The First Korean Newspapers: And Progression of Korean Freedom

Welcome to my Omeka Exhibit on the first newspaper in Korea. In this exhibit I will discuss three different newspapers: each of which have been described as the first newspaper in Korea. Each of these newspapers have been given their own page (arranged in chronological order of first publishing date) that tells of their significance in the story of Korean independence. You will also find that The Dongnipsinmun was not necessarily the first Korean newspaper but rather the first newspaper in Korea to be published entirely in Korean. You will also see that The Hansong Sunbo/ Seoul News was not necessarily the first newspaper in Korea but could be considered as such due to its publishing in such a dense city where it would be read by many people. Furthermore, you will see the significance of printing in Korea and how metal type printing presses came to be in the region. 

When we look at these three newspapers in chronological order, we can see an underlying story of Koreans gaining their independence from foreign bodies. In the three following pages, you will see how Koreans have gone from lower class under the influence of China and Japan to far more independent people. The main takeaway of this exhibit is that the three newspapers talked about here are indicative of many Koreans’ desire for independence from foreign bodies in the late 19th century.