Jiri Mountain: Oh the People was published in 2017 in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of Jiri Mountain National Park. Written by Ju-og Yun, the executive chairperson of the National Park Conservation Network (NPCN), this book is simultaneously a report on the national park based on many years of the author’s activities, and a love letter. In a clear and concise writing style, the author delineates her affection for the beauty of Jiri Mountain and the struggle to save the aching national park from development. The reader glimpses Yun’s wonderful life of cultivating herself along with the local people, who are living in harmony with the national park.

In 1871, Yellowstone Park was designated a national park in the United States, becoming the world’s first national park. About a century later, in 1967, Jiri Mountain was designated South Korea’s first national park. 2017 marked the 50^th anniversary of the designation. Nature is borrowed from future generations. Mountains, fields, oceans, plants, animals, and everything in the natural environment must be preserved to be handed down to future generations. Our history, culture, and life are wholly encapsulated in national parks. This book raises awareness of the meaning and value of national parks, and reflects on materialistic societies ruled by “survival of the fittest” and humancentric arrogance, reminding us of the importance of nature and the value of living in harmony with it.