[_list: Books from Korea] Vol.16 Summer 2012

Vol.16 Summer 2012

Vol.16 Summer 2012

Special Section

Korean History and Storytelling Interviews Professor Jung

Min Novelist Jung Yi-hyun Spotlight on Fiction

“Banner” by Ha Seong-nan The Place

Jeonju Hanji ISSN 2005-2790

LTI Korea Overseas Publication Grants

FAQ What is list_Books from Korea, and where can I find it? list is a quarterly magazine packed with information about Korean books.

Register online at www.list.or.kr to receive a free subscription.

Can I get it in English?

The printed edition of list is available in English and Chinese.

The webzine (www.list.or.kr) is available in English, Chinese, and Korean.

What if I want information about Korean books more often?

We offer a monthly online newsletter.

Simply email list_korea @ klti.or.kr to begin receiving your free copy.

list is published by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, which is affiliated with the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

LTI Korea’s mission is to contribute to global culture by expanding the knowledge of Korean literature and culture abroad.

Visit www.klti.or.kr to learn about our many translation, publication, cultural exchange, and education programs.

Contact: list_korea @ klti.or.kr

list_Books from Korea App (iPad only) now available for download

• Part of the total publication expense • The amount varies depending on the cost of publication and the genre of the book.

• The grant will be issued after publication.

Application

LTI Korea provides publication grants to overseas publishers who are planning to publish or have already published translated Korean books. The aim is to reach more international readers through increased overseas publications of Korean books.

• Required Documents 1. Publisher’s profile 2. Publication plan 3. A copy of the contract between the publisher and the translator 4. A copy of the contract between the publisher and the copyright holder • Register as a member on LTI Korea’s English website (http://eng.klti.or.kr) • Complete an online application form on the website and upload the required documents.

Qualifications

Schedule

• Any publisher who has signed a contract for the publication rights of a Korean book and can publish the book by December 2012.

• Any publisher who has already published a translated Korean book in 2012, based on a contract for publication rights of the book.

• Submission deadlines: March 31/ June 30/ September 30 • Applicants will be notified in April/ July/ October

LTI Korea Translation Grants LTI Korea aims to promote Korean literature overseas by helping produce high-quality translations of Korean books in a way that allows more foreign readers to better understand and appreciate Korean literature.

LTI Korea Assigned Books List Who publishes list_Books from Korea?

Grants

Grants are available only for the titles on the LTI Korea Assigned Books List, which covers titles ranging from literature to humanities to children’s books. New titles are added to the list twice a year, and anyone can recommend titles for the list. Once recommended, a book goes through a screening process by the Books Selection Commission prior to final selection.

Contact grants@klti.or.kr Mina Park (English)/ Youngju Cha (Chinese)

Grant Application • Qualifications: No restriction on nationality or background • Translation languages: All foreign (non-Korean) languages • Number of applicable books: 1 title in literature, humanities, and social science; up to 3 children’s book titles • Grant amount: approximately 16 million won (The amount for children’s books will be determined based on the volume to be translated)

*

The LTI Korea Assigned Books List recommendation form and LTI Korea Translation Grants application form are available on the LTI Korea homepage (www.klti.or.kr). For further information, please refer to the details on the homepage.

Contact Lee Yoomi at the Translation & Publication Team (translation@klti.or.kr/ 82-2-6919-7731)

Foreword

History As Storyteller History, by definition, refers to events in the past. History is that which is already out of our reach, out of our possession, and cannot be repeated or reenacted. In this sense history is the past, pure and simple.

History, however, also refers to events in the past as viewed through the eyes of the present. Simply collecting facts should not be confused with assigning meaning to their history. History is a series of events connected in a way so they make sense in the eyes of the viewer today, and therefore assumes the form of a story. History as a form of storytelling, therefore, is not simply the past but the past that exists within the present. The story it tells of the past reminds us of the present, which in turn makes us remember past events that have become part of the present.

The significance of this cannot be stressed enough in the case of historical books. The most common form of historical narration is storytelling, which has played a critical part in making history-based books the most popular genre in the humanities. The popularity of history-based books in Korea has been closely linked to visual media such as movies or television dramas. Korean history is a staple of Korean movies and dramas associated with the “Korean Wave”; likewise many historical films and dramas, in turn, have been published in book form.

Another genre that features history is children’s books. Historical fiction in Korea is traditionally associated with children’s books, with young readers never failing to be captivated by historical storytelling. This issue of list_Books from Korea focuses on the relationship between historical storytelling and visual media such as dramas and films, as well as the kind of imaginative storytelling seen in children’s history and historical fiction. We have included articles on Korean history books that we consider to have exceptionally strong content and have been written in an accessible style.

The history of any country is difficult to understand without some knowledge of the culture or language. Korean history, for example, is extremely difficult to understand without a working knowledge of the political dynamics in East Asia, given that Korean history is one of countless invasions by its more powerful neighbors. The special section of this issue features a number of books that make Korean history accessible to foreign readers and demonstrate strength in storytelling and content.

To know a country’s history means to know that country. We hope that the special section of this issue will give our readers a better understanding of Korea’s unique history and therefore, Korea itself.

by Kim Su-yeong

Copyright © Baik Dae-seoung A Child Who Delivers a Letter, Prunsoop Publishing Co., Ltd.

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Contents Summer 2012 Vol. 16

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01 04 05 06 08

Foreword Trade Report News from LTI Korea Bestsellers Publishing Trends

Special Section

Korean History and

Storytelling

10 From Fiction to Television Dramas 13 A Child's Imagination 16 Contemporary Novelists Shed the Past 19 Contextualizing the Past

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Interviews

22 Professor Jung Min 28 Novelist Jung Yi-hyun

Excerpts

26 A Life-Changing Encounter: Jeong Yak-yong

and His Pupil Hwang Sang by Jung Min 32 What You Never Know by Jung Yi-hyun

The Place

34 Jeonju Hanji

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Theme Lounge

38 The Fight for Human Rights

that Impressed the World

Reviews

42 Fiction 60 Nonfiction 72 Children’s Books

Spotlight on Fiction

45 “Banner” by Ha Seong-nan

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Vol.16 Summer 2012

Vol.16 Summer 2012 A Quarterly Magazine for Publishers

71 PUBLISHER _ Kim Seong-Kon EDITORIAL DIRECTOR _ Kwon Sehoon MANAGING DIRECTOR _ Lee Jungkeun EDITORIAL BOARD Kim Su-yeong Kim Yonghee Kim Dongshik Kim Yeran Yoon So-hee EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kim Sun-hye

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MANAGING EDITORS Cha Youngju Park Mihwi EDITORS Kim Stoker Krys Lee ART DIRECTOR Choi Woonglim

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DESIGNERS Kim Mijin Lee Jaehyun Jang Hyeju Noh Dah-yee PHOTOGRAPHER Lee Kwa-yong

Steady Sellers

PRINTED IN _ Sinsago Hi-tech

71 In This Earth and In That Wind 76 My Sister, Mongsil

Date of Publication 2012. 5. 30

by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.

Overseas Angle

59 Writer’s Note: Kim Nam-joong 77 Between Korea and France:

Adventures in Literatures

New Books

79 Recommended by Publishers

Meet the Publishers

84 Hyeonamsa 86 87 88 91

Afterword Contributors Featured Authors Index

list_ Books from Korea is a quarterly magazine published All correspondences should be addressed to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea at 108-5 Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 135-873 Telephone: 82-2-6919-7700 Fax: 82-2-3448-4247 E-mail: list_korea@klti.or.kr www.klti.or.kr www.list.or.kr Copyright © 2012 by Literature Translation Institute of Korea ISSN 2005-2790

Cover art © Park Hang Ryul Waiting, 53x45.5cm, acrylic on canvas, 2010.

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Trade Report

Korean Nonfiction Sweeps Japan

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1. Samsung's Way Moon Hyung-jin, THENAN Publishing 2010, 256p, ISBN 9788984056459 2. サ厶スン式仕事の流儀 Moon Hyung-jin, Sunmark Publishing Inc., 2010

Recently, Korean nonf iction has been gaining popularity in Japan, a country k nown for having one of the highest barriers in the world to translations. A Japanese translation of Youth, Because It’s Painful, one of the bestselling Korean books in 2011, was published by Discover21 with an aggressive advertising campaign.

A Japanese translation of Samsung's Way published in Ja nua r y 2012 sold over 100,000 copies in three months and hit the Amazon Japan top 10 bestseller list.

They are among the most popular Korean nonfiction titles introduced to Japan so far.

I n S a m s u n g' s Wa y, aut hor Mo on Hyung-jin, the former director of the Plasma Display Panel (PDP) business unit of Samsung SDI known for the highest workload within Samsung, provides at-aglance information on the way Samsung conducts business. This book is immensely popular among white collar workers of Japan as it allows them to learn about the efficient business style unique to Samsung

that aims to be the world’s number one company. It also appeals to Japanese readers who want to find the key to Samsung's amazing success, a company thought to have already surpassed Sony.

Sunmark, the Japanese publisher of the translation of Samsung's Way, has been consistently interested in Korean nonfiction since they published a Japanese tra nslation of Absolutely Don' t Study English. Their recent translated publications of Korean nonfiction bestsellers include: Pabo Zone and I Regret Having Married My Wife. A nother Korean nonf iction title enthusiastically received by Japanese readers is Reflections on Samsung, where lawyer Kim Yong-cheol who used to work for Samsung Group’s legal affair team exposed Samsung’s corrupt practices. It was published by the Japanese publisher Basilico in February this year under the title The Truth about Samsung.

by Richard Hong

Korea’s Modern History Epic Taebaek Mountain Range is a historical epic that took novelist Jo Jung-rae from 1983 to 1989 to write. English and Russian translations of this great 10-volume epic praised as “one of the best depictions of the modern history of Korea” will finally see print. Knowledge Pen, a multinational publisher based in London, England, announced that it had signed a contract with Mr. Jo in person for the publications of the English and Russian translations of his masterpiece. The publications are scheduled to be completed in two years starting with the publication of the English translation later this year, which will be also available in an e-book format.

Nat a l i a K ova le va , t he d i re c tor of Knowledge Pen, said, “Taebaek Mountain Range is a quality work worthy of a Nobel Prize in Literature, but it has not been fully appreciated internationally due to a lack of an available English translation,” and expressed her ambition to use this project to show the English-speaking world that Korean literature has reached world-class levels.

A household name for literature on the divided Koreas, Taebaek Mountain Range consists of four parts and 10 volumes that deal with the history of Korea from the Jeju April 3rd Uprising and the Yeosun Incident 4 list_ Books from Korea

Vol.16 Summer 2012

in 1948 to 1953 when the Korean War ended. The epic tale uses characters from a broad spectrum of classes to show how great an impact the ideological confrontations bet ween the north and the south and between the left and the right, which has continued since the war, had on the life of individuals. Taebaek Mountain Range has sold seven million copies in Korea alone, and its rights have also been sold to France, Japan, and China, among other countries.

It is also scheduled to be made into a TV drama.

by Richard Hong

Taebaek Mountain Range (10 vols.)

Jo Jung-rae, Hainaim Publishing Co., Ltd. 2008, 342p, ISBN 9788973377930

News from LTI Korea

LTI Korea Revisits the Bologna Children’s Book Fair LTI Korea participated in the 49th annual Bologna Children’s Book Fair from March 19th through the 21st. To increase the visibility of Korean children’s books in the international market and encourage foreign rights sales, LTI Korea has been attending the annual event since 2009, organizing exhibits and lectures on Korean children’s books. The book fair and the distribution of the children’s book issue (Volume 15) of list_Books from Korea, provided an important opportunity for introducing the best of Korean children’s books.

The book exhibit and lecture for this year was on the theme of “Mirror: Reflecting Children.” The exhibit featured 55 books divided into four themes—Peace, Nature, Society, and Time—on the effects of war, poverty, environmental destruction, and the neoliberalist economy on children. The problems Korean children face daily were narrated through world-class illustrations and storytelling. The main feature among these books was The Wildflower Kid (written by Lim Gil-taek, illustrated by Kim Dong-sung), a book filled with beautiful illustrations of the Korean countryside.

The interest in Korean books at Bologna is on the rise as Korean books have been awarded with Ragazzi Prizes for three years in a row since 2010. In the heart of the exhibition hall was a special exhibition in honor of the illustrator Cho Eunyoung who won the Grand Prix at the Bratislava Illustration Biennial with her book, Run Toto! Her exhibition played an important role in keeping the Korea booth bustling.

The speakers for the Korean Children’s Book Talk were author Kim Nam-joong, illustrator Kim Dong-sung, and children’s book critic Kim Ji-eun. Kim Ji-eun gave detailed descriptions of the 55 books chosen for the “Mirror: Reflecting Children” theme, followed by Kim Nam-joong’s presentation on his creative world and a reading from Cro-Magnons Live in Caves, a tale of two siblings struggling in destitution. The last presenter, Kim Dong-sung discussed the aesthetic style of The Wildflower Kid, which depicts the breathtaking Korean countryside.

There were two more Korea-specific programs before and after the main events. A special lecture was held for students of the Korean Studies department at Sapienza University of Rome, and a Korean children’s literature reading was held as part of a commemorative program for the 40th anniversary of the Korean language program at the University of Bonn.

To increase the circulation of Korean books abroad, KLTI donated books to the East Asian Studies research library at Spienza University and the East Asian research center at the University of Bologna, as it did last year.

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1. a poster of The Wildflower Kid at the main exhibition hall 2. LTI Korea events 3. a reading at the University of Bonn, Germany 4. donating Korean books

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Bestsellers

What We’re Reading Fiction

Nonfiction

The Moon that Embraced the Sun

The Deep-rooted Tree

Lesson for Mother

Jeong Eun-gwol, Paran Media 2011, 464p, ISBN 9788963710341 (Vol.1)

This novel is about a romance between a fictitious king during the Joseon era and his shaman. Jeong Eun-gwol has published The Days of Sungkyunkwan Confucian Students and Days at Gyujangkak (the royal library). Both bestsellers are drawing even greater interest after the broadcasting of a drama based on the former title.

Lee Jung-myung, Millionhouse Publishing Inc. 2006, 292p, ISBN 9788991643154 (Vol. 1) This historical thriller is about a serial murder of scholars associated with the “Hall of the Learned” during the mid-15th century. The story takes place prior to the promulgation of Huminjeongeum (the original name of the Korean alphabet) and covers diverse subjects such as mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and art.

Venerable Monk Pomnyun Hankyoreh Publishing Company 2011, 242p, ISBN 9788984315112 Venerable Monk Pomnyun has long captured the hearts and minds of South Korean readers with his books and lectures. This time, he talks about the role of mothers and the nature of motherly love, as well as what a true education means.

A Long, Long Day

Nanseolheon

Park Wansuh, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2012, 290p, ISBN 9788954617383 A Long, Long Day is an anthology of short stories commemorating the first anniversary of Park Wansuh’s death. She was one of the most prominent and beloved Korean writers. The six stories in this collection offer a very critical analysis of modern society, as well as a love for people.

Choi Moon-hee, Dasan Books 2011, 384p, ISBN 9788963706856 Nanseolheon won the first Honbul Literary Prize, and tells the life story of Heo Nanseolheon, a woman poet in the mid-16th century. The book provides a detailed account of a gifted woman who had to live during a period of historical conflict when women did not get any respect.

Unknown Women

Russian Coffee

Shin Kyung-sook, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2011, 283p, ISBN 9788954616638 This is the sixth anthology of short stories by Shin Kyung-sook, who is a prominent writer of Korean literature. The author lends her ear to people who are alienated from the world. She comforts those lonely and estranged souls with her characteristic tender voice. Shin is the recipient of the Prix de l’Inaperçu and Man Asian Literature Prize.

Kim Tak-hwan, Sallim Publishing Co. 2009, 242p, ISBN 9788952211965 This is a faction (fact and fiction) by Kim Tak-hwan about the first barista of the Joseon era. In the era of modernization, the story revolves around a woman barista who served the finest quality coffee to King Gojong.

Freud’s Chair Jeong Do-un, Woongjin Think Big Co., Ltd. 2009, 288p, ISBN 9788901100920 A formal member of the prestigious International Psychoanalytical Association, Jeong Do-un is a professor of psychiatry at Seoul National University.

Jeong’s book is an introduction to psychoanalysis, offering detailed, lively explanations about the key achievements gleaned from the field.

