The first book to explore the full scope and beauty of Korean design – from traditional craft to celebrated contemporary creations Characterized by a unique blend of tradition and innovation, and by a focus on sustainability and efficiency, Korean design is recognized for its creativity, quality, and beauty. Jeong: The Spirit of Korean Craft and … [Read More]
Archives: Books
Here is a listing of all the books in the LKL Book DataBase, in the order we happen to have uploaded them (most recent first). For listings in order of publication, visit the DataBase home page which will take you to individual subject listings.
Critical Approaches to Transmedia Storytelling in K-Pop
In Critical Approaches to Transmedia Storytelling in K-Pop, contributors present a variety of compelling case studies to argue that K-pop has evolved beyond a musical genre into a global cultural phenomenon with a growing influence on contemporary media practices, highlighting its transmedia ecosystem in which complex narratives unfold and engage audiences across formats and platforms. … [Read More]
Seoul Food: From Kimbap to Kimchi, Delicious Recipes from the Heart of Korea
Embark on a culinary adventure through the rich and flavoursome world of Korean cuisine as author Haebin Sudo recreates 60 carefully selected dishes for her first cookery book. Seoul Food is full of delicious dishes that showcase authentic Korean meals, both for everyday and for special dinner parties. From traditional family feasts and special occasion banquets … [Read More]
International Aid and Sustainable Development in North Korea: A Country Left Behind with Cloaked Society
This book examines international aid in North Korea, in particular the ongoing policy of withholding aid, through the lens of the impact on the general population to present an argument for sustainable development. Focusing on the human rights of North Koreans and presenting a case for the use of aid as a provision for social … [Read More]
The Story of Traditional Korean Literature
In this book, renowned Korean studies scholar Peter H. Lee casts light on important works previously undervalued or suppressed in Korean literary history. He illuminates oral-derived texts as Koryo love songs, p’ansori, and shamanist narrative songs which were composed in the mind, retained in the memory, sung to audiences, and heard but not read, as well … [Read More]
Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Choson Korea (1392–1910)
Buddhism shaped the development of Korea after its introduction in the fourth century. It influenced culture, politics, and intellectual life, and it was seen as a complement to Confucianism and a support for the state. The result was a close alliance between secular rulers and the Buddhist institution. But with the founding of the Choson … [Read More]
Going Critical: The First North Korean Nuclear Crisis
A decade before being proclaimed part of the “axis of evil,” North Korea raised alarms in Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo as the pace of its clandestine nuclear weapons program mounted. When confronted by evidence of its deception in 1993, Pyongyang abruptly announced its intention to become the first nation ever to withdraw from the Nuclear … [Read More]
Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime’s Greatest Weakness [forthcoming]
A compelling examination of North Korea’s elites, their hidden discontent, and the role they may play in shaping the regime’s future Jieun Baek’s second book on North Korea is a deeply researched and sharply analytical account of the grievances harbored by the country’s elite. Drawing on hundreds of hours of in-depth interviews with escapees from … [Read More]
From Korea to Britain, With Love: A Korean Father’s Letters to His British Daughter
From Korea to Britain, from loss to hope, from hardship to grace — a father’s intimate letter-memoir to his daughter. When Bon Jeon left Korea with nothing but a suitcase, a dream, and the quiet weight of responsibility, he never imagined how deeply the journey would reshape him — as a husband, a teacher, a … [Read More]
Diary of a Korean Plant Parent: Four Seasons of Growth [forthcoming]
“I’m delighted to be able to introduce my book to fellow plant parents across the anglophone world. In 2025, we need the wisdom of each and every individual in our communities, now more than ever. During this time, I hope that the stories of plants – their concentrated wisdom unfolding according to the laws of … [Read More]
That Summer’s End: Poems [forthcoming]
One hundred and six poems of self-reflection and exquisite beauty—an intoxicating blend of Seon Buddhism and French symbolism, and the first poetry collection from this essential South Korean author to appear in English That summer I stood in the centers of storms That summer my despair burst out into crimson but still I weathered the … [Read More]
Teddy Bears Never Die [forthcoming]
A young girl teams up with a hatchet-wielding teddy bear to solve the mystery of her mother’s murder and get her revenge in this campy slasher from Cho Yeeun, a rising star in Korean horror. Hwa-young never believed that her mother was murdered in a mass-cyanide attack at the luxury apartment complex where she worked. … [Read More]
International Relations and the Development of Korea’s Film Industry
This book examines the evolution of the Korean film industry, presenting a comprehensive account from the early days of experimental screening to its current period of attracting increased foreign investment. Exploring the Korean film industry’s troubled past, this book covers occupation, civil war, authoritarianism, globalisation, and the continued uncertainties amidst geopolitical competition. It differs from … [Read More]
The History of Korean Popular Culture
This book is a seminal example of historical writing on Korean popular culture, based on solid data that integrates historical facts and cultural symbols within a broader analytical framework, offering insightful critical interpretation. It explores the history of Korean popular culture that has grown and developed on the foundation of modern history. The history of … [Read More]
The Courage To Die: A North Korean Woman’s Escape and Rebirth in Freedom
The Courage to Die is the powerful true story of Eunhee Park, the child of divorced parents and a mother lost to mental illness, who endured years of hunger and indoctrination in a North Korean orphanage where survival meant silence. Raised by her disabled grandfather and strong-willed grandmother, Eunhee faced abandonment, loss, and the rigid control of … [Read More]
This Burns My Heart
Chamara is difficult to translate from Korean to English: To stand it, to bear it, to grit your teeth and not cry out? To hold on, to wait until the worst is over? Such is the burden Samuel Park’s audacious, beautiful, and strong heroine, Soo-Ja Choi, faces in This Burns My Heart, an epic love story set in the intriguing … [Read More]