Since its founding in 1965, the JoongAng Ilbo has strived to live up to the highest media standards. Throughout its fast-paced changes, it has laughed and cried with its readers -- sometimes with articles that alered the path of Korean history; sometimes with exclusive reports that shocked the world. Through the years, the JoongAng Ilbo has left its footprints in the history of Korea's media. The JoongAng Ilbo has always been changing. In 1994, the JoongAng Ilbo announced its "second founding," which began a revolution in Korean media. To delve more deeply into a sea of information, we introduced a system in which professionals were hired to cover specialized fields. We began publishing our paper in section, for a more efficient delivery of information. Changing with the times, we decided to use Korean characters in our masthead and our articles, and we implemented horizontal writing. These changes did more than just change our appearance. The JoongAng Ilbo has made great efforts to find conciliation in conflicts, to seek justice amid corruption and to plant the seeds of hope in times of grief. We replaced cynicism with vision, and strived to look to the future more than we brooded on the past. The JoongAng Ilbo is also doing away with past reporting customs that mixed facts and opinion. In 2004, we introduced "news analysis" articles to make a clear distinction between factual reporting and commentary, to help readers make an objective judgment. I can now confidently say that the JoongAng Ilbo has found its place as Korea's exemplary newspaper. In an age when politics is rocked by the extremes of conservative and progreesive ideals, and when the gap between the rich and the poor grows wider, the JoongAng Ilbo has strived for hope and positive development. With 40 years of experience of fair reporting, we stand unshaken by external pressures, knowing right from wrong, and we will endeavor to provide our society with hope and vision. We invite you to witness our entry into the ranks of the world's best newspapers. JoongAng Ilbo Publisher Kwon Young-Bin