It's the Economy Sun Dae-in, Woongjin Think Big Co., Ltd. 2012, 380p, ISBN 9788901142593 The hottest issue in South Korea involves the economy. Economist Sun Dae-in brings economics out of the college lecture hall to readers, explaining how specific economic visions are shaping Korean society.

Yi Sang Literary Award: The Corn and I and Other Stories Kim Young-ha et, al., Munhak Sasangsa Inc. 2012, 383p, ISBN 9788970128719 This collection of short stories and novellas for the 36th Yi Sang Literary Award anthology features imaginative writing by authors Kim Young-ha, Ha Seong-nan, Kim Kyung-wook, Kim Soom, Choi Jae-hoon, and Jo Hyeon. “The Corn and I” by Kim Young-ha is featured as the prize-winning story.

A Long, Long Day

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Unknown Women

Yi Sang Literary Award: The Corn and I and Other Stories

These totals are based on sales records from eight major bookstores and three online bookstores from January to March 2012, provided by the Korean Publishers Association.

The books are introduced in no particular order.

Children's Books 40 Years Old, Time to Read the Analects of Confucius

Leafie, a Hen into the Wild

Puppy Poo

Hitting age 40 is a turning point, both physically and career-wise. This particular age is often linked to a period of crisis in one’s life. Shin Jeong-gun, a philosopher specializing in Asian thought, dives into the classic text of the Analects by Confucius, offering advice aimed at helping 40-year-olds cope.

Hwang Sun-mi; Illustrator: Kim Hwan-young Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. 2000, 200p, ISBN 9788971968710 Leafie lives caged up in a chicken farm, producing eggs. She dreams of breaking out of the pen and laying eggs in the outside world. One day, she ventures out of the chicken farm to her new life in the wilderness, showcasing her maternal love in the process.

Kwon Jeong-saeng; Illustrator: Jeong Seung-gak Gilbut Children Publishing Co., Ltd. 1996, 34p, ISBN 8986621134 Nobody cares about a puppy’s poo. But through love and devotion, the wretched puppy poo helps dandelions to blossom in this lovely story that touches on the wonderful cycle of life and the value of nature and life.

Frame

King or Beggar

Shin Jeong-gun, Book21 Publishing Group 2011, 376p, ISBN 9788950933401

Choi Inn-cheol, Book21 Publishing Group 2011, 213p, ISBN 9788950911546 A frame refers to a mental window onto the world.

The first thing toward a better life is none other than a reflection on one’s own frame. Choi Inn-cheol, professor of psychology at Seoul National University, explains how people should set up frames through which they observe the world and what should be done to lead a happier life.

Kim Yeoung-ju; Illustrator: Goh Gyong-sook Jaimimage Publishing Co. 1999, 43p, ISBN 8986565528 Jong-min, the son of a Chinese restaurant owner, gets transferred to a new school but finds himself sidelined and ridiculed by his classmates. However Jong-min begins to wisely change the situation by forging friendships.

Master of the Trade

Kim Sun-hee; Illustrator: Kang Gyeong-su Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. 2012, 159p, ISBN 9788934956082 This children’s story introduces teachings about life

by Confucius. Children struggling with test scores in school and friendship problems get to talk with Confucius, who takes up the role of a bakery owner.

Jung Woo-hyeun, Wisdomhouse Publishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 275p, ISBN 9788960865181 Contrary to popular thought, Mister Pizza is a pure home-grown pizza brand in South Korea. Chairman Jung Woo-hyeun provides a rare glimpse into the country’s No. 1 pizza restaurant and delivery business that involves 400 local outlets and 27 overseas stores, shedding light on his management principles and leadership.

40 Years Old, Time to Read the Analects of Confucius

Master of the Trade

Confucius’ Bakery

Confucius’ Bakery

Witch Capsule's Abracadabra Pharmacy Kim So-min, BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 88p, ISBN 9788949161495 Dong-dong gets away with a witch capsule that can switch souls among humans. He originally planned to switch his soul with his sister, who is an excellent taekwondo athlete, but things turn topsy-turvy as the mysterious drug puts him in his father’s body.

Helping Each Other Baik Suk; Illustrator: Yoo Aero Borim Press, 2010, 50p, ISBN 8943304501 This picture-based tale, based on the poem by Baik Suk, portrays one incident after another that a frog encounters in a fast-paced and rhythmic fashion.

Sentences get repeated regularly as if the poet were singing. The pictures accompanying the text are also warm and loving.

Witch Capsule's Abracadabra Pharmacy

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Publishing Trends and 1980s. Both works delineate a portrait of the people of that era in a humorous and astute manner, augmented by the salient historical circumstances. Whereas the protagonist of Wonder Boy is a teenage boy who comes of age, My Uncle Bruce Lee is a chronicle of an uncle as seen through his nephew’s eyes. The two authors tell their stories in an equally gripping manner.

The most notable feature of Kim Yeon-su’s novel is his warm depiction of people. That is not to say that his characters are not cold-blooded or unbelievably annoying, but essentially his worldview is positive toward people. Wonder Boy is no exception.

The main character, Jeong-hun, undergoes all kinds of difficulties but never loses his faith in people. In My Uncle Bruce Lee, Cheon Myeong-kwan tells the life stories of ordinary people who lived through a period of Korea’s economic hardship and breakneckpaced growth. His writing style draws the reader right into the story.

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Fiction

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My Uncle Bruce Lee (2 vols.)

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Wonder Boy

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Commanding

Cheon Myeong-kwan Wisdomhouse Publishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 412p, ISBN 9788959136681 (Vol. 1) Kim Yeon-su Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2012, 321p, ISBN 9788954617482 Sung Suk-je Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2012, 264p, ISBN 9788954617918

Raconteurs of Korean Lit Return A most noteworthy thing about the f irst half of 2012 in Korean literature is that three writers whose forte is remarkable storytelling have published new books. Sung Suk-je, Kim Yeonsu, and Cheon Myeong-kwan are second to none when it comes to telling stories.

Sung Suk-je, whose work is well-known for his humor and satire, is back with a book called Commanding, thus proving he has not run out of steam after a hiatus of nine years. The theme of this novel is the rediscovery of family. The novel is set in a rural village where a ruckus takes place. The villagers from the grim and sequestered region wage a battle against gangsters who have come to take over the town. The gangsters thought that the people living in the riverside town were easy prey and attacked them; however, the urban gangsters are hopelessly cornered by the unexpected counter-attack of the villagers. Meanwhile, the villagers, who pooled their strength to overcome the crisis, gain a deeper love and understanding for each other.

While both parties consider themselves a family, their notion of family is completely different. The people of the village all live with deep scars, and though they are not related by blood, they empathize with the other’s pain and care for each other, proving themselves a family. The gangsters who attacked them, too, believe themselves a family, but what binds them together is not the fundamental values of a family but money and self-interest.

Wonder Boy, a novel by Kim Yeon-su, and My Uncle Bruce Lee (2 vols.) by Cheon Myeong-kwan, are both set in the 1970s 8 list_ Books from Korea

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Nonfiction

Alternatives to Neoliberalism In early 2012, a variety of titles attempting to go beyond neoliberalism hit bookstores in South Korea. The fact that more books on the essence and influence of neoliberalism are being published vividly reflects the depth of problems stemming from the particular economic principles.

One of the most startling books in the category is Economic Adventures in Wonderland. The author Lee Wonjae claims that Korea falsely believes the success of a handful of conglomerates is the very prosperity of the entire nation—a phenomenon that he dubs as “economic adventures in Wonderland.” His argument is based on the fact that the family-owned chaebol groups’ wealth rarely trickles down to ordinary citizens. Lee, director of the Hankyoreh Economic Research Institute, emphasizes the importance of reviving sound consumption, cooperatives, and companies armed for social responsibility. In addition, he contends that Korean companies should be under more pressure to carry out their social responsibilities.

Sun Dae-in’s new book titled It’s the Economy dissects 10 factors such as real estate and temporary workers that put the Korean economy on the verge of a major crisis. The author’s suggested countermeasures include the democratization of the economy, as opposed to the public perception that a new administration should be sworn in. He also comes up with specific economic policies aimed at promoting mutual prosperity, helping the powerless, and reforming the tax system. Although the economy takes precedence over politics, the author claims that economic policies are largely linked to political issues, so the public should try to make sound political decisions.

Meanwhile, understanding statistics and data is needed to deal with neoliberalism-related problems, according to Kim Sang-jo, a professor who wrote The Warp and Woof of the Korean Economy: Escape from the Trap of Conglomerates and Bureaucrats. Kim lays bare the festering problems plaguing the Korean economy through numerous data charts and graphs. The author stresses that the chaebol’s governance structure should be overhauled in

1. The Warp and the Woof of the Korean Economy:

Escape from the Trap of Conglomerates and Bureaucrats

Kim Sang-jo, Ohmybook 2012, 348p, ISBN 9788996430582

2. Making the Right Economic Choice:

Neoliberalism Versus Productive Welfare

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Chang Ha-joon et al.,Bookie Publishing House 2012, 423p, ISBN 9788960512122

3. It's the Economy Sun Dae-in, Woongjin Think Big Co., Ltd. 2012, 380p, ISBN 9788901142593 4. Economic Adventures in Wonderland Lee Wonjae, Across Publishing Company 2012, 312p, ISBN 9788997379019

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a way that promotes co-prosperity with small and medium-sized enterprises. Reforming the financial sector and making the rigid labor market more flexible are also needed to get the Korean economic structure back on track.

Other notable titles include Professor Chang Ha-joon’s Making the Right Economic Choice: Neoliberalism Versus Productive Welfare, an incisive analysis of the Korean economy fraught with problems stemming from neoliberalism. The sudden influx of books on neoliberalism is a reminder of its relentless negative impact on not only Korea but also the entire world.

by Jang Dongseok

Children's Books

Schools Tell Stories As the Harry Potter series demonstrated masterfully, schools are a crucial treasure trove of creativity for writers. What happens at school and how students interact and form relationships can be transformed into an engaging tale that reflects today’s children and indirectly sheds light on the dilemmas facing a society.

Schools, in fact, play the role of a map through which readers can better understand and navigate the broader society. A number of books whose themes center prominently upon real and fictional schools have recently been published in Korea.

The Nari Elementary School Scandal by Ha Eun-kyung takes place in a school setting that might come off realistically. An anonymous message gets posted on an Internet homepage of a private elementary school, revealing a student who has secured admission through irregular means. Several characters offer their own interpretations on what really happened concerning the student who allegedly fell into the trap of corruption, which is a striking storytelling technique. As such, Ha depicts different perspectives in a way that discloses the secrets children hold and touches on truths as well as lies.

Welcome to Our Ark by Koo Byungmo is a sci-fi youth novel set in the future when humans struggle with fallout from the devastating impact of a giant meteorite. The clash between the massive rock and the Earth spawns new diseases and climate change. The powerful elite build a closed dome city called ‘Ark City’ where only the select few are allowed to live. The story concerns a high school in Ark City whose brave teenage students fight against opponents to destroy the failed system.

Diet School by Kim Hye-jung revolves around a specialized camp dedicated to helping children fight obesity. This young adult novel brings to life characters who willingly sign on to the program, only to realize they are obsessed with their own body image. The author realistically and comically portrays characters confronting the unjust practices of the school while they plot their escape. Also notable is that Kim avoids ending the novel with a trite conclusion about the importance of inner beauty.

Monster Virus City by Choi Yang-sun is a fantasy novel depicting children who have come down with NMV (Nanism Monster Virus), a disease that turns a person into a monstrous dwarf. Noxon City, a symbol of prestige and the upper class, is the virtual venue and NMV hits only children whose time and space is tightly controlled and manipulated. What is the cure for the disease? The fantasy story, though not set in a school, offers critical insight into school-related issues and urban civilization.

by Yu Youngjin

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1. The Nari Elementary School Scandal Ha Eun-kyung; Illustrator: Oh Seung-min Hankyoreh Publishing Co. 2012, 199p, ISBN 9788984315655

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2. Welcome to Our Ark Koo Byungmo, Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 246p, ISBN 9788932022703 3. Diet School Kim Hye-jung, Jaeum&Moeum Publishing Co. 2012, 272p, ISBN 9788954427142 4. Monster Virus City Choi Yang-sun; Illustrator: Jung Ji-hye Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2012, 232p, ISBN 9788954617895

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Special Section

Korean History and Storytelling: From Fiction to Television Dramas

The Adaptation of the Korean Historical Drama Offering escape from the present by projecting fiction onto the past, contemporary costume dramas continue to intrique audienced.

Characteristics and Development The historical drama genre is a dramatic reinterpretation of historical events or the lives of historical figures. Most enjoy great popularity because while the events are based on historical facts, the stories are told from a modern perspective that ref lects pressing issues today. Such public interest in historical dramas can be traced to the fact that the fewer prospects people have in the future and the harder life is in the present, the greater the desire is to look back to the past. The historical drama as a genre takes full advantage of this aspect of history.

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The historical drama invites viewers to engage with characters from the past but offers a for ward-looking perspective. This was not always the case, however. In the infancy of the genre in the 1970s, historical dramas were used by the government to promote national solidarity. In the 1980s, however, historical drama turned towards unofficial records of intrigue and romance within the royal palace for subject material. Ratings soared as the public was captivated by stories featuring palace officials conspiring against each other in bitter feuds in order to secure the king’s favor.

It was not until the mid-1990s that the historical drama became more like a dialogue between the past and the present.

Lavish KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) historical dramas such as “Tears of the Dragon” and “The King and Queen” were set during the turbulent years of the Joseon era when King Taejo seized the throne in a de facto coup d'état. This was also the period when historical dramas began to have stories focusing on the everyday lives of ordinary people. One of the most famous examples of this trend would be “Heo Jun,” a historical drama produced by MBC. This change in subject material to stories that reimagined the daily lives of everyday people coincided with how historical research in academia was changing at the time. One notable example of this change is the success of “The Immortal Yi Sun-shin,” a KBS drama that

aired in 2004 that focused on the man Admiral Yi Sun-shin as opposed to the typically idealized portrait of the hero.

Historical dramas underwent a massive change in the 2000s. So-called faction became the most popular style of drama as writers began to fictionalize historical material. The term “faction” itself is a portmanteau of “fact” and “fiction.”

One of the pioneers of the genre was “Damo,” the tragic story of a damo, a maid at the Joseon court that offered up a fictional reinterpretation of the Joseon era. Another notable example of faction is “Dae Jang Geum,” a drama based on the life of the female physician Dae Jang Geum that focused on the lives of women during Joseon.

The historical drama in the form of faction has continued to evolve, embracing an open-ended point of view of history as opposed to the rigid, didactic style of storytelling that was de rigueur for the genre in the past. One such example is “Chuno,” a drama about a slave-catcher set in the chaotic years following the Japanese and Manchu invasions of Korea from the 16th to 17th century. “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” was another hit that approached history from a fresh point of view, featuring a cast of young lovers in a coming-of-age story set during the time of Jeongjo, one of the most progressive kings of Joseon. “The Princess’ Man” reinterprets the events surrounding the bloody coup of 1453 in a power struggle between Prince Suyang and Kim Jong-seo from the point of view of their children, who are star-crossed lovers. Another prime example of the genre is “The Deep-rooted Tree,” a drama that follows the events leading up to King Sejong’s creation of the Korean alphabet from a detective’s point of view.

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1. The Days of Sungkyunkwan Confucian Students (2 vols.)

Jeong Eun-gwol, Paran Media, 2009, 423p ISBN 9788963710051 (Vol.1) 2. The Immortal Yi Sun-shin (8 vols.)

Kim Tak-hwan, Goldenbough Publishing Co. Ltd. 2004, 346p, ISBN 8982736832 (Vol. 1) 3. A Novel: Dong Eui Bo Gam Lee Eun-seong, Maroniebooks 2012, 412p. ISBN 9788960532205

As faction becomes the norm for historical dramas, the importance of historical accuracy becomes less of an issue with its viewers. Korean historical dramas have thus expanded beyond the bare bones of fact to accommodate flights of fancy.

“The Moon that Embraced the Sun” is credited with taking the genre further with a story set in the Joseon era but with a fictional king as its protagonist. A love story at heart, “The Moon that Embraced the Sun” heralded the coming of a new kind of historical drama with its story of a just king struggling to protect his people from greedy palace officials.

