1995 is a significant
year for all Koreans in that it marks thefiftieth anniversary
of the country's liberation from Japan. Forthirty-six
years, Korea had to suffer under the brutal and inhumane
rule of the Japanese, and liberation meant far more than
mere physical freedom from oppression.
It was a chance to reclaim the country's place in the
world and to restore its proud history. To commemorate
this special occasion, KBS, as a public broadcasting system
representing Korea, takes pride in publishing The History
of Korea. The book was written with foreign readers in
mind and is designed to provide an accessible, fair and
objective overview of the ountry's history.
Korea
is a proud country with a unique culture and tradition
that are over 5,000 years old. Yet results of various
surveys indicate that many people around the world do
not have a correct understanding of the country's history,
and information in this area has been relatively scarce.
The purpose of this book is to address the inaccuracies
or distortions foreigners may have in their knowledge
of the history of Korea.
The book contains a comprehensive overview
of Korea's history from ancient times to the present and
is co-published by Radio Korea International of KBS and
the National Institute for International ducation
Development under the Ministry of Education Korea, It
is hoped that readers will find this easily accessible
and fair and objective in its presentation of the history
of Korea.We sincerely hope that the book will serve as
a useful guide to our foreign friends who wish to know
more about the "Land of the Morning Calm."
Thank you.