- Overview
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Since its publication in May 1993, this book series has created catch phrases such as “South Korea itself is a museum” and “The more you know, the more you see.”
- Book Intro
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The first volume of “South Provinces Exploration Ilbeonji” was a major hit, selling 100,000 copies in just two months, which was unusual for books on Humanities and Social Sciences. The following second and third volumes have also maintained the same success, selling 2.6 million copies (including the North Korea edition). There are many reasons that this discovery series has received ardent support from readers, topped bestseller lists, and changed the views of Koreans on the South Korean land and cultural heritage. First of all, it has evoked a sense of pride in the cultural heritage that has been severely damaged by wars, division, and colonialism. Secondly, it has allowed people to realize that the pleasure of travel can be found not only in leisure activities but also in profound knowledge on Korean history, culture, geography, and arts.
The first volume of this series, No.1 Places to Go in South Provinces, has attracted the attention of the public due to having chosen Gangjin and Haenam, the land of exile, as the first place to discover in South Korea. The section in which the author Yu Hongjune describes the sun in Gangjin and Haenam—which are located at the tip of Jeolla Province—and its vivid red color is particularly well known to the public. The revised edition of No.1 Places to Go in South Provinces includes black and white images turned into color photos to deliver the tone and texture more clearly as well as the materials selected carefully even by considering the location of the photos and the captions.
Consisting of chapters on Gangjin, Haenam, Sudeoksa Temple in Yesan, Gyeongju, Soswaewon Garden in Damyang, and Seonunsa Temple in Gochang, this book provides profound content and reveals the aesthetic sense of the author. Yu’s in-depth insight on granite stone pagoda, including the Three-storied Stone Pagoda at the Gameunsa Temple Site in Gyeongju, or his affection for Emaile Bell is one of the best parts of this book.
- About the Author
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Yu Hongjune
Yu Hongjune was born in Seoul in 1949. Yu graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Aesthetics and received his MA in Art History from the graduate school of Hongik University and a PhD in Oriental Philosophy from the graduate school of Sungkyunkwan University. Yu started his career as an art critic after his art critique won the annual spring literary contest hosted by Dong-a Ilbo in 1981. Yu held a lecture called "Korean Art History for Young People" a dozen times in Seoul and Daegu from 1985 to 2000, and he became a representative of the Korean Cultural Heritage Exploration Association. Yu previously worked as a professor and a museum director at Yeongnam University, a professor and dean of the Cultural Art Graduate School at Myongji University, and a director of the Cultural Heritage Administration. He currently serves as an Art History professor at Myongji University and an honorary director of Jeju Chusagwan.
- Bestseller Rank
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No.1 Bestseller for 60 consecutive weeks at a major book store.