Adaptations and Evolution The change in Korean historical drama, from propaganda and historical fact to the imagined, is closely related to the change in Korean historical fiction. The same kinds of variations of the genre, from straightforward historical novels sticking close to the facts, to popular historical novels based on alternative histories, are to be found in Korean historical dramas. Korean historical fiction as a genre underwent a massive change as the appetite for stories with a strong fictional element increased over traditional historical novels. The genre gained a huge boost as many of these subversive, alternate versions list_ Books from Korea

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Lee Eun-seong’s A Novel: Dong Eui Bo Gam, about the life of Heo Jun, author of the seminal encyclopedia of Korean medicine, the Dongeuibogam, played a major role in shifting the focus of Korean historical dramas away from the political. The novel was adapted for television in the hugely popular drama “Heo Jun” and credited with pioneering a new branch of Korean historical drama that dealt with the lives of ordinary people as opposed to royalty or court officials.

Dongeuibogam, the source material of the drama “Heo Jun,” was itself an adaptation of the drama “Obsession” that aired in 1976. It was serialized in the magazine Ilyo Geongang but was left unfinished when its author passed away. It gained fresh recognition in 1990 when serialized installments were published in a collection of three books, from which the drama “Heo Jun” was born.

Adaptations of historical dramas have also changed. In the past adaptations mostly stayed faithful to the source materials, but now bold changes are being made to central motifs and plot structures. One of the best examples of this new approach is the drama “The Immortal Yi Sun-shin,” which takes its source material from two different historical novels. “The Immortal Yi Sun-shin” used the story of Yi Sun-shin, an admiral who emerged victorious against impossible odds, to ask what kind of leadership is needed in the 21st century. Kim Hoon’s Song of the Sword and Kim Tak-hwan’s The Immortal Yi Sun-shin are the source material of this KBS historical drama. Song of the Sword, winner of the 2001 Dong-in Literary

Award, offered a detailed portrait of Yi Sun-shin both as a military genius crucial to the survival of Korea and as a human being struggling with individual and social expectations. The Immortal Yi Sun-shin is an epic novel that reinvents Yi Sun-shin as a man of flesh and bone who adapted to the circumstances history threw his way rather than as the unrealistically idealized hero usually depicted in history.

“The Immortal Yi Sun-shin” paved the way for more dramas that use historical novels for basic source material but give screenwriters a free hand with the details. “Sungkyunkwan Scandal,” an adaptation of Jeong Eun-gwol’s The Days of Sungkyunkwan Confucian Students, and Lee Jungmyung’s The Deep-rooted Tree are notable examples of this approach. These examples show how historical fiction using the romance and detective genres has played an important part in the evolution of the Korean historical drama.

The novel The Days of Sungkyunkwan Confucian Students is a lighthearted account of a young woman who disguises herself as her younger brother and takes the national exam to study at Sungkyunkwan, the royal university. Its adaptation “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” stayed close to the story’s roots but made major changes to the personalities and backstories of the characters and added new material from “The Tragedy That Must Not Be Forgotten.” “The Tragedy That Must Not Be Forgotten” is an essay written by King Yeongjo that became a source of conflict not only between the two ideological factions at the time, but also between King Jeongjo and his subjects.

The novel The Deep-rooted Tree deals with the mysterious deaths of scholars from the Hall of Worthies at the time the 28 letters of the Korean alphabet were created. Its adaptation sticks to this basic plot of solving serial murders of scholars at the royal palace right before King Sejong is set to introduce the new alphabet. Unlike the original, however, the television adaptation added material related to the childhoods of the king and the slave Kang Chae-yoon, in order to build up the relationship between them. The television drama also upped the suspense and action by introducing more political enemies opposed to King Sejong’s efforts than in the book.

Korean historical drama as a genre has continuously evolved since the early 2000s with the adaptation of popular novels as source material. Popular historical fiction has played a major part in the transformation of Korean historical drama from propaganda to faction. As fascinating as the relationship between Korean historical dramas and Korean historical fiction is, however, the audience and readers’ awareness about historical events and characters is what matters most.

by Yun Sukjin

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Special Section

Korean History and Storytelling: A Child's Imagination

From Didactic Tool to Literary Entertainment Children love reading about the past but history books are often dry and uninspired. A new trend that puts storytelling above facts is keeping children and their parents satisfied.

Korean History Letters (5 vols.)

Park Eun-bong, Cum Libro 2009, 216p, ISBN 9788991221444 (Vol. 1)

Young readers are often prejudiced against children’s history books and historical fiction, laboring under the belief that history is hard. Young Korean readers are further discouraged by the countless dates and terms they have to memorize at school. The educational zeal of Korean parents has also influenced children’s history books and fiction for the worse, as publishers rush to supply books that are often didactic and devoid of literary merit. In Korea, where children’s books are often sold in sets, children’s history books and historical fiction are marketed as educational tools. Children’s collections are usually organized by theme and sold at a hefty markup. The easiest way to convince parents to buy these pricey sets is to emphasize their educational value. Thankfully, as more parents are becoming aware of the genre’s literary and entertainment value, the market for individual books rather than sets is growing. list_ Books from Korea

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1. The House Where Books Dwell Lee Young-seo, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2005, 192p, ISBN 9788954607346 2. Letters from Chojeong-ni Bae Yu-an, Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2007, 208p, ISBN 9788936433574 3.

A Child Who Delivers a Letter Han Yoon-sop; Illustrator: Baik Dae-seoung Prunsoop Publishing Co., Ltd. 2011, 170p, ISBN 9788971846643

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Children’s history books and children's historical fiction are both based on fact, but in the end it is not the subject matter that is most important but how the facts are narrated, and from what point of view.

Korean history is taught for one year in the fifth grade, in a social studies class. Four thousand years of history must be crammed into this small window, posing a considerable challenge for elementary school teachers. Their task is further complicated by a sharp ideological divide in Korean society, where the writing of history textbooks is often a polemic issue.

Writers of history textbooks try to avoid clashing over warring points of view, so the text is usually as neutral as possible. Facts are stripped down to the bare bones, which unfortunately is not the most exciting way to tell a story or engage and excite readers.

Keeping this in mind, it is all the more remarkable that Korean History Letters by Park Eun-bong manages to condense the entirety of Korean history into five books and still be successful. The series is written in the form of letters, making the text much more accessible than the neutral voice usually adopted by textbook writers. In History Letters from Mom, Park once again uses the letter form to great effect. Park has the perspective that everyone deserves to know facts that are often downplayed or omitted from history textbooks; it is easy to see why the series became a bestseller. While addressing the reader directly, he manages to treat issues of contention with sensitivity. As a whole the series overcomes many of the limitations of elementary school history textbooks without sacrificing information or accessibility.

In contrast to regular history, children’s historical fiction uses historical figures or facts with artistic license. It is precisely this hybrid nature of the genre that makes historical fiction an attractive yet challenging genre for writers. Writing stories set in the past is, in a way, as open to possibility as writing about the future.

Children’s historical fiction in Korea made a leap forward when writers began to expand beyond facts and figures. Letters from Chojeong-ni by Bae Yu-an is about the creation of the Korean alphabet Hangeul, but instead of giving a central role to King Sejong, the creator of Hangeul, it employs a young fictional protagonist named Jang-un. The result is that historical fiction becomes that much more accessible to the reader, thanks to this child protagonist. By combining the story of Jang-un with the creation of the Korean alphabet, this book was the first to prove that historical fiction could work without a historical protagonist. Although initially some parents were confused about the book’s fictional narrator, the publication of Letters from Chojeong-ni was a turning point in Korean children’s historical fiction towards a more entertaining approach.

Another example of this approach to historical fiction is The House Where Books Dwell by Lee Young-seo. This book is about the religious persecution of Korean Catholics from the late 18th to 19th century, but historical events are never mentioned by name. Rather, the historical events are integrated into the protagonist’s daily life. Readers are introduced to the history of Catholicism in Korea through the protagonist Jang-

i’s father, who is tortured to death for distributing hand-copied books of Catholic theology. Afterwards, Jang-i takes on his father’s role of smuggling Catholic texts for Korean converts.

The reader experiences history along with Jang-i.

Recent publications in the genre take this approach even further. A Child Who Delivers a Letter by Han Yoon-sop is set during the Donghak Peasant Revolution of 1894, but hardly mentions Donghak at all. The only direct historical reference in the book is when the 12-year-old protagonist briefly meets Jeon Bong-jun, the leader of the Donghak Peasant Revolution.

Even then only a few clues identify him as Jeon Bong-jun, recognizable only by readers already familiar with the history of Donghak. The path the protagonist takes to deliver the letter he’s been given responsibility for, however, is the very same one that the Donghak revolutionaries took. And the letter he painstakingly deciphers one Chinese character at a time reveals that Jeon is in grave danger. In the past this kind of story would have been narrated by Jeon or another member of the revolution, making for a straightforward but not very entertaining read, but this book appeals to young readers by combining history with adventure and intrigue. This kind of narrative that uses fictional young protagonists and veiled historical events has become increasingly popular in Korean children’s historical fiction in the last 10 years.

On the other side of the spectrum are books like the young adult publication Bookworm by Ahn So-young. This nonfiction title depicts real figures and events. What is interesting is how Ahn applies a literary approach to nonfiction, describing the lives of these historical figures in detail, sometimes framing events for dramatic impact rather than in their actual chronological order. Combined with the author’s engaging style, the book has since become a hit not only with the YA audience, but adults as well.

Inspired by a book of the same name written by Lee Dukmu, a scholar during the Joseon era, Bookworm is about the lives and friendships of such renown silhak scholars as Park Jiwon, Hong Dae-yong, Park Je-ga, Yoo Deuk-gong, Paik Dongsu, and Lee Seo-gu. They were so poor they sometimes lacked food, but spared no expense to procure the books they wanted.

Another thing the friends had in common was that they were excluded from the powerful elite in Joseon because of their lack of family connections or rank. Ahn is credited with pioneering a new genre in her treatment of these historical figures and their lives. Her latest YA book, The Three Friends of the Year of Gapsin is a narrative about the Gapsin Coup of 1884 told from the point of view of progressive coup leaders Kim Okgyun, Hong Young-sik, and Park Young-hyo, whose attempt to overthrow the ruling monarchy and bring in reform was thwarted in a matter of just three days.

In the end all books related to fiction can be said to combine historical fact, the unique point of view of the author, and the writer’s imagination. We must therefore not treat children’s history and historical fiction as merely a tool to educate. Children are the ones who would benefit from reading history and historical fiction in forms that stimulate their imagination and allow them to engage with history as if it were literature.

In conclusion, history is a form of fairy tale for young readers. Of course history should not be confused with oral literary forms such as folklore, legend, and myth. However, it must be noted that while the adult reader is more concerned with historical fact, the young reader accepts historical fact as if it were a story. The Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), for instance, is a work of history yet can be read for its entertainment value that is very much in the style of fairy tales. For young children, whose concept of time differs from adults, even events from the Korean War that took place in the mid-20th century are remote enough to feel like ancient tales. This is the most fascinating place to be when the child is starting to learn history.

by Oh Seran

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Korean History and Storytelling: Contemporary Novelists Shed the Past

The Birth of the New Historical Novel Popular literary novelists Kim Hoon, Kim Young-ha, Kim Byul-ah, and Lee Jung-myung breathe new life into familiar historical figures.

Historical dramas are so popular that whenever Koreans picture a famous historical figure, the first face that comes to mind is that of the actor who played that person on television.

Historical novels as well have inspired the observation that “Koreans are bingeing on history.” Recently, there has been a tendency to view historical novels as a form of healing, in which modern readers find solace in the trials and tribulations of historical figures in novels. By empathizing with the difficulties faced by people of the past, people find the key to unlocking their own struggles.

Historical novels are as educational as they are entertaining.

Readers who are not satisfied with what can be gained through textbooks alone learn how to analyze history from their own perspective. The other charm of historical novels is that they offer up not just simple historical facts but enable readers to enjoy the language, customs, and rich cultural details of other times. Given the abundance of historical records in Korea, 16 list_ Books from Korea

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including the The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, the future of Korean historical novels looks bright. Particularly in this era of one-source multi-use media, the form of storytelling that holds the widest popular appeal is the historical novel. It has taken center stage in this era of infotainment—the compelling combination of information and entertainment. Likewise, in the Korean TV drama industry, historical novels are becoming a very important source of story ideas.

Prior to the 2000s as well, there were many historical novels in Korea. But if they were ordinarily shelved as popular fiction, the current batch of historical novels is blurring the lines between popular and literary fiction. The opening shot fired on this new renaissance of historical novels was Kim Hoon’s Song of the Sword. Based on the life story of Yi Sun-shin (15451598), Song of the Sword was recognized for its simultaneous popular appeal and literary value. Kim Hoon’s signature meditative prose style, combined with the first-person narrative

told from General Yi Sun-shin’s point of view, received an enthusiastic response from readers.

The next title to receive a positive response was Kim Young-ha’s Black Flower, which infused old historical subject matter with a refined sensibility. Black Flower tells the story of the first Korean emigrants to Mexico, who were sold to Henequen (agave cactus) plantations a hundred years ago.

Korean audiences were already familiar with their story because of the movie Henequen, but when combined with Kim Young-ha’s unique imagination, their story has taken on a new tone. Black Flower showed that historical novels do not just stop at being old stories. Kim Young-ha cast off the antiquated speaking style associated with historical dramas and vividly depicted historical figures by reinterpreting them through a modern frame.

Novels can create synergy with TV dramas, even when they are not directly related to each other, simply by virtue of sharing the same central characters. That was the case with the TV show “The Great Queen Seondeok.” The script was written specifically for television and was not based on a novel. But the runaway popularity of the show helped draw attention to the novel Mishil by Kim Byul-ah, in which the title character is depicted as Queen Seondeok’s foe. It was a rare case in the Korean publishing world of a successful television show making a novel successful, rather than the other way around.

When a historical novel is widely loved by the public, it increases the numbers of writers who specialize solely in writing historical novels. One such success story is Lee Jungmyung. Through such works as The Deep-rooted Tree and The Painter of Wind, Lee succeeded at grafting the strengths of the historical novel with the strengths of the mystery novel.

The Painter of Wind was based on modern speculation over whether the famous Korean genre painter, Shin Yun-bok, was a woman. Also, The Deep-rooted Tree, was made into a television show that became wildly popular. By grafting onto mass media, Korean historical novels are successfully reinventing themselves.

Kim Hoon, Song of the Sword

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1. Song of the Sword Kim Hoon, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2012, 398p, ISBN 9788954617246 2. Mishil Kim Byul-ah, Hainaim Publishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 504p, ISBN9788965743323 3. Black Flower Kim Young-ha, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2011, 367p, ISBN 9788954610131 4. The Deep-rooted Tree (2 vols.)

Lee Jung-myung, Millionhouse Publishing Inc. 2004, 305p, ISBN 9788991643154 (Vol.1)

There are many reasons why Koreans are crazy about Yi Sunshin. He was not only an extraordinary naval commander but a charming person as well. The courage he showed in defeating hordes of Japanese invaders with a ridiculously small fleet when the country was on the verge of being lost gave immense hope to the Korean people.

Based on a variety of sources, including the The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and Yi Sun-shin’s own War Diary, and infused with the writer’s modern imagination, Song of the Sword opened a new era for historical novels. This is because the novel describes the figure most beloved by Koreans in vivid detail, as if he were alive today. With the loss of his beloved third son in battle, bereaved of his mother during the war, stripped of his official post, and slandered and thrown in jail despite winning the war—Yi Sun-shin quietly endured a level of suffering that no person should endure, all while defeating hundreds of ships with a mere dozen of his own and becoming a victor who would go down in history. His undying desire, not to be a hero or to earn the king’s approval, but simply to die a warrior’s death, is a source of inspiration for many people to this day. Kim Hoon’s concise and powerful prose cuts straight to the reader’s heart, leaving its mark like Yi Sun-shin’s own sword.

Kim Young-ha, Black Flower King Sejong the Great. General Yi Sun-shin. King Jeong-jo, the visionary reformer. Lim Geok-jeong, leader of a peasant rebellion. Hwang Jini, the famous gisaeng. Jeong Yak-yong, the great philosopher. These are the great figures Koreans encounter most often in historical novels. Most of the historical list_ Books from Korea

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novels in existence are told in the form of life stories that describe the rise and fall of heroic figures. But Kim Young-ha’s Black Flower overturns this cliche. Black Flower features none of the historical figures most known to Koreans. In 1905 the Russo-Japanese War was in full roar. Korean migrant laborers boarded the British ship, S.S. Ilford, bound for Mexico. The suffering those 1,033 migrant laborers endured in that foreign land is known by many through the news and movies. But Black Flower goes beyond the usual humdrum adventure story.

