World History 1: What We Absolutely Must Know (Hardcover)

Author Choi Tae-sung · Publisher Dasan Children · Published 2026-07-28 · ISBN 9791130682341

About the Book

Choi Tae-sung, the history mentor for 7 million students, presents his first children's world history!
Korean history and world history connected in one flow the moment you read the book
From tteokbokki to the Great Depression, 8 world history stories starting with today's questions

What comes to mind first when you think of world history? You might think of the names of unfamiliar countries and figures, and countless confusing events and dates. It might also feel like a distant story unrelated to us. However, children today live in a world more interconnected than ever. Events happening on the other side of the globe are immediately conveyed through screens in their hands, and children's favorite content, games, and food freely cross borders. But if they don't know how this world came to be this way, they can only feel that world history is "someone else's story."

In fact, the world we live in has been connected for a long time. Voyages that began on the other side of the globe changed the landscape of our dining tables, and the Industrial Revolution in Europe also affected the history of Joseon. Wars and revolutions that swept the world ignited the Korean independence movement and the dream of a new nation.

The world we live in today was not completed overnight. It is the result of a long period of people from different regions and different times clashing and interacting. Once children understand this flow, they will no longer be overwhelmed by the names of unfamiliar countries and complex events in the news. This is because they will gain the ability to interpret the world for themselves, understanding why these things are happening now.

『Now World History』 does not explain world history as someone else's story happening far from Korea. It explores how global changes reached us across borders and how our history has been connected within the large flow of world history. If we learned "what happened to us" through Korean history, through world history, we can understand "why it happened" more broadly and deeply.

When looking at world history and Korean history together, children will encounter world history not as a complicated subject for memorization, but as an interesting story about how today's world was created.


"Whether it's world history or Korean history, history is ultimately a story created by people together."
Big Star Teacher Choi Tae-sung's world history class for all children who will create a wider world

World history is vast. It features countless events and figures across various continents and countries. But if we look closely at world history, what moved it were people who lived with similar concerns as us. Even with different skin colors and languages, people tens or hundreds of years ago also wished for a better life and tried to make the world a slightly better place. It is because of their choices and challenges that today's world exists.

Not only those who left their names in history are the protagonists of world history. Behind massive events like the Industrial Revolution and World War I were countless people whose names are not even known. The lives of people who embraced new things and ideas, those who raised their voices against injustice, and those who maintained their daily lives amidst war, all combined to create the flow of history.

『Now World History』 looks into the concerns and choices of people beyond unfamiliar events. No matter how complex it seems, world history is also a story of people who pondered and dreamed similarly to us. Child readers of this book will follow their lives, ask themselves "what choice would I have made," and realize that history and our lives are not so far apart.

Humanities answer children's questions now
The 'Now' series connecting the past with today's life

The world children live in is entirely "now." The media, content, and even the food and games they enjoy all talk about the present. To a child's eyes, this scene might appear as if it has always existed. But nothing in the world is naturally obvious from the beginning. The freedom we enjoy, the conflicts that surround us, and even the food we eat were all created in the not-so-distant past. Today is the result of accumulated time when someone pondered, chose, and joined hands.

History is the record of the process by which that "now" was created. Why is our country divided into two? Why do wars never end in the world? Why does our economy suffer when war breaks out in other countries? The answers to these questions that children suddenly ask can all be found in the recent past.

Knowing history means having the power to interpret today. For children who know history, news of the world is no longer just difficult noise, but a continuous story. And when the world begins to appear as a story, children can grow into individuals who actively ask questions and make sound choices for the world.

Just as today's world was created by the choices of people in the past, the world of the future will be created by the choices of children living today. The 'Now' series helps children understand the present and develop the power to imagine tomorrow. We hope these books serve as reliable guides for fostering a vision of the world and a heart that imagines tomorrow.


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Table of Contents

Introduction: World history is actually our story, isn't it?

Chapter 1 Age of Exploration: Tteokbokki was originally white?
Chapter 2 Industrial Revolution: The T-shirts we wear every day were once worth their weight in gold?
Chapter 3 Encounter between Joseon and Foreign Countries: Why were Joseon people afraid to ride elevators?
Chapter 4 Opium War: The gentlemen's country, Britain, secretly sold opium?
Chapter 5 Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars: Two strong friends fighting in my room?
Chapter 6 World War I: Did a gunshot on the other side of the globe change the name of our country?
Chapter 7 Russian Revolution: They built a school in an empty field?
Chapter 8 Great Depression: Delicious bread piled up, but no money to buy it?