10 MOST TRESURED KOREAN CLASSICS

In the world, the status of Korea has been elevated high beyond anyone's expectation in recent years. From semiconductors to automobiles to Kimchi, the representative Korean cuisine, the small nation of the Korean Peninsula draws the interest of the world. Along with these developments, the culture and historical legacy of Korea passed down to us by our ancestors have been receiving much attention. Now, it is an urgent necessity to discover, cultivate, and extend the taste, fashion, values, and significance of what is uniquely Korean.



For this reason, we compiled the ten most treasured and widely read Korean classics. The criteria used in selecting only ten out of many classics is as follows: The first criterion asks whether the chosen work can be read both by Koreans in Korea and the more than seven million Korean diasporas spread throughout the world. The second asks whether the chosen work expresses the taste, form, values, and morals appropriately as well as the elements of merriment and emotional depth that are the characteristics of Korean classics. The third asks whether the work refrains from overly excessive or technical content in its religious overtones or plot development. In the end, the stories that are entertaining and conventional enough for any Korean to readily read were selected.



From the very beginning, the publication of this book had English readers in mind and was, thus, produced both in Korean and English. The simultaneous reading in Korean and English will aid learning both languages and their expressions. In this way, Korean readers will become acquainted with English expressions and English readers with Korean expressions.



Culture is woven into language. We anticipate that Korean culture and the mentality acquired through classic literature will further enrich the lives of our children.



Tri-Valley Korean Parents' Association / San Francisco, U.S.



Classic literature is a good way to excitingly learn and understand Korean history and culture. Korean language education through this medium will be a new experience for Korean children in the U.S.



Sejong Korean School / San Francisco, U.S.

The Story of Chun-Hyang

The Story of Sim Cheong

The Story of Heung-Bu

The Story of Ong Go-Jib

The Story of Yangban

The Story of Heo-Saeng

The Story of Hong Gil-Dong

The Story of Lady Park

Lady Sah's Adventures to the South

The Story of Seven Friends

in a Woman's Quarters

박현정 Narrator Hyun-Jung Park is Majored in Korean Education. Worked as a magazine reporter, screen writer, publication specialist, and freelance writer specializing in publication projects. Currently a member of Morning Tree, a literary consortium of professional writers of children's books and is devoted to producing diverse works in the fields of humanities and education. Wrote for "Now, We Go to the Woods," a production of MBC TV's Best Theaters and co-authored other books.