It sheds light on the many desires felt by priests and shamans, aristocrats and royalty, and court eunuchs and other figures that had not yet been completely modernized. They endured cruel labor exploitation on the Henequen plantations, but each came to live different lives. They each took their own path, whether that was participating in the Mexican Revolution or founding a new anarchist state known as New Korea.

Kim Byul-ah, Mishil We usually believe that women’s lives are far more advanced in the modern era than they were in the premodern era. But that is not always the case. Though there was no official guarantee that women could enter society, there were always cracks that could be taken advantage of. Mishil was an extraordinary heroine who had royalty and noblemen alike wrapped around her finger. She had both feminine charm and political charisma, and skillfully manipulated the social hierarchy of the Silla dynasty even while surpassing its limitations. Kim Byul-ah’s Mishil resurrects Mishil, a figure not often handled in official histories, as the protagonist of a literary work. Most female protagonists of existing historical novels are figures like Hwang Jini, Queen Inhyeon, and Nongae, who are already given a great deal of attention in textbooks. But Mishil won readers over because of her novelty. She has been reinterpreted by modern readers as an image of a woman who is much more refined than modern women. Author Kim Byul-ah describes the Mishil she created as follows: “The Mishil that I know is someone who is at once every woman in the world and someone who surpasses all of them.” Mishil has once again drawn attention, along with the runaway popularity of the television show “The Great Queen Seondeok,” and interest in her as a historical figure, rather than just as a character in a novel, has rapidly increased.

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Lee Jung-myung, The Deep-rooted Tree His face is on Korea’s ten-thousand won bill. He, King Sejong the Great, is one of the historical figures most respected

by Koreans. Not only did he invent Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, he also worked hard to improve the welfare of the common people and to develop a variety of scientific equipment, including a sundial and water clock. But most Koreans only learn about this king from test answer sheets. Lee Jung-myung’s The Deep-rooted Tree reveals his lesser-known side. Through the format of the mystery novel, King Sejong the Great is explored beyond that of the model king that we have always known. This mystery novel, that recalls Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, charms readers and became a much talked about novel from the moment it was published due to its shocking subject matter: a series of murders that take place amongst the scholars engaged in the creation of the Korean alphabet. Also made into a television show, The Deep-rooted Tree was praised for taking Korean style faction (fact + fiction) to a new level. Lee offers the following interesting definition for historical novels: “I think of historical novels as a type of wrong answer. It is a great and entertaining wrong answer, of course. There can only be one right answer, but hundreds of wrong answers. So are those hundreds of wrong answers useless? I don’t think so.” Lee also says that historical novels “turn fossilized history into living and moving fantasies.”

In this way, it is the imaginative power of fiction, beyond textbooks, that predicts a bright future for historical novels.

by Jung Yeo-ul

Special Section

Korean History and Storytelling: Contextualizing the Past

Historians Shed New Light on the Past While history contains facts, the stories based on those facts can be as rich and varied as the events themselves.

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Pansori is one form of Korea’s traditional music and performance. It is performed by a sorikkun, a singer who sings and tells a story, and a gosu, a drummer who keeps rhythm. The longest piece of pansori can last for six to seven hours. The singer not only sings and tells a story while playing the roles of different characters but also acts as a commentator. Pansori is a storytelling where the Korean oral tradition lives on.

The fact that one person can lead a story for six to seven hours that makes people cry, laugh, applaud, and cheer shows the power of a story better than anything else. Koreans are experienced in the power of a story told through pansori. Professional storytellers were active until the mid-20th century in Korea, and usually told interesting old tales at places like provincial markets and received money for it. Though they were reading an existing text, they attempted to modify the content to make it more interesting. Unbound by the printed text, they created vivid stories of their own.

With such a tradition of pansori and storytellers, the interest in narrative and storytelling has been rapidly growing in Korea. Storytelling is often emphasized when a cultural relic is developed, a museum is opened, or an exhibition is held.

Many local governments try to create a brand based on their historical figures, tourist sites, local products, and relics through storytelling. For example,

1. Song Si-yeol and His Country Lee Dukil, Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. 2000, 398p, ISBN 8934905026 2. A Country the Crown Prince Sado Dreamt Of Lee Dukil, Wisdomhouse Publishing Co., Ltd. 2011, 440p, ISBN 9788993119367 3. Histories Whisper Kim Gi-bong, Phronesis 2009, 264p, ISBN 9788901094182 4. Reading History with Literature,

Reading Literature with History

Jou Kyung-chul, Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. 2009, 272p, ISBN 9788958284321

5. The Age of Maritime Expansion Jou Kyung-chul, Seoul National University Press 2008, 581p, ISBN 9788952108678 6. History: Everything One Has to Know Nahm Gyung-tai, Dulnyouk 2008, 687p, ISBN 9788975278198

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Gunwi-gun, a county in North Gyeongsang Province, uses Monk Iryeon (1206-1289) from the Goryeo dynasty as a subject of storytelling and as a local brand because he wrote Korea’s leading history book Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) at Ingak Temple in Gunwi-gun.

The reason for the recent emphasis on storytelling in Korea is that storytelling is widely recognized as a core element in cultural content and the tourism industry. Let us suppose that there is something called “A.” What will “A” need in order for it to remain for a long time in people’s memory and spread widely? An impressive and interesting story about “A.” How does a site that does not look like much become a celebrated spot visited by a great number of people? By having a special story related to the place.

Interest in storytelling is not limited to industries in Korea.

For example, historian Kim Gi-bong’s Histories Whisper gives an easy and simple explanation on the relationship between history and storytelling. The author points out that there is no such thing as 100 percent fact. Historical documents referring to the recorded facts from the past and history are based on research, however, historical documents based on 100 percent fact do not exist. History is a story about the things that have already taken place. A historian uses his imagination to add a plot to the documents from the past and make a story. It is therefore meaningless to ask whether history is fact or fiction.

Kim Gi-bong focuses on popular historical dramas and films in Korea. He says that such great interest in historical dramas is due to people’s desire for a story. Historical dramas push into the gap between historical facts and use imagination to overturn the context. This is the storytelling of history.

Historical dramas present fictional content that are different from historical facts but sometimes they are considered as more persuasive and acceptable. Is such fictional content dangerous

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and meaningless?

No, argues Kim Gi-bong. It is storytelling that makes the meaning of life more colorful and rich. That is why the title of his book is not “history” but “histories.” Diverse stories are possible even with one historical theme or material. The author dreams about a universe of stories where many stories harmonize.

In the field of Korean history, there is also Lee Dukil, a writer who has attracted much attention and popularity in historical nonfiction. After receiving a PhD in history, Lee left academia and wrote history books for the general public. He shows particular strength in focusing on one person and his era and deals with complex topics in an accessible style. In Song Siyeol and His Country, which became very popular when it was published in 2000, Lee reinterpreted Song Si-yeol (1607-1689), respected as one of the best Confucian scholars during the Joseon dynasty, as one who rejected change and was intent on protecting the interests of his faction.

Furthermore, he argued that Joseon began to wane as the faction led by Song Si-yeol continued to stay in power. In Korea where traditional Confucianism is still influential, Lee’s argument sparked a heated controversy. Many of those who support Song Si-yeol opposed Lee’s argument; for the first time, historical nonfiction brought about a strong response.

In A Country the Crown Prince Sado Dreamt Of, Lee Dukil argues that the tragic Crown Prince Sado (1735-1762), who was in fact killed by his own father, had the qualities of a sage king.

His argument was again met with strong counterargument.

Lee tends to make arguments that are different from the mainstream theories of Korean historical circles. This is sometimes why many readers feel a certain catharsis when reading his books. In other words, he is an issue maker in the field of history.

In Western history, books by Professor Jou Kyung-chul have commanded attention. In particular, his book The Age of Maritime Expansion has been highly praised. This book covers the process between the 15th and the 18th centuries when various regions of the world interacted via sea routes and created a global network. It attempts to describe the real meaning of world history where the whole world joined together in one great flow.

In this ambitious book, Jou argues that modern history was not led unilaterally by countries from Western Europe but rather formed by the participation of world civilizations.

Unfortunately, the process was mostly violent and oppressive, and this resulted in the globalization of violence. However, the book is valuable in that it makes us think about the possibility of a different type of globalization. Apart from The Age of Maritime Expansion, which is more academic, Jou has also published relatively accessible books such as The History of Tiresias, Reading History with Literature, Reading Literature with History, and Reading World History with Culture.

Among them, Reading History with Literature, Reading Literature with History attempts to newly understand various literary works of the East and the West from a historical point of view. For example, it sees the fables of Aesop from the perspective of slaves who formed one part of Greek society. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, the book looks at how purgatory was added to the dichotomy of hell and paradise. In Treasure Island, it explores the phenomenon of overseas expansion during the modern imperialistic era and the relationship between the state and pirates. Other works, including Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and William Golding’s Lord of

the Flies, are newly viewed from a historical perspective.

Meanwhile, Nahm Gyung-tai, widely known as a translator of nonfiction, wrote Playground of History: West, East, Korea.

This series consists of five volumes: two on Korean history, two on Western history, and one on Asian history. Though the volumes cover diverse topics and periods, they are described in a familiar, easygoing tone. The author has also published History: Everything One Has to Know, in which he emphasizes the points where Eastern and Western civilizations have met and interacted. It is a masterpiece written by a writer who has neither studied history nor holds a degree in the field. This was only possible because he has been translating books in a variety of areas for over 20 years.

Though there are many writers of nonfiction in Korea, most of them focus on Korean history. Though this is because Korean readers are mainly interested in Korean history, this limited scope is a problem that the Korean publishing market has to overcome in the future. Another problem is that historians who write nonfiction for the general public are very rare. Seen from this point of view, historical nonfiction in Korea is a genre that requires much exploration and development in the future.

by Pyo Jeonghun

Playground of History : West, East, Korea (5 vols.)

Nahm Gyung-tai, Greenbee Publishing Company 2009, 487p, ISBN 9788976825100 (Korea 1)

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Interview

A Scholar of All Seasons Jung Min, Professor of Humanities

Breaking the stereotype that classical literature is difficult and inaccessible, this bestselling scholar brings out the subtle nuances and rhythms of Korean with uncommon precision.

Professor Jung Min of Hanyang University is an exceptional scholar known for his individualism. The virtue of his writing can be summed up as a tense cohabitation; what that means is that his writing embodies the spirit of the golden mean, simultaneously encompassing fields of study that are in opposition and give rise to contradiction. There are few successful cases of presenting in-depth academic research to a general readership. It is difficult to write a book that meets the various demands of academia as well as the general public, as satisfying either of them is tough enough. Jung, however, has managed with ease to satisfy both.

Not only is Jung extraordinarily talented at translating traditional Korean poetry into modern Korean and offering interpretations for the contemporary reader, but he is also exceptional at producing prose suited to the modern taste.

Although there are writers who are successful at both poetry and prose, they are far and few between. Verse and prose are undoubtedly two distinct universes, but Jung is able to travel between them freely. When he translates poetry, the rhythm comes alive, and when he interprets prose, the spirit of the prose reaches the reader like the bamboo rod of a Buddhist priest signalling the beginning and end of meditation.

Dasan Jeong Yak-yong and Yeonam Park Ji-won—two leading figures of the Renaissance period of 18th century Joseon—were very different in many ways. One of them strove for political power while the other continuously escaped the temptation of power; one remained in Korea, while the other studied overseas and became cosmopolitan; one showed great talent in the traditional writing style while the other was a visionary who tried to reform the prevailing style of writing.

These two figures embodied the spirit of the times. Professor Jung’s scholarly journey began with Yeonam and later arrived at Dasan, and now he is returning to Yeonam to study him further. Mastering both historical figures and their works is no small feat, but Jung has achieved this while receiving high praise from academics and general readers alike.

Lee Kwon-woo: I get the impression that your scholarship focuses on merging together two seemingly clashing fields of study. You study Korean literature in Chinese (hanmunhak), but you also show great interest in international events and trends of the 18th century. Could you explain the unique identity and universality of hanmunhak?

Jung Min: Although Northeast Asia is commonly grouped together as belonging to the Chinese (hanja) cultural sphere, each country has a distinct Chinese writing. In particular, old Japanese literature differs so much from our grammar system that it is not possible for Koreans to understand everything.

In other words, it would take considerable effort to become familiar with it. The difference is especially notable in poetry, where it is easy to notice the conventions of expression or the differences of sentiment. The scholar Jeong Mong-ju was once sent as an envoy to Japan, where he had to stay through the winter until the spring due to bad weather conditions. One day he heard the rain splatter off the roof and captured it in verse. That was his unique way of expressing the sound of oncoming spring. You don’t hear the rain splash off the tiled roofs or straw-thatched roofs of Korea. Jeong heard that sound only because he was in Japan with its unique architecture of planked roofs. In other words, he was able to conceive of the splattering sound, which represents his relief that he can now return home, thanks to the unique housing culture of Japan.

As you can see, China, Japan, and Korea differ in culture and therefore, in literature. The differences in climate and character shape the identity of each country’s hanmunhak.

At the same time, our 18th century literature in Chinese was also closely influenced by the international context. It was a revolutionary turning point when the entire world was entering the information age. Just as there were Encyclopédistes in Europe, Korea underwent huge changes as a result of the great influx of information from China. It then became important for intellectuals to develop the ability to evaluate the quality of list_ Books from Korea

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Interview into practice. Like Dasan, my first step is to determine the table of contents. Then I write daily, publishing it on my website or in the media. I undertake not one but several projects at once. I, of course, conduct plenty of research and gather sufficient material beforehand. To tell you the truth, I am able to continue my research and writing largely thanks to something Dasan said. He remarked that he found new things to write about as he did research. For example, while he was writing The Mind of Governing the People, which was intended as a manual for governors, he ended up gathering a lot of material on trials. Dasan later used this research to write On Juridprudence. Similarly, A Book of Dasan’s Quotations was born out of some of the research I did while writing Dasan’s Knowledge Management; and A Life-Changing Encounter: Jeong Yak-yong and His Pupil Hwang Sang was born out of the story of Hwang Sang that I came across while working on Madness Is Genius. critic Lee Kwon-woo and Professor Jung Min

information. A group of silhak (practical learning) scholars played an important role in shifting the paradigm of compiling knowledge.

Lee: I believe this is a point on which your research differs from the previous scholarship on silhak.

Jung: Yes. Previous scholarship was shaped largely by the overall message or discourse, driven by the progressive scholars’ efforts to uncover our autonomous striving toward modernization, in order to overcome colonial historical studies (sikminsahak). But shouldn’t every new generation pose new questions? That way, we can demonstrate how thick and multi-layered the stratum of silhak was. I have decided to focus my research on the methods of knowledge compilation—less on the topics covered and more on the process.

The silhak scholars’ interests ranged widely, from stories about cigarettes and observations about pigeons to origami flowers—so many interesting books which do not all fit into a single framework. Previous scholarship on silhak tended to ignore these works, as they covered topics that fell outside of the net of modernization. What I found interesting was that the manual style of these books and the compilation and editing process were all quite similar.

Especially noteworthy is Dasan who efficiently tackled multiple projects all at once. I was determined to publish my findings on this. Dasan’s Knowledge Management was the product of such critical thinking and investigation.

Lee: You’re actually quite prolific yourself. Every book of yours enters the bestseller list as soon as it comes out. I wonder if you have been applying the methodology of 18th century silhak scholars.

Jung: I guess so. I’ve just been putting what I’ve learned 24 list_ Books from Korea

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Lee: You translate and annotate traditional Korean poetry and prose. The two seem so different in temperament that I am amazed you work with both forms. Was there a reason for this?

Jung: I wrote my Master’s thesis on 16th century poetry.

I loved poetry so much that I was sure I would also write my dissertation on poetry. But my advisor suggested that I work on something different, recommending Kim Yun-shik, a leader of the Enlightenment movement, as a possible topic.

While I was researching the topic, I encountered the syntax of the Giho School of Confucian studies and learned that their scholarship can be traced back to Yeonam Park Ji-won.

I didn’t arrive at Kim Yun-shik while studying Park Ji-won; rather, I encountered them in reverse chronology. Studying Park’s life and work opened up a new world for me, so, for my dissertation, I decided to take on prose theory in this area.

That’s how I ended up embracing both poetry and prose.

