“The Lives of Worthy Monks of the Country East of the Sea” (Hedonkosin jon), compiled at the beginning of the 13th century. monk Kakkhun, is the oldest monument of Korean Buddhist historiography that has survived to this day. From this work one can glean unique information about the ways of penetration of Buddhism into Korea, the ways of adapting this teaching to the local belief system, as well as about the ideology, political system and international relations of the early medieval Korean states. This monument is being translated into Russian for the first time. The translation is provided with an introductory article and detailed comments. The book may be of interest to Buddhist scholars, historians, literary scholars, as well as anyone interested in the traditional culture of Korea.