영국인 배설(Ernest Thomas Bethell)이 1904년 7월에 영문판(‘The Korea Daily News’,4면)과 한글판(‘大韓每日申報,대한매일신보’,2면) 총6면으로 창간한 신문으로, 1905년 8월 11일부터는 국한문판과 영문판 2개의 신문으로 분리됐다.

영국인 소유의 신문이었기 때문에 치외법권의 특권을 누리면서 일본의 탄압을 피해 항일운동의 본거지로서 역할을 담당했고, 양기탁을 비롯하여 논설진으로 박은식, 신채호 등이 참여한 한말 최대의 민족지이다.

1909년 5월 배설이 사망한 이후에는 영국인 만함(萬咸, Alfred W. Marnham)이 경영을 맡았으나, 한일 강제 합병 후에는 제호를 ‘매일신보’로 바꾸어 조선총독부의 기관지가 되었다.

항일의병투쟁, 국채보상운동, 애국계몽운동 등과 깊은 관련이 깊은 한국민족운동사의 핵심적인 자료로서, 우리나라 근대사에서 매우 중요하다.

First published by a British journalist named Ernest Thomas Bethell in July 1904, Daehan maeil sinbo (The Korea Daily News) originally comprised a four-page English edition and a two-page Korean edition, until it was separated into two newspapers, one in Korean and Chinese and the other in English, on 11 August 1905. As the publisher of this newspaper was a British citizen, it had the privilege of avoiding suppression and surveillance by the Japanese colonists, and played a significant role as a focus of the anti-Japanese movement. Soon, it developed into the biggest national newspaper of Korea, with outstanding Korean figures such as Yang gi-tak, Park Eun-sik, and Sin Chae-ho serving as its editors. Bethell passed away in May 1909 and his successor, Mr. Marnham, took over the newspaper company. However, after the annexation of Korea by Japan, the newspaper was manipulated as a bulletin of the Japanese Government-General under the new title of Maeil sinbo (The Daily News). This newspaper provides essential information on the Korean nationalist movement in the early 20th century, including the anti-Japanese righteous army, the National Debt Repayment Movement, and enlightenment movements.