1

1. Dějiny Korejské Klasické Literatury Jung Min et al., Karolinum 2011, 288p, ISBN 9788024617312 2.

История на кοрейската кΛасическа Λитература Jung Min et al., Iztok-zapad 2009, 247p, ISBN 9789543216437

3. Văn Học Sử Hàn Quốc Jung Min et al.

Nhà Xuất Bản Ðại Học Quốc Gia Hà Nội 2005, 303p

2

3

4. A Life-Changing Encounter:

Jeong Yak-yong and His Pupil Hwang Sang

Jung Min, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2011, 591p, ISBN 9788954616751

5. The History of Korean Classical Literature Jung Min et al., LTI Korea 2006, 223p 6. A Book of Dasan’s Quotations Jung Min, Prume 2007, 213p, ISBN 9788992650052

5

7. Madness Is Genius Jung Min, Prunyoksa 2004, 436p, ISBN 8987787842 4

8. Dasan’s Knowledge Management Jung Min, Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. 2006, 611p, ISBN 8934923504

8 6 9

9. A Walk Through the Beauty of

Classical Korean Poetry

Jung Min, Humanist Publishing Group 2010, 695p, ISBN 9788958623601

7

“Lately, I have been reminded once again of the power of saying more with less.”

Professor Jung’s writing is a classic example of good writing. He has written on many occasions about the effort he puts into precise writing to convey meaning, while bringing out the subtle nuances and rhythm of the Korean language.

There is nothing superfluous in his writing. That is also true of his translations of traditional poetry and prose, which are both elegant and easy to understand. His outstanding writing has helped shatter the stereotype of classical literature, which is often seen as difficult and inaccessible. It is also the reason that he is popular among the picky readers of humanities books. I wanted to hear his thoughts on syntax.

Lee: Are there things that you always bear in mind when you are writing?

Jung: Since I study syntax in my research, I am extra sensitive in my writing. I strive for concise writing that communicates effectively. I also place great importance on explaining difficult topics in an easy-to-understand way.

Lately, I have been reminded once again of the power of saying more with less. If you remove conjunctions and unnecessary particles, the pace of the text really picks up. When I translate traditional text into modern Korean, I try to avoid auxiliary verb structures (“...haeyahanda”). Rather, I try to leave the sentence open-ended so that readers can judge for themselves.

Lee: To conclude, could you share your future plans?

letters by Hwang Sang are bringing new facts to light, not to mention previously undisclosed letters by Dasan. Lately, I have been very excited by the prospect of beholding the bare Dasan, fully exposed. I am going to publish articles and write a new book based on my new findings, and then I am going to go full speed ahead on my research on Yeonam.

In my research I have found Dasan to be a kind teacher who guides his disciples to the answer and Yeonam to be a teacher who confuses and bewilders his students. In fact, I have heard graduate students admit that they are lost and scared after reading the latter. It is my wish to provide a proper introduction to Yeonam to make him accessible to the modern reader.

In August Professor Jung will take a sabbatical and leave for the Harvard-Yenching Institute, where he will continue his research on the root causes of the intellectual revolution that shook 18th century Joseon. He professed that he has often felt the need for more hands-on research in the field, for he personally found out that many of the documents that he had previously believed to have been lost during the revolutionary period had in fact been preserved. A miner does not shy away from a mine just because it appears to be dangerous. Many readers will undoubtedly be waiting for Jung’s return at the end of his sabbatical leave. Nothing makes an author happier than the anticipation of his readers, and Jung is the rare scholar in the humanities who commands such a following.

by Lee Kwon-woo

Jung: I plan to return from Dasan to Yeonam, though I am having a hard time letting go of Dasan. Recently uncovered list_ Books from Korea

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Excerpt

A Life-Changing Encounter: Jeong Yak-yong and His Pupil Hwang Sang

by Jung Min Can the Likes of Me Be a Scholar? [···] 10th month, 1802. A year after Dasan was exiled to Gangjin, he opened a small sodang in the guest room of an inn. A few children of local minor officials enlisted in the school. Some had the basics; others knew nothing and had to be taught from scratch. At first they were all a bit indifferent, but Dasan gradually made them aware of the humanity in their hearts and taught them hanmun. He assigned homework every day and had them give presentations, and one emerged from the ordinary group, like the point of an awl poking through a sack. He understood instinctively what Dasan said. He was simple, humble, and perspicacious.

Each boy saluted the master after class on his way home.

Dasan said, “Stay a while, I have something to say to you.”

A tousled haired boy at the back of the group hesitated.

He added, “You must study hard if you want to be someone important.”

The boy was on the point of saying something, but his face reddened and he swallowed his words.

Last, Dasan said, “You must work harder. I won’t put up with idleness.”

“Master,” the boy said. “I have three problems. First, I’m stupid.

Second, I lack flexibility and inner freedom. Third, I’m stultified inside; I can’t breathe. Can someone like me be a scholar?”

“Of course you can. Listen to me. Students have three great problems and you don’t show the symptoms of any of the three.

First, some boys learn easily. They read something once and they can recite it. Their problem is too much self belief; they think they can do anything, but they only half learn the lesson and fail to make the material their own. Second, some boys write readily.

They understand immediately the purpose of the question and the scope of the problem. It’s good to learn quickly and write well, but these boys get carried away with their abilities. They keep leaping ahead and lack sincerity and depth. Third, some boys understand quickly. They understand all right but lack penetration and lucidity. They learn in general terms only and what they learn is

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soon dissipated.

“Do you know what I think?” Dasan continued. “It’s boys like you that should be our students. You say you’re stupid? The awl quickly makes a hole but the hole is soon blocked again. It’s not easy to make a hole with the blunt point of the awl—you just keep at it until the hole comes. But a hole that is bored with resolve doesn’t get blocked again. You say you don’t know what to do, that you lack flexibility. Look at rainy season water in the paddy fields: it keeps swirling around, unable to get out. The farmer opens a trench with his spade and no one can block the great flow. How wonderful! Things don’t mesh for you, you say; you feel stultified.

No one finds study easy in the beginning; it’s a bumpy road for everyone. If you apply yourself diligently, the rough becomes smooth and eventually attains a sparkling luster. How do you make the hole? You work diligently; that’s all that’s needed. How do you make what is blocked flow? By being industrious. How do you bring out a polish? By working hard. How do you work hard?

By deciding in your heart to pursue diligence. Can you do this?

Without fail?” The teacher was so moved by his own words that he found himself stroking the boy’s nodding head.

“Sit there for a moment,” Dasan said. “I want to write out today’s lesson. You can stick it on the wall; it will help your concentration.”

The boy’s name was Hwang Sang and he was very impressed.

This heavenly teacher from Seoul changed his life forever by the simple expedient of telling him he could do it. [···]

A Very Dim Prospect Dasan was not an easy teacher. He could be boundlessly kind, but he could also be exceedingly prickly. When he scolded the boys and went after them, it was as if every feeling had failed. That’s how frightening he was. Hwang Sang got married in 1805. He was eighteen. His attitude toward study changed radically perhaps because he got caught up in honeymoon sweetness. When he put up his topknot, he became very concerned with his looks. His former diligence gradually dissipated. Dasan could endure no more: He lifted his brush.

“Your language, appearance, and actions are becoming more and more arrogant. In giving yourself to the pleasures of the women’s quarters, you have forgotten about studying. You’ll end up an ignoramus. Your sense of reality has disappeared; you are a real cause of concern to me. I prized you greatly, but sadness and regret have filled my heart for a long time. If you are going to set yourself straight, you and your wife must sleep separately. If you can’t devote yourself totally to study, not only will you fail in learning but you will become physically weak and unable to endure.” (an excerpted letter from Dasan in which he scolds his negligent student Hwang Sang, Yeohwangsang, pp. 137-138)

A cold wind swept the page.

You worthless good-for-nothing! You got married and abandoned your studies for the pleasures of a woman What a dim prospect you’ve become. Having prized you so, was this as much as you were capable of in human terms? Even at this late stage you must make a firm resolution: husband and wife must sleep separately.

Unless you free yourself from the snares of the women’s quarters, you will become physically weak, and you will not live very long.

The letter demanded that bride and groom use separate rooms.

The master remonstrated in the most severe terms: he would not look at his pupil again, he said, unless the latter had a change of heart and devoted himself wholeheartedly to study. The next day a chastened Hwang Sang appeared in front of the master and got down on his knees. The master turned aside at an angle, giving no indication that his anger had abated.

“Master, I am sorry. I was wrong. I will not neglect my studies again. Don’t be angry.”

“Miserable wretch! Were you content with such miniscule learning?” Dasan shouted angrily. Hwang Sang bowed even deeper.

“Master, that’s not how it was…. I was wrong. Forgive me this once.”

The edge in Dasan’s voice softened and he turned back a little toward his pupil.

“You study the same way you eat. It’s like breathing, you do it automatically. Did I not always tell you so?”

“I’ll do it. I won’t get distracted again.”

“Go to Goseong Temple. You need to be separated from your wife, to concentrate on your studies only. If you compose a poem send it down to me. Have reading and writing assignments every day and complete them. If you lose your resolve, you can forget about your studies; all you’ll have is watery soup. You’ll end up a bird catcher. Leave right now. Do you understand?”

“Yes, master, your disciple will do as you say.”

Hang Sang bought provisions and headed for the temple.

Dasan had recently been to the temple to meet Hyejang. Rain bound him there for several days, during which time he came to an understanding with the monks. It was the height of the hot season. [···]

Finally Came 1836: the 22nd day of the 2nd month was Dasan’s 60th wedding anniversary. In the 12th month of 1828, Hwang Sang had had a touching appeal from Dasan to come and see him, but Hwang Sang had put it off for more than seven years. Then came news of the 60th anniversary and of Dasan’s failing health. Hwang Sang made preparations to come to Seoul. One last time he wanted to see the master’s living face and greet him. Dasan was 75; Hwang Sang was 49. More than 34 years had passed since the touslehaired youth first saw the master.

Hwang Sang walked for 10 days in bitter weather. Many times he had to ask the way before finally he reached the gate of the master’s house as the sun went down. It was the middle of the second month. No one paid any attention to the shabby traveler.

The anniversary was still several days away and the house was very quiet. Eventually a servant came out.

“Who are you?”

“I came from Gangjin to see the master.”

The message was delivered. In a little while Jeong Hak’yeon stepped down off the maru.

“Do you know me? I’m Sanseok.”

Momentarily Jeong Hak’yeon wore an abstract expression.

“Who have we here? Who can this be? You heartless man.”

The two men had spent the winter of 1805 together in Goseong Temple. They had accompanied Hyejang on a tour of Daedun Temple. Two men in the full vigor of youth. Thirty one years ago. Hwang Sang’s hard life as a farmer had deeply lined his face and given his skin its copper tone. The rough skin of his hands when they were grasped spoke eloquently of that life.

“It’s taken you such a long time. Do you realize how my father has waited for you?”

They stepped into the room where the master’s skeletal frame was lying. He had to be supported in a sitting position to greet his pupil. Overcome with regret, Hwang Sang burst into tears.

Throughout the trip Hwang Sang had wondered what he would say at this moment. In the event words dried up; he could think of nothing to say. Instead he made an awkward formal bow.

“Your disciple bows to you.”

Hwang Sang bowed deeply before the master; his shoulders shook. He couldn’t get up for some time. The master looked at Hwang Sang’s shaking shoulders and spoke from his cavernous, toothless gums. “That’s enough, you can get up now.”

“I should have come earlier. It’s been a long road.”

“You’ve come to show me your face before I die. I’m so glad. I thought about you all the time.”

“I’m so sorry. I’ve been very wrong.”

The master shook Hwang Sang’s rough hands and laughed a toothless laugh. That night master and pupil talked for a long time in low voices. The master’s physical condition was worse than Hwang Sang had heard. He couldn’t sit for very long and had to lie down again. The master followed the conversation for a long time and then lost it. The wick gave that sound when the oil is gone and is burning its last flame. Hwang Sang blew the lamp out. He was filled with a sense of great regret as he listened to the sound of the master’s deep breathing. Hwang Sang and Hak’yeon withdrew quietly from the room. For Dasan, the meeting with the pupil he longed to see perhaps had a traumatic emotional effect. His condition deteriorated rapidly the next day. Even consciousness came and went. His condition was critical. He was so utterly weak, as if a breath of wind could sweep him away. The brothers considered the situation and decided to call off the scheduled feast.

Many messages of congratulation and gifts had already arrived.

Hwang Sang was heavy of heart; he felt the master’s condition was his fault.

“Allow me to brew the master’s medication?”

At daybreak next day Hwang Sang stood over the medication pot.

“Will you do that? Father would be pleased.”

In the space of a night the master was very emaciated. His breathing was labored. The master made an effort to speak.

“I’m sorry for you to see me this way.”

“Father, Hwang Sang prepared the medicine. Take it and get your strength back.”

Dasan nodded weakly. Without being asked, Hwang Sang took the chamber pot from the room and cleaned it. He thought of the days in the sodang in Gangjin when he did this too. Hwang Sang never left his master’s side. It was as if he were trying to make up for all he hadn’t done in the intervening years. translated by Kevin O'Rourke

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Interview

Between the Inside and the Outside Novelist Jung Yi-hyun Cha Mi-ryeong: It is so nice to see you. It’s been 10 years since you made your debut and you continue to publish. When did you first start writing fiction?

that point on, I pondered over the kind of literature I wanted to pursue, and many of my vague worries disappeared. If literature was a concrete, accessible entity, then I had things to say.

Jung Yi-hyun: It’s been 10 years since my literary debut, but I completed my first work of fiction not long before 2002. Several years after I graduated from college, I returned to school and studied creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts. That’s when I started studying literature and writing seriously. Back then I wanted to be a poet.

CM: Your debut work was Romantic Love and Society. I believe you borrowed the title from Jacquie Sarsby’s nonfiction book.

CM: That is surprising. I thought you were a born novelist.

JY: I still believe that poets are born with the poetic gift.

They possess something that I lack. That’s probably why I admired them so much. Something happened in 2000 during my first year at the Seoul Institute that drove a wedge between poetry and me. My professor, the poet Kim Hye-soon, assigned the class to keep an observation journal over the summer break.

We were supposed to observe situations that could be used in poems and describe them in prose. Professor Kim later wrote detailed comments on everyone else’s work, but she returned mine untouched, save a single comment at the end: “You seem much more talented in prose than poetry.” I laugh about it now, but I was quite heartbroken back then.

CM: She is definitely a great teacher who discovered your talent as a novelist for you.

JY: I studied novel writing under the novelist Park Ki-dong. I guess I received more praise for the fiction I submitted than I had for my poems. The title of my first more or less complete story was “Suffering.” Professor Park suggested changing it to “Pain.”

That had a huge impact on me. Until then, my world was one in which there was no distinction or need to distinguish between suffering and pain. I puzzled for a long time over the question: what is the difference between suffering and pain? I still don’t know the answer, but I concluded back then that “Pain” rather than “Suffering,” and “An Apology” rather than “Pain” was a better title for the kind of fiction I wanted to write. Just as life can be felt in a concrete way, shouldn’t fiction be the same? From

JY: In grad school I did some research on the sexual experiences of unmarried women in their 20s. At the time a lot of research on women’s sexuality and the body was being published. My story was a kind of experiment combining social science case studies with literature. Even though it was published 10 years ago, I still meet women in their 20s who express their shock at reading it. I am intrigued that there are still people who find it radical. Since it means that the reality faced by 20something women has hardly changed, I hope that ceases to be the case.

CM: The footnotes in the story create the impression that the narrator is making objective observations from outside the text.

JY: Perhaps because I had only studied social sciences up until then, I thought an author should have an objective point of view. I could not understand why an author had to have empathy for her characters. Now I know that even a camera, even exclusion carries feelings. When I reread Romantic Love and Society, my reaction is complex for a number of reasons. I sense the ambitious enthusiasm of a fledgling writer. That is to say, maybe I would not be able to write that kind of story now.

My thinking continues to become more complicated and I have grown more cautious.

CM: Your first work of fiction Romantic Love and Society comprises stories of women. Was that intentional?

JY: No, I noticed it only after I finished. It probably means that my attention at the time was directed that way without my realizing it. There was a point in my reading of Korean fiction where I became puzzled over why none of it had female list_ Books from Korea

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Interview CM: The reason your novels come across as argumentative is that choice itself becomes a question aimed at the reader. Don’t many of your novels end with what can be perceived as coldhearted choices?

JY: My characters seem to make the most realistic choices possible for them. Of course, I could have given them a chance to reflect on themselves and repent. If they had chosen the good, it would have been morally right but it would have shut out certain possibilities. Some readers ask why my characters don’t make the right choices.

CM: Maybe they are finding fault with not their wrong choices but their lack of a fight?

JY: Why do my characters have to fight that fight?

