Korean myths are a living and evolving part of society, in both the North and South. With the export of Korean films, K-pop, fashion, K-dramas, literature and comics across the globe there is a growing desire to understand the folklore and mythical underpinnings of contemporary Korean culture. From the Changsega (‘Song of Creation’) sung by … [Read More]
Booklist: Korea 101
Books designed to give you an easily-accessible overview of modern Korea
The Korean Book of Happiness
From the very first moment she set foot in South Korea, Barbara Zitwer, literary agent to some of the most celebrated, prize-winning Korean authors, fell head-over-heels in love, discovering there a renewed sense of happiness and energy. In this witty, charming book, Zitwer shares all that she has learnt about this fascinating country: a vibrant, … [Read More]
Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop
South Korea has the most remarkable of histories. Born from the ashes of colonialism, partition and a devastating war, back in the 1950s there were real doubts about its survival as an independent state. Yet South Korea did survive, and first became known globally for the export of cheap toys, shoes and clothing. Today, South … [Read More]
Culture Smart! Korea: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
Don’t just see the sights―get to know the people. Divided along the 38th parallel, modern Korea is the subject of two very different political, social, and economic experiments. Today the military might of the Marxist-Leninist North confronts the soft power and prosperity of the uber-capitalist South. Yet family and cultural ties bind the peoples of … [Read More]
How to Live Korean
From the publisher’s website: How to Live Korean takes a deep-dive into Korean culture, unpacking what it means to be Korean in all its forms and uncovering the way the locals think, what they enjoy getting up to and who they do it with. Whether it’s Korean movie Parasite sweeping the Oscars, the explosion of … [Read More]
Three Tigers, One Mountain: A Journey through the Bitter History and Current Conflicts of China, Korea and Japan
Two tigers cannot share the same mountain – Chinese proverb Despite geographical proximity, cultural similarities, and shared status as highly powerful nations, China, Korea and Japan love to hate each other. Why? In search of an answer, Michael Booth journeys across East Asia to explore the mutual animosity that frequently threatens to draw the world … [Read More]
Korea: A Very Short Introduction
From the publisher’s website: Having spent centuries in the shadows of its neighbours China and Japan, Korea is now the object of considerable interest for radically different reasons— the South as an economic success story and for its vibrant popular culture; the North as the home to one of the world’s most repressive regimes, at … [Read More]
Korea: The Impossible Country. South Korea’s Amazing Rise from the Ashes – The Inside Story of an Economic, Political and Cultura
From the publisher’s website: “Daniel Tudor covers all the important issues, yet does not simply tell the more familiar stories, but looks deeper and wider to give the full story of Korea today.” —Martin Uden, Former British Ambassador to South Korea In just fifty years, South Korea has transformed itself from a failed state, ruined and … [Read More]
The New Koreans: The Business, History and People of South Korea
From the publisher’s website: ‘As good a guide to a fascinating country in transformation as you will get.’ Management Today In the course of a couple of generations, South Koreans took themselves out of the paddy fields and into Silicon Valley, establishing themselves as a democracy alongside the advanced countries of the world. Yet for … [Read More]
Modern Korea: All That Matters
In no nation on earth has history accelerated with such speed as in Korea. A medieval dynasty at the end of the 19th century, it underwent a traumatic colonization, then, in its hour of liberation was divided by the great powers at the end of World War II. Devastated by a fratricidal war, the peninsula … [Read More]
Ask a Korean Dude: An Authoritative and Irreverent Guide to the Korea Experience
From the publisher’s website: Korea: A country where tradition and rapid modernization meet in a dynamic dichotomy full of seemingly incongruous, yet somehow germane ethnic charms. It is these very elements that truly set Korea apart from its Asian colleagues as a bombastically inclined but strangely endearing little country. This book is a collection of … [Read More]
A Journey in Search of Korea’s Beauty
From the publisher’s website: A Journey in Search of Korea’s Beauty by Bae Yong Joon was a yearlong project that he undertook to learn more about traditional Korean culture from the unfledged yet earnest point of view of one Korean, and to record in a down-to- earth way what he learned and felt in the process. Bae chose 13 … [Read More]
Korea’s Pastimes and Customs: A Social History
From the publisher’s website: Why are there so many Gims (Kims), Yis (Lees) and Baks (Parks) in Korea? What was life like in Korea hundreds of years ago? What kinds of communities did the Korean people form? How did they celebrate their birthdays and holidays? What kinds of games did they play in their spare … [Read More]
Times Past in Korea An Illustrated Collection of Encounters, Customs and Daily Life Recorded by Foreign Visitors
From the publisher’s website: In earlier times, for the Chinese, Korea was ‘the country of courteous people from the east’, and for westerners ‘the land of the morning calm’ or ‘hermit kingdom’. In this fascinating collection of writings on times past in Korea the author helps to lift the veil on this once closed country, … [Read More]
Culture and Customs of Korea
For centuries, although strongly influenced by the Chinese, Koreans have maintained a unique civilization with their own language, social organization, food, national costume, political institutions, and customs. The disruptions of the 20th century have included a long and difficult period of foreign rule and a devastating civil war. However, Koreans continue to prize their traditional … [Read More]