Here are some of the non-fiction books we’ve read over the years, together with a highly subjective rating. The ratings system is explained here. Links are provided to the individual reviews, though sometimes, when we liked a book but haven’t yet had a chance to articulate why, we nevertheless provide a rating to encourage others to invest. (Keep visiting this page – there’s a backlog of earlier reviews that I haven’t yet had a chance to include in this list)
F = a more or less Full length review
S = a Short, mini-review – a one or two-liner
| Author | Title | Genre / keywords | F/S | Rating |
| Bae, Fiona | Make Break Remix: The Rise of K-Style (2022) | Style, Design | F |   |
| Barclay, Jennifer | Meeting Mr Kim (2008) | Travel | F | |
| Bartlett, Raymond + Lee, Brandon | Korea Chic (2009) | Travel | F | |
| Buswell, Robert E Jr | The Zen Monastic Experience (1992) | Buddhism | F | |
| Burgeson, J Scott | Korea Bug (2005) | Society, Contemporary Culture, Art, Music | F | |
| Chang Ha-joon | Bad Samaritans (2007) | Economics | F |  |
| Chang Sea-jin | Sony vs Samsung (2008) | Business | F | |
| Choi Jinhee | The South Korean Film Renaissance (2010) | Film | F | |
| Chung Hye-seung | Kim Ki-duk (2012) | Film | F | |
| Chung, Nicole | All you can ever know (2018) | Memoir, Diaspora, Adoption | S | |
| Chung, Steven | Split Screen Korea – Shin Sang-ok and Postwar Cinema (2014) | Film, North Korea, Modern History | F | |
| Coyner, Tom + Jang Song-hyon | Mastering business in Korea (2007) | Business, Society | F | |
| Cunningham, Jake + Leader, Michael | Film Korea: The Ghibliotheque guide (2023) | Film | F | |
| Daehaeng Kun Sunim | No River to Cross (2007) | Buddhism | S | |
| Demick, Barbara | Nothing to Envy (2010) | North Korea | F | |
| Everard, John | Only Beautiful Please (2012) | Memoir, Travel, North Korea | F | |
| Fifield, Anna | The Great Successor (2019) | North Korea | S | |
| Fisher, Paul | A Kim Jong-il Production (2015) | Film, North Korea, Modern History, Biography | F | |
| Ford, Glyn | North Korea on the Brink (2008) | Modern history, North Korea | F | |
| Gibb, Michael | A Slow Walk through Jeong-dong (2011) | Travel, History | F | |
| Gowans, Stephen | Patriots, Traitors and Empires (2018) | North Korea | S | |
| Haemin Sunim | The things you can see only when you slow down | Mindfulness, Buddhism | S | |
| Halberstam, David | The Coldest Winter (2007) | Korean War, Modern history | F | |
| Harden, Blaine | Escape from Camp 14 (2015) | Memoir, Modern history, North Korea | – | |
| Harden, Blaine | King of Spies (2018) | Modern history | F | |
| Hastings, Max | The Korean War (1987) | Korean War, Modern history | F | |
| Hawley, Samuel | The Imjin War (2005) | History, Joseon Dynasty | F | |
| Hong, Y Euny | The Birth of Korean Cool (2014) | Contemporary culture | F | |
| Hong, Y Euny | The Power of Nunchi (2019) | Contemporary culture | S | |
| Jang Jin-sung | Dear Leader (2014) | Memoir, Modern History, North Korea | S | |
| Jung, Hawon | Flowers of Fire (2023) | Society, #MeToo | F | |
| Jenkins, Charles | The Reluctant Communist (2008) | Memoir, North Korea, Modern History | F | |
| Jeppesen, Travis | See you again in Pyongyang (2018) | Memoir, North Korea, Travel | S | |
| Kang Chol-hwan | Aquariums of Pyongyang (2001) | North Korea, Memoir | S | |
| Kang Jae-eun | Land of Scholars (2003) | History, Confucianism | F | |
| Kim, Kyung-hyun | Virtual Hallyu (2011) | Film | F | |
| Kym, Min | Gone (2017) | Memoir, Diaspora, Music | F | |
| Kim, Suki | Without You, There Is No Us (2015) | Memoir, North Korea, Modern History | F | |
| Kim Young-jin | Lee Chang-dong (2007) | Film | F | |
| Kirk, Donald | Korean Crisis: Unraveling of the Miracle in the IMF Era (1999) | Business, Economy, Modern history | F | |
| Korea Historical Research Association | A History of Korea (1992) | History, Politics | F | |
| Lankov, Andrei | The Dawn of Modern Korea (2008) | Reportage, Modern History, Society | F | |
| Lee, Julayne | Not my White Savior (2018) | Memoir, Diaspora, Adoption | S | |
| Lee Si-woo | Life on the Edge of the DMZ (2008) | Travel, North Korea, Modern history | F | |
| Lee Yil | Dynamics of Expansion and Reduction (2018) | Art History | F | |
| Leong, Anthony | Korean Cinema – the new Hong Kong (2002) | Film | S | |
| Lewis, James B | Frontier Contact Between Chosŏn Korea and Tokugawa Japan | History, Joseon Dynasty | F | |
| Michell, Tony | Samsung Electronics (2010) | Business | F | |
| Pak Chiwon | The Jehol Diary (1780) | Memoir, Travel, History | F | |
| Paik Sun Yup | From Pusan to Panmunjom (1992) | Memoir, Korean War, Modern history | F | |
| Paik Sunoo, Brenda | Seaweed and Shamans (2006) | Memoir | F | |
| Paquet, Darcy | New Korean Cinema (2009) | Film | F | |
| Pettid, Michael | Korean Cuisine – an illustrated history (2008) | Food, History | F | |
| Russell, Mark James | Pop Goes Korea (2008) | Hallyu, Entertainment Industry | F | |
| Salmon, Andrew | To the Last Round (2009) | Modern History, Korean War | F | |
| Shepherd, Roger + Douch, Andrew | Walking the Baekdu-Daegan trail (2010) | Travel | F | |
| Shin, Chi-yun + Julian Stringer | New Korean Cinema (2005) | Film | F | |
| Springer, Chris | North Korea Caught in Time (2010) | North Korea, Modern History, Coffee Table | F | |
| Stubbs, Richard | Rethinking Asia’s Economic Miracle (2005) | Economy, Modern History | F | |
| Suh Sung | Unbroken Spirits: 19 Years in Prison (1994) | Memoir, Modern History | F | |
| Thomas, Cullen | Brother One Cell (2007) | Memoir | F | |
| Thompson, Reginald | Cry Korea (1951) | Reportage, Korean War, Modern history | F | |
| Yoon Jungu | Spirituality in Contemporary Art (2010) | Visual Arts, Buddhism, Spirituality | F | |