CM: Then should it be the task of the readers? critic Cha Mi-ryeong and novelist Jung Yi-hyun

JY: I think so. Novels do not enlighten; they merely show.

CM: My Sweet Seoul was your first novel. Many of the readers’ comments note its realism.

characters who reminded me of my own friends. I wanted to write about people whom I knew best, characters who for some reason had been overlooked in literature. I think I re-reflected on my own desire only after my finished product came out. My view on it has since changed, and now I think some characters were robbed of the chance to tell their own hidden stories, as my stories back then showcased women. I was too inattentive to the anonymous minor characters.

CM: I see. The urge to recover stories derived from a certain person can also be detected in “Sampoong Department Store,” which received the Hyundae Literary Award. I can sense in that story the plea to see this person.

JY: When I started off, I believed that writing fiction was to discover the stories that floated around the world. My understanding of fiction began to change because of “Sampoong Department Store.” I cried almost the whole time I was writing that story. After I finished it, it felt like something that had been hardened and embedded in my heart for a long time was softened. I might describe it as a healing kind of writing. That’s when I first realized that the act of novel writing was not just to show something to others but perhaps also to understand and change myself. I hope writing will always make me reflect on myself.

CM: Isn’t shedding light on characters at a crossroads one of the characteristics of your novels?

JY: Isn’t everyone always at a crossroads, even if some of the choices seem very minor and trivial? These small choices contain the essence of each individual’s worldview, though unknown to others. Faced with a choice, ordinary people tend to try as hard as possible to downplay it as trivial rather than fatal or decisive.

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JY: Many people relate to the character Eunsu. They think her story resembles theirs, but Eunsu is actually not a universal character. Isn’t reality a lot drier than fiction? In reality hardly anyone has a boyfriend who is seven years younger and very few single women can afford their own place, making it easy for their boyfriend to come over and spend the night. As a writer, I find it interesting that readers see Eunsu’s story as their own, even though the former contains small elements of fantasy that distinguish it from the harsh reality.

CM: My Sweet Seoul also started the chick lit boom.

JY: I’m not sure about that, as chick lit has a set pattern.

Chick lit always ends with the triumph of a female character; she undergoes a great deal of trouble but in the end she achieves success in both love and career. In that sense, My Sweet Seoul might be anti-chick lit. The story I wanted to tell did not lie within or outside established institutions. Rather, it was about the character—a kind of coming-of-age story that begins with the character at the starting line and ends with her still there.

CM: I just realized that Romantic Love and Society features a college student in the story “Sampoong Department Store,” a recent college grad applying to jobs, and My Sweet Seoul, an office worker.

JY: You’re right. It is important for me as a writer to grow old and feel the changes as an ordinary person. It seems natural that as one’s life changes, so does one’s writing. I always want to write about what intrigues and interests me the most at the moment.

CM: I heard that What You Never Know is in the process of being translated. Do you have any reservations about the translation?

CM: What does family mean to you?

“That’s when I first realized that the act of novel writing was not just to show something to others but perhaps also to understand and change myself.”

JY: Of course I am not completely without reservations.

But fundamentally, I regard the translator as a second author.

It is important to have a creative translation that respects the original work.

CM: The novel involves diverse events against the backdrop of the kidnapping of a young child still in elementary school.

JY: It was a subject that I had researched and wanted to write about for a long time. The initial spark came from my interest in Chinese residents in Korea (hwagyo). Born in Korea, these ethnic Chinese are perceived as Koreans in China and as Chinese in Korea. Then my subject expanded as I developed the questions, “Are hwagyo the only people in this predicament? Isn’t everyone like that?”

CM: If Please Look After Mom is about a missing mother, What You Never Know is about a missing child. What does a child signify in Korean society?

JY: In Korean society, a child might be a concrete symbol of one’s place in the established institutions that can be felt with every fiber of one’s body. Isn’t the obsession and love for children universal rather than Korean? I didn’t have any children when I wrote What You Never Know, but now I have two children. Now that I am a mother, my thinking on my novel about a child has become more complex. If I rewrote it now, it would definitely be more heartbreaking. There would be more bloodshed and a more violent end. The characters’ emotional life would hit rock bottom more in a more devastating way.

JY: Though it is not possible to understand each other completely, something weaves you together. You keep saying, “You don’t know [me]” but in the end your family teaches you, that you don't know them either. Of course this might not apply only to families bound by blood. The concept of family is expanding steadily and therefore not fixed. I am very interested in the relationship between individuals, which has been changing along with changes in family relationships.

CM: You have a new work coming out soon.

JY: Alain de Botton, who is based in Britain, and I, both explored the common keyword “love project” in our novels. It can be summarized in the question: “Doesn’t everyone have a third, fourth, and fifth love?”

CM: Rather than “everyone has a first love?”

JY: It’s a love story not about one’s first or last love but about love and dating. It might be a love story that subtly escapes the fixed patterns of a typical love story. I write a love story set in Seoul, and de Botton tells the story of married couples in London on the theme of love. What’s interesting is that my characters are dating throughout the novel but part ways in the end, whereas the couples in de Botton’s novel are constantly chilly and in conflict but ultimately conclude that they have to stay together and work on their relationship. Maybe that’s the difference between love and marriage.

CM: That is quite interesting. Lastly, do you have anything you want to say to your readers abroad?

JY: I am grateful for their interest in Korean literature. I just hope that it is read more widely. Even though there are many works of Korean literature of a universal nature, it is not easy to publish them abroad. It’s really too bad. I’m eagerly awaiting the day when I can interact freely with readers all over the world.

by Cha Mi-ryeong

1. What You Never Know Jung Yi-hyun, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2009, 496p, ISBN 9788954609647 2. My Sweet Seoul Jung Yi-hyun, Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2008, 442p, ISBN 9788932017150 3. Romantic Love and Society Jung Yi-hyun, Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2003, 251p, ISBN 9788932014487 4. Hyundae Literary Award:

4 1

Sampoong Department Store and Other Stories

Jung Yi-hyun, Hyundaemunhak Publishing Co. 2005, 276p, ISBN 8972753416

2 3

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Excerpt

What You Never Know

by Jung Yi-hyun

The body was discovered on the last Sunday in May. It was the time of day choir members, cloaked in pigeon-gray sack-like gowns, sit in rows in the back yard of the church under the glare of the sun and practice hymns they would sing during second service; the time of day men and women, who met for the first time the previous night, have another round of hot, awkward sex, ignoring throbbing temples caused by their hangovers; the time of day egocentric husbands and fathers, wearing their neighborhood soccer league uniforms, run across middle school playfields, the muscles of their thighs and calves tensing and relaxing.

It was a typical day in early summer, with mostly sunny and clear skies above the Korean peninsula. Feathery clouds drifted by and a gentle wind was blowing from the northeast. The temperature in the greater Seoul area was 24.3 degrees Celsius, with the humidity at 57 percent—a markedly higher temperature than the month’s average. Most people in the world accepted that the temperature of the Earth’s surface was rising at a precipitous speed. Although the forecast for rain over the weekend turned out to be inaccurate, the Korea Meteorological Administration didn’t receive many calls of complaint, perhaps because it was Sunday, when office workers didn’t have to wonder whether to put their folding umbrellas in their work bags.

At ten in the morning on a Sunday, people sleep in and the religious pray and lovers whisper their mutual adoration and some kick around a soccer ball. It wasn’t too surprising that several boys, at an age when they’d just begun having wet dreams, were hanging around the riverbank for no reason, or that a corpse that had been at the bottom of the river, pushed along by the current, happened to float up to the surface.

One of those boys was the first person to discover the drifting body—he stated that, at first, he didn’t realize it was a person.

When the police arrived at the scene, the boy and his two friends, all in the sixth grade, were in a very excited state. The boys, who lived in a nearby apartment complex from which they could see Y Bridge, often hung out under the bridge.

“Something big was f loating over there, far away. I have really good eyesight—almost 20/20. But these guys said it was just a garbage bag somebody must have dumped. They said it was nothing. But I kept thinking it was weird. So I went home and came back ‘cause I’m not the kind that gets scared easily, you know.”

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His family owned a small set of eight-power binoculars. It took him a little over fifteen minutes on his bike to return. He stood in the same place as before, but he didn’t need to bring the binoculars to his eyes, as that suspicious object had been pushed closer to land while he had been gone. With his excellent eyesight, he could clearly discern with his naked eye what the object was.

The boy unconsciously straightened his shoulders and raised himself up on tiptoes. He was a brave boy, but at that moment he didn’t have the presence of mind to remember that he had the binoculars in his hands. He stood there as though he was fixed to the ground until his friends came back a short while later and called his name.

“We biked all the way to the end of the bridge and came back, and he was just standing here like that. I looked to see what he was staring at and it—it—that person’s body—” Only one of them had a cell phone. His parents had bought him the phone when he was about to start the sixth grade. At the time, everyone was worried because an elementary school student had gone missing in Anyang. The boys had a small argument over whether they should call 119, the emergency response number, or 112, to reach the police. The owner of the cell phone suggested that he call his parents first but his friends shot down that idea.

The officers from the local division arrived about ten minutes after they called 112. The team of detectives on duty at Y Police Station also mobilized, and the crime scene technicians with their black identification kits appeared last.

The corpse in the water wa s that of a ma n. He wa s completely naked. As are most corpses discovered in water, his death mark wasn’t visible and his skin was quite distended because of hydrogen sulfide and osmosis. The skin, undergoing saponification, had turned pearly gray, and felt slippery, as if it had been lathered with soap. His palms and the bottoms of his feet were wrinkled, like mulberry paper drenched in rain, and red bloody fluid drooled out of his nose and mouth. All of this hinted at the long time the man had spent underwater. His eyes were firmly closed and his expression was inscrutable. *** [···] Yu-ji was born in the middle of summer, in the kind of heat that made you drip with sweat even when you sat still. Elevenyear-old Hye-seong had been shorter than Yu-ji was now, disliked beans in his rice or tofu in his bean paste stew, and lived in Hwagok-dong with his maternal grandmother, her identical twin sister, and his older sister Eun-seong. Their house, one of many look-alike two-story houses built by the same developer, was nestled in an old alley. His mom came once a week and his father visited once a month to see the children.

That day, Sang-ho drove his car all the way into the alley and parked it right in front of the house. He’d never done that before.

Usually he called five minutes before his arrival so that Hye-seong and his sister could walk out to meet him on the main road. But that day, when Hye-seong, who had been lying on the floor doing his summer vacation assignments, opened the door, Sang-ho was standing on the other side. Hye-seong bowed at a ninety degree angle at his father, whom he was seeing in only two weeks. As if

in a television drama, Sang-ho awkwardly stroked his head. He was wearing a jacket even though it was an extremely hot day.

Hye-seong’s grandmother was flustered at the sudden visit by her former son-in-law, now unrelated to her. Instead of Grandmother, who couldn’t hide her uneasy expression, Great Aunt brought out sweet iced coffee for the guest. Sang-ho sat on the far end of the sofa with his knees pressed together and downed his glass. He didn’t take off his jacket. Great Aunt aimed the fan at the guest’s waist level and made it immobile.

“Eun-seong, your father’s here.”

There was no way she couldn’t have known, but Eun-seong remained burrowed in her room, not making a noise.

“Oh, goodness, she must have fallen asleep. She was yawning earlier,” Great Aunt said, making excuses.

“Oh, it’s okay.” Sang-ho waved his hands. He turned his gaze to the open books on the floor and asked Hye-seong, “How’s school?”

“It’s summer vacation…” Hye-seong’s voice was small, despite his intention otherwise.

Sang-ho said, like a sigh, “Oh, right.”

The person who broke the short but long silence was Grandmother, who was sitting on the floor near the perimeter of the room. “So. Has she delivered?”

“Yes, yesterday.”

The unfamiliar expression of “has she delivered” tickled Hyeseong’s ears like an ill omen. Grandmother wasn’t warm and tended to be terse, but she was also pathologically afraid of being seen as not doing the right thing. Grandmother ordered Hyeseong to go and change his clothes. Nobody told him where he would be going with a new set of clothes on.

He followed his father into his silvery-gray Sonata. It was the first time that he sat in the passenger seat instead of the back seat of that car, and it was the first time he was going somewhere with his father, just the two of them, without his sister. His parents separated around his fourth birthday and completed official divorce proceedings the following year. After that, father and son had seen each other at best a dozen times a year. Hye-seong felt ill at ease around this large man named Father but also worshipped him, and he worshipped him while he felt ill at ease around him. [···] The car crossed the Han River at a speed that was just below dangerous. They were now in a neighborhood that Hye-seong had never been to. A single obstetrics practice was housed in an entire seven-story building. Sang-ho strode across the lobby and Hye-seong followed briskly not to get left behind. [···] A white blanket was covering the woman. She was in an awkward position, as if she had been lying down but had raised her upper body halfway. As he waited outside the door, Hyeseong had summoned a faint image of her—the woman who had joined them for dinner one night a year earlier, around this time.

She wasn’t the kind of beauty that turned heads but her unflashy features gave off a feminine sweetness. The woman’s demeanor that day was as plain and simple as the Pyeongyang-style cold noodles they were eating. She hadn’t bent over backward to get on the siblings’ good side, neither had she gone out of her way to act aloof. It was his father who kept making exaggerated gestures and

downing multiple glasses of soju, and it was his sister who became more and more standoffish and didn’t touch a morsel of meat on the grill even as it began to burn. Instead of his father, who got drunk before he could reveal his relationship with the woman, she was the one who had driven them home. As they parted, she said, “Bye, see you soon,” like a friendly flight attendant.

But the woman in front of him now, whose eyebrows, now that they weren’t made up, seemed to stop in the middle of her brow, showed no hint of the vitality of that first meeting. She was pale and swollen in an ugly way, like overproofed dough. A mere twenty hours before, she had fought labor pains that threatened to shatter her pelvis and had survived; her lower half had been torn apart in her effort to bring into the world a bucket of amniotic fluid and blood and a baby weighing over three kilograms. It was the only time Hye-seong had been that close to a new mother.

“Thanks for coming,” the woman said with a wan smile. He hadn’t noticed it before but when she smiled, two slanted lines appeared on either side of the bridge of her nose. Hye-seong smiled back, not knowing what to say. His father smiled along.

Hye-seong sat in the center of the room on his knees, suffering a surreal dizziness as his toes sweated. The woman asked Sang-ho to bring her some mouthwash. She rinsed her mouth and spat in a shallow basin. Sang-ho told Hye-seong that she couldn’t brush her teeth because her gums were swollen.

“You must be hot, especially since we can’t turn on the air conditioner. You know, new mothers have to be kept warm. Show him the baby,” she said slowly. Father and son left the room and went downstairs using the emergency stairwell. Behind a large glass window, newborns were lying side by side in several rows.

Sang-ho stopped at the middle of the window. There was Yuji, before she was given the name Yu-ji. The swaddled baby was unbelievably small and wrinkly and red. Only a face that had lived a thousand years would look like that. Father tapped the glass lightly with his fist. “Look, it’s your brother. Say hello,” he said, addressing the baby.

The baby didn’t bat an eyelash. Hye-seong awkwardly raised his palm before quickly lowering it. He felt winded, as though a strong force had given him a wallop. The baby wrinkled her nose and burst into tears. A nurse picked her up to soothe her. Hyeseong didn’t cry.

He never wondered why his father brought him there that day. As he grew older, he began to understand that Sang-ho had a mercilessly simple side to him, living his life nonchalantly and doing things that even he himself would be hard pressed to understand. There had been times in the past when Hyeseong wondered how life came to be formed, but he naturally discovered the answer not too long after Yu-ji’s birth. The day he discovered that a baby was conceived as a result of a man putting his penis inside a woman and releasing semen, he quietly went to the bathroom to vomit. translated by Kim Chi-young

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The Place

Jeonju

Hanji Thirteen Ways of Looking at Jeonju Hanji The age-old art of making traditional Korean mulberry paper is alive and well in the southern city of Jeonju.

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The moon rises. All the mountains and streams are bathed in its white light. The moonbeam, thin as a thread, shines down on every part of the yard. Across the yard there’s a little door from which a faint light flows out. It is a paper door made up of a bamboo frame vertically split into thin strips, and white paper.

A sudden cry of birds is heard. Little birds, sitting on the low fence, are soaring into the dark night sky from which snow has stopped falling. The light from the door, shines warmly. Beyond the door, children are waiting for the sound of footsteps to come from across the yard. One, two, three, count the children. When is Mommy coming home? They place their perked up ears to the door. But sound, invisible, is always distant and faint. The children, too afraid of the chill outside to open the door, yet curious as to what the moonlit yard holds, lick their fingers and push the paper door with their fingers, saying, You shouldn’t, you shouldn’t, just a little more, just a little more. The taut paper gives in, unable to resist against the force of a finger, and tears open.

