Changbi Publishers, Inc., which represents critical writers and intellectuals in South Korea, began operations in 1966 with the founding of The Quarterly Changbi (Creation and Criticism). The company has published more than 1,500 titles, including works of poetry, fiction, history, the humanities and social sciences, and children's books, both by Korean authors and foreign writers in translation.
In the 1970s and 80s, Changbi frequently offended the military regimes because of its oppositional stance, and faced many difficulties including bans on certain important books and the closure of the journal from 1980 to early 1988. Furthermore, for nearly one year, the publishing house itself was shut down. Authors, publishers, and editors were arrested or brought to trial several times, some suffering conviction and even imprisonment.
While Changbi was being harassed by the authorities, the Korean intellectual community continued to look to it as a central cultural organ of the movements for democracy and national reunification. Theories about the system of Korea's division and about 'national literature' have been expounded by many authors through the journal, especially by the editor Paik Nak-chung. Debates on this and other important topics have had a great influence on intellectuals and activists in South Korea.
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