccessible to just anyone due to its vast volume and chronological narrative, into the comics genre so that anyone can read it easily and enjoyably.
Based on historical facts, yet with Park Si-baek's uniquely sharp and witty interpretation, Joseon history comes to life with 500 unique characters, an astonishing 25,000 cuts, a narrative, solid composition, and clear perspective.
Park Si-baek's Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, which is praised for vividly reviving the 500-year history of the Joseon Dynasty, has broadened its readership to include children, students, and adults, lowering the threshold for Joseon history itself and stimulating national interest.
The precious World Documentary Heritage, the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, has been reborn as a story that can be enjoyed and enjoyed by people of all ages, and as original cultural content of our time.

Park Si-baek, a leading cartoonist of our time, opens new horizons in historical comics.

Artist Park Si-baek, who has cultivated a solid structure that feels like an author's expertise and unparalleled factual verification, and a clear historical perspective of his own, has devoted himself to the series "Park Si-baek's Annals of the Joseon Dynasty" for over 10 years, presenting work that is worthy of the title of "historical cartoon."
More than 3.5 million readers gave him enthusiastic support and cheers, and by winning the Minister's Award at the Korea Cartoon Awards and the Grand Prize at the Bucheon Cartoon Awards, cartoonist Park Si-baek established himself as a true representative historical cartoonist of Korea, trusted by both the public and critics.


Starting with his representative work, “Park Si-baek’s Annals of the Joseon Dynasty,” he depicted the hardships of the Japanese colonial period after the fall of Joseon through “35 Years,” and then went back in time again with “Park Si-baek’s History of Goryeo” to compile the 1,000-year history of the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, expanding the scope of Park Si-baek’s historical comics by traveling across the ages.
More than 20 years have passed since the first publication of "Park Si-baek's Annals of the Joseon Dynasty," and the significance of Park Si-baek and his works, which pioneered new horizons in domestic historical comics, to the publishing culture and soil of the Republic of Korea is truly profound.


Features of the '2024 Eojin Edition'

The '2024 Authentic Edition' presents twenty new covers inspired by portraits of royal officials and meritorious subjects to highlight the book's features based on the official history of the Joseon Dynasty.
Artist Park Si-baek personally carefully selected the figures to represent each volume, and these are the 20 faces that encapsulate the history of Joseon.
Not only the monarchs who symbolized the Joseon Dynasty from Taejo and Sejong to Yeonsangun and Gojong, but also Queen Munjeong and Heungseon Daewongun who dominated the era with a greater presence than the king, Jeong Do-jeon who drew the blueprint for Joseon, and meritorious subjects like Yi Sun-sin who saved the country from national crisis…
Artist Park Si-baek's paintings present the moving experience of seeing modern-day portraits of the main characters who decorated the 500 years of the Joseon Dynasty.

In addition, the newly added appendices for each volume, “Chronology” and “Family Tree and Key Figures,” utilize artist Park Si-baek’s characters and cartoon cuts to clearly organize the contents of the respective volumes, allowing one to grasp the flow of the 500 years of the Joseon Dynasty at a glance.
The book weaves together the warp and weft of Joseon history, including the “Chronology,” which can be used by connecting the front and back volumes, and the “Family Tree and Key Figures,” which allows one to examine the relationships between royal figures centered around the king and key figures active during the same period.

The exclusive box case for the '2024 Authentic Edition' features a modern design while also being highly durable. The included "Joseon Dynasty Annals Family Tree" and large bromide of all the Joseon Dynasty kings in one place further enhance the collection value of the complete "Park Si-baek's Joseon Dynasty Annals" collection.