A gust of wind follows the finger into the room. The door cracks open, a finger’s breadth wide.

The paper is a door. The door is paper. So for a long time, we have called this paper “door paper.” The paper door gently opened itself up even at the push of a licked finger, and yet the

sturdy paper door kept both the cold and the heat out all year round. This paper, not too thin and not too thick, not too rough and not too smooth, is Jeonju hanji. Jeonju hanji is like the people of Jeonju—always there yet always new, and taut but smooth.

They’re friendly and inviting, with the inside and outside seemingly exposed, yet sufficient to hide and conceal. When shut, nothing can be seen, but beyond the door there’s someone waiting and lighting up the room. Such is the city of Jeonju. This quiet subtlety of the Jeonju hanji can be found in the hearts of the people of Jeonju.

Jeonju, a city of tradition and culture, is also home to hanji.

This, of course, is thanks to the abundance of mulberry that once grew around the city, as well as the paper artisans who passed their skills down through generations. The city, with a name that means “the perfect province,” was a region with a temperate climate and plentiful products. North Jeolla Province is a beautiful region generally safe from raging storms, blizzards, and severe f loods. Jeonju was the hub of this province for a long period of time. On the edge of this province was a paper mulberry growing district. The “dak,” or mulberry paper, was turned into the Jeonju hanji. Thus hanji was also called “dak paper.” The Jeonju hanji is created through a mixture of trees and list_ Books from Korea

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The Place

Hanok Village, host of the 16th Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival 2012

water, the wind and the sun, human toil and care, and patience.

The process of making hanji, consisting of a number of steps, is a noble process requiring both the efforts of humans and nature.

The rich soil of Jeonju gathers the energy of the universe to grow trees. The felling of mulberry is the beginning of the hanji making process.

Through December and the first 10 days of January every year, the branches of the mulberry trees grown that year are cut off. When the hard external layer of the branches is peeled off, the dark inner part, called black skin, is revealed. The rough black skin is then peeled to garner the smoother white skin. The white skin is steeped in lye for a day or two. Lye is produced by burning rice straw, beanstalk, buckwheat stalk and other ingredients, and brewing the ash. The white skin, steeped in lye, is cut into an appropriate size and boiled in a pot with great care. The boiled white skin is washed in flowing water, and laid out and turned over repeatedly for two or three days to bleach in the sun. As the days pass, the skin comes to take on the form of smooth, flat paper. An even more reverent process begins now. White paper must be sorted out by separating the tiniest speck of dust, and any impurity of spirit, if necessary. This process of picking out the dust is the most time consuming. Water is then squeezed out of the base material, after which the material is laid out on a flat surface such as a rock or a wooden board, and beat evenly for an hour or two to make it easier to loosen up in water. The beaten material is placed in a vat for making paper, and stirred thoroughly with a stick for even dispersion. A sieve-like paper collector is dipped in the vat containing the mixture of base material and mulberry paste, and shaken in every direction to scoop up the pulp. Water is sifted over the sheets of paper so that it will be easy to separate them later on. The single line method, a traditional method, is a process in which the paper collector is hung on a single line. The paper collector is dipped in the water 36 list_ Books from Korea

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to scoop up the slurry at the front and dump it out at the back, and then scooped up on the left or the right and dumped out on the opposite side. Paper is collected through a repetition of this process, and two sheets are overlapped, facing opposite directions, to create one sheet of paper.

A new life is born the moment the body of the mulberry from nature turns into nothing, its flesh and bones and even veins becoming mushy. The process of stirring and mixing this flesh in the water and pouring in the new life, whether it be water or tree, into the vat and sifting it is truly reverent. A paper artisan stands before the vat full of water and pulp, and makes paper.

This is the process that requires the most sensitivity. The artisan takes a paper collector in his hands and dips it in the vat to scoop up water. Water is scooped up at the front and dumped out at the back, and then scooped up on the left and dumped out on the right. The water is dumped and paper is scooped up. Or, the water is released and the paper is salvaged. The fresh, young paper is separated from the water this way. The process is akin to that of taking in one’s arms a baby that has spent a long time in amniotic fluid. The thin paper is stacked with a wooden plank placed over it to carefully squeeze out the water to form sheets of paper. Then the sheets are pounded in order to burnish and strengthen them, to complete the process of paper-making.

This is the Jeonju hanji in its wholeness. The bare face of hanji is smooth, sturdy, fair, and beautiful, fragrant with the smell of the trees and water and sun. Great energy is gathered to create a piece of paper, which contains the universe, a whole world.

Mankind has left its trace on paper, and it would be no exaggeration to say that the advance of culture, in all times and places, began with paper. Hanji has been a messenger of culture.

In this way, hanji has fulfilled its role as one of the four precious things of study, as well as a symbol of status among scholars.

At the same time, hanji was a daily necessity in the life of

opportunities to make Jeonju hanji

Jeonju hanji fashion show

commoners, and thus a vital contributor to the culture of Korea.

The hanji of Jeonju was a lifetime friend to painters and calligraphers of the latter part of the Joseon era such as Chusa Kim Jeonghee, Chang-am Yi Samman, Seokjeon Hwangwook, and Kang-am Song Seongyong. On this paper rose up landscape paintings, paintings of birds and flowers, of birds and beasts, and paintings of marine life. Not only that, but precious records such as the annals of Gyeongijeon and ancient novels were set down on hanji. Jeonju hanji is truly at the center of Korea’s culture, serving as the material for the recording of both the good and bad of the country for centuries.

Jeonju hanji has contributed to more than encouraging the lofty artistic hobbies of the nobility. It was a familiar yet precious daily necessity for commoners since it kept out midsummer heat and the fierce winter wind. A reprobate son was subject to the punishment of domuji, the pasting of layers of hanji on the face. In this way hanji also served as a tool of edification through which the members of a community lived by its standards. In addition, on holidays or anniversaries of the death of ancestors, odes were written on hanji to be read at ceremonies, to console the souls of the dead and to remember them by.

At times, wishes were written on hanji and then burned to send into the sky. The wishes and desires of those who have lived on this land for ages have thus been set down on hanji.

Hanji is the best material to enrich the lives and the art of the people today. The nature of its manufacturing process makes it an environmentally friendly material for architecture. In addition, the beauty and sturdiness of hanji, as well as its capacity to take on various forms and colors, is setting new trends in the fashion industry. Every spring, a festival is held on the theme of hanji. Through this festival, the people of Jeonju present various sophisticated fashion products and handicrafts made of hanji, including jewelry.

That isn’t all. Hanji is already rapidly evolving into material for machine parts, such as filter paper, insulating paper, and condenser paper. The potential for the hanji industry continues to grow in all fields of the industry, such as hanji nano fiber, bio hanji shirts, flexible displays, disposable hanji mobile phones, hanji screens with speaker function, hanji stickers that change according to the ripeness of fruit, and hanji semiconductors.

The white, smooth face of hanji conveys the energy and breath of the universe. It is imbued with the longings and desires of our ancestors who lived on this land, as well as the spirit of art and the joys and sorrows of the people. Jeonju hanji, however, is dreaming of soaring up into a new future.

by Gwak Byeong-chang

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Theme Lounge

The Fight for Human Rights that Impressed the World “When Korean Airlines Flight 002 was out over the Pacific Ocean, a snack was served. As the young flight attendant placed the tray before me, she dropped a postcard in my lap and hurried off without saying a word. I glanced at it, but waited awhile before turning it over to read.

‘Rev. Ogle, Please go in peace. I am a young man. (I will not use my name.) Many of us know that you work for true freedom and democracy in our country. Our hearts cry with you. Your name will be inscribed in history. I believe that things will change and before too long you will be invited to return to Korea to continue your work.

Please stay in good health.’

I began to cry. It was the last of many tear-filled moments that very long day. As the 747 continued towards the U.S., I gradually fell into a deep sleep, the postcard on my lap.”

George E. Ogle, named O Myeong-geol in Korean, is a Methodist minister. Born in a small mining village in

Pitcairn, Pennsylvania in 1929, he was deported from Korea on December 14, 1974, 20 years after he first set foot in the country as a young missionary in September 1954. His crime was for teaching as a professor at a university under a missionary visa, but that was merely an excuse. The real reason for his deportation was for aiding communist union members through the Urban Industrial Mission, a ministry of the church for urban workers; speaking out against the arrest of the eight condemned men involved in the “People’s Revolutionary Party” incident, campaigning for their release and helping their families; and threatening the Park Chunghee military regime by interfering with their efforts to crush

1. More Than Witnesses Ed. Jim Stentzel, Korea Democracy Foundation 2007, 486p, ISBN 9788991057258

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2. Song Geon-ho: A Journalist Turned Warrior Kim Sam-woong, Chaekbose Publishing Ltd. 2011, 404p, ISBN 978899385450

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the labor union movement. At the time Koreans lived in such fear that even in an aircraft thousands of miles in the air, they could not risk talking to a foreign missionary being deported from the country without fear of prosecution. Merely being seen with the wrong person was enough to put their lives and their families in peril.

On April 9, 1975, four months after Reverend Ogle was deported, the anti-communist fanatics of the military dictatorship executed the eight men involved in the People’s Revolutionary Party incident, a complete fabrication on the part of the government, just 20 hours after they were sentenced to the death penalty. Their families were not notified. The International Commission of Jurists later called that day “the darkest day in judiciary history.”

Twenty-seven years later in 2002, the Presidential Truth Commission reopened the case and officially concluded that the condemned men had been tortured to confess crimes they had never committed and that the People’s Revolutionary Party did not exist. In 2007 the District Court of Central Seoul held a new trial and found all eight members of the People’s Revolutionary Party incident to be not guilty.

On April 30, 1975, another foreign dissident was deported: Father Jim Sinnott, who denounced the People’s Revolutionary Party Incident as a fabrication and criticized the Catholic Church for turning a blind eye to the U.S. government’s complicit approval of the Korean military dictatorship’s anticommunist fanaticism.

More Than Witnesses is an unusual book that collects the experiences of 15 foreign missionaries, including Reverend George Ogle, Father Sinnott, and others from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Germany, who fought for democracy in Korea. The stories are compiled by American journalist Jim Stentzel, a member of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan who also reported on the Korean military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s. They also show the events of the Korean democracy movement from an outsider’s point of view. As the translator notes, the recollections of these foreign missionaries show how the democracy and human rights’ movements in Korea had a universal quality that appealed to and touched many people around the world. Not all foreign missionaries took part in the movements, of course: “The majority of missionaries remained silent. Fearful for their jobs, families, and well-being, they also reasoned that, as guests of the South Korean government, they should avoid meddling in domestic politics.”

Others, however, not limited to the 15 in the book, believed that to remain silent about the Korean military dictatorship’s abuse of human rights and democracy and the U.S. government’s tacit endorsement of such atrocities was to betray their Christian beliefs. At great personal risk, these missionaries formed the Monday Night Group, an international support network that aided Koreans fighting the military dictatorship’s oppressive regime. They were the allies and contact network of the Korean underground antigovernment movement, the collectors and disseminators of classified information on crimes against democracy and human rights in Korea, and the last people that Korean activists in mortal danger could trust with their lives.

In May 1975, about a month after the eight men were executed, the military dictator Park Chung-hee enacted the Emergency Presidential Act No.9. The 9th Emergency Presidential Act was truly a law above the law designed to punish anyone who criticized the Yushin Constitution, the bastion of the oppressive regime, or indeed anyone who dared to criticize Act No.9 itself.

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3. History of the Korean Democracy Movement (3 vols.)

Korea Democracy Foundation, Dolbegae Publishers 2010, 687p, ISBN 9788971993248 (Vol. 1)

6. June Democracy Movement Seo Joong-seok, Dolbegae Publishers 2011, 704p, ISBN 9788971994436

4. Time According to Historians Kang Man-gil, Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2010, 679p, ISBN 9788936471880

7. Sixty Years of Modern Korean History:

5. Country of the Rulers, Country of the People Seo Joong-seok, Dolbegae Publishers 2010, 430p, ISBN 9788971993910

1945~2005

Seo Joong-seok, Yuksa Bipyungsa 2007, 246p, ISBN 8976965264

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Theme Lounge

Just a year before, in 1974, the movement to get one million signatures calling for the revision of the Yushin Constitution resulted in the enactment of Emergency Presidential Acts No.1 and No.2. The military dictatorship then fabricated the National Democratic Youth and Student Alliances intended to condemn student activists as leftist communist North Korean sympathizers and punish them en masse. Approximately a thousand university students, professors, intellectuals, and foreign journalists were incriminated, out of which approximately 180 were arrested, convicted, and tried in an emergency military court. The military dictatorship set up 23 civilians as ringleaders of a non-existent leftist group they called the National Democratic Youth and Student Alliances.

And thus the People’s Revolutionary Party incident was born.

Four months after the incident, Mun Se-gwang a Japaneseborn Korean, attempted to assassinate Park Chung-hee at the Independence Day celebrations of August 15th, but missed and killed the First Lady Yuk Yeong-su instead.

This politically troubled era saw journalists from the Dong-A Ilbo and the Chosun Ilbo rise against the government’s orders to keep any anti-authoritarian activity out of the eye of the public, resulting in the military dictatorship forbidding companies to advertise with the Dong-A Ilbo. The paper went ahead and went to press with its advertising sections blank.

When the citizens of Korea rallied to fill the advertising sections with their own money, the military dictatorship pressured the owner of the paper to fire over a hundred of its journalists. Dozens were fired from the Chosun Ilbo as well. The events of the time can be perused in detail in Song Geon-ho: A Journalist Turned Warrior.

In the previous year of 1973, the leader of the democratic opposition Kim Dae-jung narrowly escaped assassination when

he was abducted from a Tokyo hotel room by KCIA agents, a direct consequence of the Yushin Constitution that was enacted the year before in 1972. The Yushin Constitution was an all-purpose tool to punish any kind of criticism or dissent regarding the newly enacted constitution that was designed to make Park Chung-hee the permanent ruler of Korea. The year before, in 1971, Park had barely managed to secure victory against his opponent Kim Dae-jung, even with all the armed forces at his disposal. History of the Korean Democracy Movement, Volumes 1 to 3 is a summary of the entire history of Korean democratization from Park Chung-hee’s amendment of the constitution in 1969 to allow himself to run for president for three consecutive terms (the former constitution only allowed two consecutive terms), going all the way back to the establishment of the South and North Korean governments in 1948. The decades-long democratic movement in Korea is also notable in that students were central to the process.

Professor Seo Joong-seok’s Sixty Years of Modern Korean History: 1945~2005 and Country of the Rulers, Country of the People are both accounts of modern Korean history written from the perspective of the democracy movement, and his June Democracy Movement is a comprehensive analysis of the nationwide democracy movement of 1987 that forced the ruling government to hold elections and institute other democratic reforms that became the basis of Korean democracy today.

Time According to Historians is the autobiography of Professor Kang Man-gil, a man who established the idea of viewing the state of division in Korea as a system. It provides another point of view on the history of the Korean democracy movement.

A great deal of other memoirs and biographies of leaders of the Korean democracy movement have been published lately,

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8. Ever So Thankful Oh Doyeob, Humanitas 2008, 332p, ISBN 9788990106728 9. A Single Spark: The Biography of Chun Tae-il Cho Young-rae, Chun Tae-il Memorial Foundation 2009, 340p, ISBN 9788996187424

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such as those of the Reverend Moon Ik-hwan, Reverend Moon Dong-hwan, and Reverend Park Hyung-kyu, Professors Paik Nak-chung and Lee Moon-young, attorneys Hahn Seung-hun, Paik Ki-whan, Jung Kyung-mo, Kim Jung-nam, and Kim Ja-dong, the surviving of which are now elder statesmen.

In 1970, two years before Park Chung-hee enacted the Yushin Constitution, factory worker Chun Tae-il committed suicide by setting fire to himself in protest of inhumane working hours and unfair pay. His shocking suicide changed the course of not just the history of labor relations in Korea but modern Korean history as a whole, shaking the beliefs of workers and intellectuals to the very core. Since then A Single Spark: The Biography of Chun Tae-il written by attorney Cho Young-rae, himself a victim of the National Democratic Youth and Student Alliances incident, has become a classic among activists. A good companion to the book is Ever So Thankful, a collection of transcriptions taken from Chun Tae-il’s mother Lee Soseon, who became a labor activist herself after the death of her son.

