Description: A legendary educational comic series that has crossed eras and generations, meeting 18 million readers along the way. Now evolving even in the age of AI with its 5th revised and expanded edition! With the theme "Beyond Eras, Beyond Generations," the revised and expanded edition of Meonara Iutnara is here. More than 40 years have passed with this book since it first began serialization in a children's newspaper in 1981. The series' earliest readers have since become parents and pillars of our society, and the next generation has become its new readers—truly crossing eras and generations. In the series' early days, the perspective was filled with admiration and envy toward Europe, focusing on reflecting upon what we lacked. But Korea has developed at a remarkable pace, growing into a wonderful nation that now stands shoulder to shoulder with advanced countries. As Korea's global standing has risen, our perspective on the world has also broadened and diversified. I too have come to view the world with a more clear-eyed and objective lens. I believe this has been reflected in the book through numerous rounds of revision. — From "On Publishing the 2024 Revised and Expanded Edition" Beginning with six European countries in 1987, and continuing through Japan (2000), Korea (2002), the United States (2004–2005), the Middle East (2007), China (2010–2011), Turkey (2018), Russia (2020), and India (2022), Meonara Iutnara has steadily completed its map of the world. Now, "beyond eras, beyond generations," the series returns with its 5th revised and expanded edition. Over the roughly 40 years during which Professor Lee Won-bok has guided readers through about 60 "faraway" countries that became "neighboring" ones, Korea itself has truly grown to stand alongside the advanced nations the series once covered. Through numerous revisions, Meonara Iutnara has continually strived to view the world with a more diverse and objective perspective befitting Korea's rising global stature. Guided by the principle that "history is always being rewritten," the series has been revised roughly every five years since its first edition, continuously updated to keep pace with a changing world. Because it has vividly captured living moments of world history, the legendary educational comic's reputation remains ever current, even as centuries turn and generations change. This newly published edition of "Beyond Eras, Beyond Generations: Meonara Iutnara" is no exception, shedding light on the meaning behind newly emerging historical and cultural developments shaped by recent global affairs and the shifting international order. Above all, the author has added an appendix of country "highlights," carefully compiled over a long period, allowing readers to clearly grasp the key points of each nation and region. From Korea's Well to the Center of the World: What Is the Secret Behind the Popularity of Meonara Iutnara, Which Has Completed a World Map of 60 Countries Over 40 Years? Meonara Iutnara began in 1981 as a serialized feature on six European countries in the Sonyeon Hankook Ilbo (Children's Korea Daily). Those installments were compiled into a book (published by Koryowon) in 1987. At the time, Koreans could not even travel abroad freely, and the internet was unimaginable. With its blend of information and entertainment, Meonara Iutnara helped plant the seeds of a global citizen mindset in Korea, preparing readers for an increasingly interconnected world. It is truly a monumental work that expanded our once narrow, well-frog perspective onto the world stage. More than 40 years later, Meonara Iutnara—recommended by parents to their children and by teachers to their students, read across eras and generations—remains the one and only pioneer and definitive name in educational comics. What is the secret behind Meonara Iutnara's enduring popularity with readers for nearly half a century? First, there is Professor Lee Won-bok, who opened the era of educational comics and continues to actively draw on the front lines to this day. While attending Kyunggi High School, the author got his start in comics through a part-time job copying foreign comics, arranged by a children's newspaper company. He went on to study architecture at Seoul National University before pursuing further studies in Germany. During his decade or so studying abroad, he immersed himself in comics from around the world, working as a freelancer contributing comics and posters to West German newspapers, and even illustrating the cover of the 150th anniversary issue of the prestigious German newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung. After returning to Korea in 1984, Professor Lee Won-bok took up a position at a university while also creating Meonara Iutnara...