Hee-jin Kim, born in 1934, attended Jin Myeong Girls’ High School in 1946. In 1963, she first developed an interest in traditional ornamental knots, maedeup, which in the aftermath of devastating social turmoil in the first half of the 20th century, was quickly becoming a dying art. Kim embarked on a quest to learn the techniques … [Read More]
Publisher / Imprint: Hollym Korean Culture Series
Buddhist Sculpture of Korea

From the publisher’s website: Buddhist culture and thought have had a tremendous impact on the lives and thought of Korean people ever since the religion was introduced to the Korean peninsula in the late fourth century. Most of the time, the religion received strong state support for the construction of temples and pagodas and the … [Read More]
Seasonal Customs of Korea

From the publisher’s website: In this fast-paced, rapidly changing world, Korea has not been unaffected. Many long-observed seasonal customs still practiced just a few short decades ago have now disappeared or are quickly disappearing. (Children prefer computer games to kite-flying and top-spinning on Lunar New Year’s Day.) Although a custom may no longer be explicitly … [Read More]
Korean Landscape Painting: Continuity and Innovation Through the Ages

From the publisher’s website: Korean Landscape Painting: Continuity and Innovation Through the Ages discusses the art form beginning at its earliest roots two millennia ago, in the Three Kingdoms period, right up until the 20th century. Accompanied by many maps, pictures and a glossary of names and terms, this book provides a complete overview of … [Read More]
Buddhist Architecture of Korea

From the publisher’s website: The easiest way to learn about Korea’s Buddhist culture is to visit the temples where the traditional practice of asceticism is still carried on today. People no longer live in other examples of traditional architecture, such as palaces and Confucian schools and academies; but in temples the monks and nuns eat, … [Read More]
Seowon: The Architecture of Korea’s Private Academies

From the publisher’s website: Seowon: The Architecture of Korea’s Private Academies takes a look at the private educational institutions that were dedicated to higher learning. These same institutions eventually became the crowning glory of Neo-Confucianism. This book examines the role these schools had on society during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) while also taking a closer … [Read More]
Palaces of Korea

From the publisher’s website: In “Palaces of Korea,” Kim Dong-uk, a renowned historian of Korean architecture, guides readers on a journey through the history of palaces in Korea, daily life and ceremonial events, and palace architecture. However, the author also writes extensively about the similarities and differences between palaces across East Asia, namely Japan and … [Read More]
Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea

Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea deals with issues of tradition, modernity, and identity in modern and contemporary Korean art. On a deeper level, this is one of the only books of its kind in English that exposes readers to specific artists and their works, an especially useful resource for those who wish to know more … [Read More]
Modern Korean Ink Painting

Modern Korean Ink Painting promotes a general understanding of how Korean art and the times it represented were related. The book starts with the dawn of the modern age in Korean art (1876-1910), which looks at the legacy of court painting and the last of the literati painters. Next the book moves on to the … [Read More]