Description A legendary educational comic series that has met 18 million readers across eras and generations—now published in its 5th revised and expanded edition, evolving even in the age of AI! With the theme "Beyond Eras, Beyond Generations," this revised and expanded edition of Meonara Ieutnara is released. More than 40 years have passed since the series began serialization in a children's newspaper in 1981, and this book has journeyed alongside that time. The series' earliest readers have since become parents and pillars of our society, and the next generation has become its new readers—truly transcending both eras and generations. In the early days of the series, the perspective was filled with admiration and envy toward Europe, focusing on reflecting on what our country lacked. However, Korea has developed at a truly remarkable pace, growing into a wonderful nation standing shoulder to shoulder with developed countries. As Korea's standing in the world has risen, our perspective on the world has gradually broadened and diversified. I, too, have come to view the world with a more clear-eyed and objective perspective. I believe this has been reflected in the book through numerous rounds of revision. _ From "On Publishing the 2024 Revised and Expanded Edition" Beginning in 1987 with six European countries, 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 Ieutnara 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 Won-bok Rhie has guided readers through about 60 "distant" countries that became "neighboring" ones, Korea itself has genuinely grown into a nation standing shoulder to shoulder with the developed countries the series once described. Through numerous revisions over the years, Meonara Ieutnara has continually strived to view the world with a more diverse and objective perspective befitting Korea's rising international standing. Under the principle that "history is always being rewritten," the series has been revised approximately every five years since its first publication, undergoing continual updates and refinements to keep pace with a changing era. Thanks to its vivid portrayal of living world history, the reputation of this legendary educational comic remains ever-present, regardless of how centuries turn or generations change. This newly published edition, Meonara Ieutnara: Beyond Eras, Beyond Generations, is no exception—it reflects recent global affairs and the international order, shedding light on the meaning behind newly emerging historical and cultural developments. Most notably, the author has added a "Highlights" appendix for each country, carefully prepared over a long period, allowing readers to clearly review the key points of each nation and region as they finish the book. From a Well Inside Korea to the Center of the World What is the secret behind the popularity of Meonara Ieutnara, which has completed a world map of 60 countries over 40 years? Meonara Ieutnara began in 1981 as a series covering six European countries, serialized in the Sonyeon Hankook Ilbo (Korea Children's Daily). That material was compiled into a book (published by Koryowon) in 1987. At the time, overseas travel was not yet freely available, and the internet was still unimaginable. With the arrival of Meonara Ieutnara, which combined information with entertainment, the seeds of a global citizen mindset began to sprout in Korea in preparation for the coming global era. Meonara Ieutnara is truly a monumental work that expanded the thinking and worldview of a nation once confined like a frog in a well, out onto the world stage. More than 40 years since then, Meonara Ieutnara continues to be recommended by parents to their children and by teachers to their students, read across eras and generations. It is regarded as the one-of-a-kind pioneer and quintessential representative of educational comics and learning comics. Why has Meonara Ieutnara received such great love from readers for nearly half a century? First, there is Professor Won-bok Rhie, who opened the era of educational comics and continues to actively draw comics to this day. The author's connection to comics began when, while attending Kyunggi High School, he took a part-time job copying foreign comics arranged through a children's newspaper company. He went on to study architecture at Seoul National University before continuing his studies in Germany. During his more than ten years 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 drew the cover for the 150th anniversary issue of the prestigious German newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung. After returning to Korea in 1984, Professor Won-bok Rhie took up a position teaching at university while also creating Meonara Ieutnara