First published in Korean in 2005, Phantom Limbs is Lee Min-ha’s debut book of poetry. Critically lauded for its visceral imagery and world-building through word-play, this collection of surreal and fabulistic poems reminds readers that poems are spells and incantations. Lee Min-ha is a Korean poet based in Seoul. She is the author of five … [Read More]
Archives: Books (page 12)
A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang
When twenty-seven-year-old Yeon-hwa loses her grandmother, enigmatic proprietor of the Hwawoldang, she decides to respect her wishes by keeping the store going for at least a month, between the hours of 10pm and midnight. She has never learnt to make the traditional desserts herself, and hopes to learn more about her grandmother. On her very … [Read More]
Hallyuwood: The Ultimate Guide to Korean Cinema
Ride the Korean wave (Hallyu) of cinema and explore the most exciting and captivating films in the world today. From smash hits like Parasite to cult favorites Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Train to Busan, Korean cinema has revolutionized the film industry. Hallyuwood is a comprehensive, cultural dive into Korean cinema from 1900 to the present … [Read More]
Missionary Grammars and the Language of Translation in Korea (1876–1910)
Missionary Grammars and the Language of Translation in Korea (1876−1910) embraces the Enlightenment period in Korea (1876−1910) after the opening of the so-called Hermit Nation in describing the Korean language and missionary works. This book includes a comprehensive analysis and description of works published at that time by John Ross (1877, 1882), Felix-Clair Ridel (1881), James … [Read More]
Beyond the Sewol: Activist Theatre and Performance in South Korea and the Diaspora
On the evening of April 15, 2014, the Sewol ferry set sail on its overnight journey from Incheon, in northwestern South Korea, to Jeju Island, 240 miles to the south. There were 476 people on board. After receiving a distress call from a passenger onboard, Harbor Affairs at Jeju and at Jindo Island both urged … [Read More]
Artificial Truth
From J. M. Lee, a bestselling phenomenon in Korea, comes a haunting and mind-bending novel about the revolutionary possibilities of AI and the infinite mysteries of what it means to be human. In the virtual city of Alegria, fantasies are made real, innumerable lifetimes are lived, and even death itself is a survivable experience. An … [Read More]
Cinema under National Reconstruction: State Censorship and South Korea’s Cold War Film Culture
Cinema under National Reconstruction calls for a revisionist understanding of state film censorship during successive Cold War military regimes in South Korea (1961–1988). Drawing upon primary documents from the Korean Film Archive’s digitized database and framing South Korean film censorship from a transnational perspective, Hye Seung Chung makes the case that, while political oppression/repression existed inside … [Read More]
Finding Mr. Perfect: K-Drama, Pop Culture, Romance, and Race
Finding Mr. Perfect explores the romantic relationships between Korean men and women who were inspired by romantic Korean televisual depictions of Korean masculinity to travel to Korea as tourists. Author Min Joo Lee argues that disparate racialized erotic desires of Korean pop culture fans, foreign tourists to Korea, Korean men, and the Korean nation converge to … [Read More]
Families for Mobility: Elite Korean Students Abroad and Their Parents’ Reproduction of Privilege
Families for Mobility documents elite Korean transnational families, focusing on how they use elite education abroad as a tool for class reproduction. Drawing on over 100 interviews with both parents and children at elite U.S. colleges, the book explores the desires, aspirations, and expectations that shape these education-driven transnational family arrangements. By triangulating the perspectives of … [Read More]
Korean Made Easy: Simple recipes to make from morning to midnight
Bibimbap. Korean Fried Chicken. Kimchi. Tteokbokki. Ramen. There’s no doubt Korean food is delicious – made up of bold flavours and comforting dishes – and now it’s easy to cook at home! In Korean Made Easy, Seji Hong demonstrates the simplicity of the country’s cuisine and reveals how to create some of its best-loved dishes. … [Read More]
Who Ate All the Squid? Football Adventures in South Korea
Who Ate All the Squid? The book by Devon Rowcliffe puts a new spin on the old football chant, and chronicles the season Ian Porterfield, a former Chelsea manager and Sunderland FA Cup legend, took charge of a struggling South Korean football club. Can he revitalise the team by luring a trio of players with Premier … [Read More]
The Forgotten Political Elites of North Korea: Woe to the Vanquished
This book comprises the biographies of the North Korean politicians whose actions played a pivotal role in shaping the formation of the country during the late 1940s, the Korean War of 1950–53 and the power struggles of the mid-1950s. Drawing from a rich array of archival material in Korean, Russian and oral testimonies, this book … [Read More]
The North Korean Army: History, Structure, Daily Life
This book focuses on the Korean People’s Army (KPA) – the armed forces of North Korea – covering its history, structural organisation and lives of the soldiers and officers within its ranks. Utilising extensive Korean, English, Russian and Chinese language sources, as well as multiple interviews with people who have served in the KPA, this … [Read More]
Soviet-North Korean Relations During the Cold War: Unruly Offspring
This book explores Soviet–North Korean relations during the Cold War (1945–1991). Based on many primary documents and sources (including Russian and Korean), it reveals how the influence of the Soviets on Pyongyang diminished during the course of the Cold War, from overwhelming at the time of the foundation of North Korea to negligible at the … [Read More]
To the Moon
The bestselling South Korean phenomenon, To the Moon is a bittersweet tale of wealth and class, female friendship, and the promise of the future when good fortune seems to be just around the corner. In Seoul, three young women meet while working mundane desk jobs at a confectionary manufacturer. They become fast friends, taking their conversations out … [Read More]
Juniper Tree [forthcoming]
“My mother, who tried to kill me, now wants to kill my son.” The grand prize winner of the 12th Kyobo Paperback Story Contest, Kim Hae-sol’s Juniper has been published by the comprehensive publishing brand ‘Bukda’. This is the first full-length novel by an author who is active in various fields such as movies, dramas, … [Read More]