Kim Jin-suk is among those whose lives were changed forever after reading the biography of Chun Tae-il. In turn she too changed the face of Korean labor activism. Born in 1960, Kim Jin-suk recollects how she felt when she read the biography in her memoir Salt Flowers: “Tears rolled down my face as I felt, for the first time, truly ashamed of myself. I cried like the creek in Mt. Jiri overflows, not because I felt anyone would condemn me but because I felt so ashamed of myself….

I no longer felt ashamed of the fact that I was like [the factory workers]. For the first time I felt in my heart that I was one of them, that I had to change before they would change, that their country was my country, that humanity was a noble gift.”

Kim Jin-suk’s one-woman protest on top of a crane in the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries for over 300 days in 2011, demanding that the company rehire workers laid off unfairly, inspired the Bus of Hope movement that mobilized tens of thousands of citizens to turn out in support of her protest.

Born to a poor family on Ganghwa Island, Kim ran away from home as a teenager and also attempted suicide. She sold ice cream on Haeundae Beach, delivered papers and milk, and worked as a traveling salesperson selling shampoo, dish soap, and water coolers. At the age of 18 she went to work at a bag factory. She then had a job as a bus attendant on the 122 bus from Chungmuro, Busan, to Gimhae, where she was “stripped naked, and searched all over down to the inside of [her] anus” in a demeaning physical exam. In her next job as the only female welder at Daehan Shipbuilding Corporation she was fired, began protesting, for which she was tortured, beaten, convicted a wanted fugitive for five years, and imprisoned twice. The salt f lowers of her memoir refers to the dried sweat that clings to the clothing of welders, who work under inhumane conditions throughout the year. I, a Woman Worker, Volumes 1 and 2 is another collection of first-person accounts given by women workers who fought for unionization and fair pay for temporary employees in Korea from the 1970s onwards.

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10. I, a Woman Worker (2 vols.)

Ed. You Kyung-soon, Greenbee Publishing Company

2011, 512p, ISBN 9788976827517 (Vol. 1) 11. Salt Flowers

Kim Jin-suk, Humanitas

2007, 282p, ISBN 9788990106384

by Han Sung-dong

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Reviews Fiction

Religion Is the Final Destination A Wanderer Jung Chan, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2012, 344p, ISBN 9788954617284

In A Wanderer, two time zones co-exist.

One is the period of the Crusades and the other is the present. Author Jung Chan refers to these two different times zones as the hour of reincarnation. Here, reincarnation is not a religious concept but is instead a secret part of our lives.

What this means is that our present-day life is separated into two components.

That is, life from a different space and different time era is one’s former life; it indicates that from a historical point of view an independent life of its own is altogether impossible. In other words, we are connected in some way or other to the continuity of history and are linked to lives in a different dimension.

Therefore, if there is a horrific event happening in Iran, for example, that too is part of one’s life.

Ju n g C h a n h a s r e c r e a t e d t h e fictitious life of Jesus in a number of his novels. For Chan, religion is not an object of blind faith but a driving force to search for the existential essence of life. That is the reason why readers will encounter Islam and shamanism in addition to Christianity in his books.

Religion is the final destination for those with fundamental questions about life.

The questions will be the same no matter what religion it is. Why is life so painful?

What is the true purpose of pain in life?

That is the reason why the protagonist of A Wanderer is headed

to the Middle East, a place of intense conflict. There, he witnesses a massacre of a n entire fa mily a nd numerous amputations. However, when his mother appears, a more serious war takes place deep inside himself; that his mother shows up signifies a contradiction. A mother is someone who is there for you, no matter what, and so it is contradictory to say that she appeared. But for the protagonist, his mother is someone who suddenly came from nowhere. His father had told him that she passed away long ago; for Chan, his mother had been a non-existent person.

A f ter his mother shows up, she confesses that she had no choice but to leave him because she had become possessed and became a shaman, and therefore could no longer be a mother.

At this point the protagonist begins to ask questions about life. His mother, a shaman, and his ha lf-sister, who also became a shaman, shake his very foundation to its core.

In addition to meeting his shaman mother, the protagonist encounters a man who professes to have known him in their previous lives. This man tells him that they had been a priest and a scribe in Egypt long ago during the Crusades. The stories of past lives is something he finds hard to believe but equally difficult to dismiss; this compels him to acknowledge his mother, which

leads him to pose questions having to do with shamanism. For example, meeting Ibrahim in this life could be a kind of a miracle or some kind of a sign. It is entirely up to him whether to view it as a transcendental occurrence or embrace it as a mystery of life. It is also up to the reader to decide which one it is.

A s Cha n notes, it is only a f ter we have departed from a boundary prescribed in the present life and begin reflecting on history and the world that we become wanderers. Here, that which we viewed as a place of permanence is only a part of life, and when we comprehend what that entails, then we will be able to see the shallowness of life. Perhaps here lies the reason why the author called Jesus a wanderer, in that he tried his utmost to understand the mystery of life. Meanwhile, isn’t a novel like a religion or an icon through which one can exhaustively study life? In a world where vapid fiction runs rampant, Jung Chan’s novel is a weighty and meaningful read. For the author, a novel is not a simple description of life but a meditation on life.

by Kang Yu-jung

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Reviews Fiction

Does Love Conquer All? All About My Romance Lee Eung-jun, Miumsa Publishing Group 2012, 340p, ISBN 9788937484384

All About My Romance by Lee Eung-jun is a novel about a unique secret romance between two politicians on opposite sides of the political spectrum. The romance b e t we en a n a s s embly m a n f rom t he conservative political party and a member of the progressive party draws from the political circumstances in Korea yet also offers insight into the universal nature of love. Assemblyman Kim Su-young of the New Korea Party and Assemblywoman Oh So-young, leader of the Progressive Labor Party, start their ill-fated relationship during a clash between the ruling and opposition parties vis-à-vis the illegal passing of a media law; in the course of resolving the conflict, the two fall in love.

In light of the political reality in Korea where compromise and dialogue between opposing camps is completely unheard of, their romance comes off as an impossible f luke. Accordingly, their relationship is portrayed as something like an illicit affair. However, considering that the very act of falling in and out of love itself could

We Are Not Alone Wonder Boy Kim Yeon-su, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2012, 312p, ISBN 9788954617482

Wonder Boy by Kim Yeon-su is a comingof-age story about a lonely boy. Jeonghun is a 15-year old who lives with his father but becomes an orphan after his father is killed in an auto accident. The novel begins with Jeong-hun regaining consciousness a week after the accident.

Losing his father, his sole kin, also signifies that the boy’s only connection to the world has been severed. However he also gains a special ability to read other people’s minds. Colonel Kwon, who assumes the role of Jeong-hun’s father, wants to take advantage of the boy’s special skill in order to ferret out North Korean spies or to read the minds of those being tortured in the interrogation room. But Jeong-hun finally manages to escape him. While reading personal notes his birth father left behind, and getting a hold of letters his mother who defected to North Korea had written 44 list_ Books from Korea

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to his father, the orphaned Jeong-hun finds out in the end that “we are all connected to each other,” which helps him mature.

This novel can be read as the story of a boy who loses his father and searches for his mother; but throughout the novel, the author also tells the tragedies of Korean society in the 1970s and 1980s. As he does in many of his other novels, Kim deftly interweaves personal sorrow with sociopolitical hardship in the author’s typically humorous and lyrical writing style. Kim seems to attribute the past tragedies in Korean society to the inability of people to empathize with the pain of others, as exemplified with his story about the loneliness and sorrow of the “wonder boy.”

If it is the domain of literature to make readers witness the individual psyche intersect with historical events, then Kim Yeon-su’s novels, especially Wonder Boy, are exemplary.

by Cho Yeon-jung

be a common mistake, the relationship itself is not particularly special. The author does not distinguish the two characters’ relationship as noble, but rather, portrays it somewhat humorously, outright mocking the political condition in Korea as well as exploring the nature of love.

The underlying intention of this novel, however, is not to subtly criticize the state of political affairs in Korea or cheerfully point out the triteness of love. In All About My Romance, what stands out is not a popular precept of love or romance but the conventional formula of a love story.

When innocent people are victimized and the daughter of her dead sister faces danger because of their relationship, Oh gives up love and politics altogether. Kim, who is at a loss at what to do, regards this love that began by chance as fate, and is saddened by its failure. The relationship, which started out playfully, develops more sincerely in the latter half of the novel.

The core message is that love becomes invincible only after much hardship.

by Cho Yeon-jung

Spotlight on Fiction

Banner* A story by Ha Seong-nan

* Ha Seong-nan, from The Woman Next Door Changbi Publishers, Inc., 2005

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Banner

1 The power went out at ten past midnight this morning.

While people were asleep, all the electronic home appliances stopped working. The children who woke up were peevish; they missed the hum of the refrigerator and the whir of the fan, sounds as comforting to them as a lullaby. Housewives who opened the refrigerator in the morning found blood dripping from the pork in the freezer, the meat a dark red.

The Popsicles had melted, leaving wrappers full of soft mush pooled around the sticks, and the marinated spinach gave off a sour smell. It gets so humid in July that food goes bad in no time. Everyone was calling the 123 hotline.

Even up to the early ’80s, power failures were very common. Students cramming for their exams would have had to study by candlelight and sometimes, these candles caused fires. Since 1997, though, all this has become history.

This particular power failure wasn’t that extensive. The affected area was limited to Kwangmyǒng Complex D and Rose Towers 1, 2, and 3. It could have been a worn-out line or even a bird on a high-voltage line. Birds perching on high46 list_ Books from Korea

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voltage lines are safe as long as they don’t touch anything else. But if they nod off and touch another line, zap!

I looked at my map and checked the utility pole in question: No.021/8619E. I stepped into the alley with the poles marked 8619E. The alley went down a steep hill with a sixteen-metre-tall pole every fifty metres. The sun was hanging over the vents on the roof of Kwangmyǒng Complex A. Not yet ten and it was already sizzling.

Before I knew it, I was at the bottom of the hill. Behind me were the eight concrete utility poles whose number tags I’d been busy reading on my way down. I’d developed a habit of calculating distance by the number of utility poles I passed. Three hundred fifty metres later, I was finally in front of No.021.

I had worked in Kyǒng gi Province before t hey transferred me here. Back there, not a day went by without a power failure. The cause? Magpies. They sometimes built their nests on top of the transformers and came in contact with the line, or a porcelain insulator had broken off. Maybe to magpies, utility poles looked like oak trees, sturdy enough to hold nests that would last a lifetime. So not only did I

replace transformers and repair lines, but I also had to move the nests into trees. But where would you find magpies here in the city? City children would never see a magpie except in a picture book about birds.

Climbing utility poles was a piece of cake. At the technical high school, they called me “Monkey Boy.” There were fifty practice poles rigged up on the school grounds and we had to go up and down them all. I set the speed record.

I strapped on my leather tool belt crammed with gear and was about to start climbing when I stepped on something spongy. It was a pair of black leather dress shoes filled with water. They weren’t left behind by a drunk.

Although the spines were crushed in and the heels were worn, they were placed neatly side by side, as if someone had removed them at the front door. I felt a drop of water. I looked up. Was it starting to rain again? It had been raining on and off until it had stopped earlier this morning. From the first peg two metres above the ground, a wet suit jacket hung, water dripping from its hem. It was the same guy who left had the shoes there.

The metal pegs zigzagged up the pole, my gaze locking onto each peg as I climbed. The dark street lamp loomed above, staring down at me like the Cyclops. Two pegs above the suit jacket, on the other side of the pole, hung a damp pair of men’s trousers. And on the next peg, a white dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up was flapping in the wind.

The breeze must have dried it out during the night. Above that hung a sweat-stained undershirt and looped around the next peg was a necktie, still knotted. Next, I met a pair of socks swaying back and forth in front of my face like a pair of tired balloons. I tilted my head back and looked at the very top of the pole to see a pair of men’s briefs, dense black pinstripes on white, streaming like a banner in the southeasterly wind.

The man had taken off his shoes, hung his suit, then removed the remainder of his clothes one by one as he made his way up the pole, shedding even his briefs to hang at the top. He would have been a sight to see, sitting atop the

pole without a stitch of clothing; his naked form must have resembled that of Adam, the first man. Like birds sitting on high-voltage lines, he would have been tense, making absolutely sure he didn’t touch another line. This is not something a drunk would attempt. Besides, the first foot peg was nailed far above my head and I’m pretty tall for a man. I bet he was sober. It crossed my mind that maybe he was from a technical school, too.

I climbed past two transformers and the street lamp, and from that point, I was looking down at the long stretch of the 6600-volt line. I loosened my tool belt and strapped myself to the pole. I had once seen my seniors reconnecting a line. They had repaired the line without shutting off the power. There was a running joke that some of them could make electricity dance between their thumb and forefinger.

This time, luckily, the transformer hadn’t burned out. It must have been the metal buckle from the man’s belt. The wind must have brought it in contact with both lines. The metal buckle must have tripped the automatic shut-off function when it touched the lines.

There was no one around. I heard music from a pump organ and children singing; maybe there was an elementary school nearby. When I reached the top of the pole, I saw the street I’d walked down. I could even see the playground of an elementary school, hidden until now by a wall. Little kids in sky blue gym suits were doing sprints in time to a whistle.

I leaned back in my harness, set my feet against the pole and gazed down at the scene sixteen metres below. Everything that had been three-dimensional from ground level was now clearly spread out like a vast blueprint. I shielded my eyes, bringing far away scenes into focus. In an apartment building across the street, a fifth-floor window opened and a girl with long hair looked out. Our eyes met. Flustered, she disappeared and the window banged shut. The organ wheezed every time it hit a G. The children sang, or rather screeched, at the top of their lungs. With a fingertip, I picked the fluttering pair of briefs from the pole. On my way down, I deactivated the shut-off. The man’s clothes that I had removed on my way up littered the ground. list_ Books from Korea

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The inside pocket of the suit jacket contained a small address book that looked like a business organizer. I searched his pockets, but the wallet was gone; someone must have taken it. The rain had soaked through the lining and left the organizer with yellow splotches, making it look like an antique world map. The dates were arranged in a grid, and the boxes were filled with miniscule handwriting.

I had trouble making it all out because the ink had run.

One thing was clear, though—he led a busy life. Three whole pages were crammed with names, dates of birthdays and wedding anniversaries. The next section was left blank.

He had then used the remaining pages for what seemed to be a diary. The wet pages clung together. I did my best to separate them, but they ended up torn instead. I eased myself against the pole and read, skipping the parts that were difficult to make out. From time to time, I would tilt my head back and glance up at the top of the pole.

Having shed his skin, where could the man inside have gone?

2 April 3 On the roof of a building, an enormous billboard stands on two steel columns. “Heaven on Earth. Escape to Hawaii.” A Hawaiian maiden smiles down at the street. She wears a floral print bikini and a string of flowers around her neck—a lei, they call it. Stretching out behind her is the Pacific Ocean, its dazzling colour changing with the light shining on the coral reef. Young men with sun-browned bodies ride surf boards, balanced precariously on waves.

Completing the picture are coconut trees crowned with clusters of coconuts. I could almost taste them.

The bus moved in fits and starts. I stood clutching a plastic strap overhead and looked out the window, up at the billboard. Wedged in between the rear-ends of the people behind me was my right hand. In that hand was a briefcase, and in the briefcase was a bunch of catalogues with business cards stapled to the covers, along with some nicely packaged 48 list_ Books from Korea

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gum and candy. It had been a while since my arm had gone numb.

Every time the driver slammed on the brakes, the women shrieked. Every time the bus tilted way over, the breasts of the woman standing behind me rubbed against my back.

Every time we came to a bus stop, I found myself pushed farther back by the swell of the new arrivals, and every time a body blocked my view out the window, I craned my neck to see. The next stop was announced. Someone rushed for the door, bumped my head, and knocked my glasses loose.

They hung crookedly from my nose, but I didn’t mind.

It is always congested there and I’ve looked up at the billboard every single day for the past two years. The advertisement was one travel agency’s ploy to entice tourists to Hawaii. Two years of direct exposure to the sun and the exhaust fumes from all those cars stuck in traffic have turned the colours of the ad. The paint is peeling and even the lei around the girl’s neck has lost its luster. But her smile remains the same, just as it was two years ago when I first saw her. Since then, I’ve been looking up at her, whether I'm hunched up like a turtle in my down parka, peering over steamed up glasses, or in the rainy season, oblivious to the rainwater trailing down from my umbrella on to my shoes.

One day, that girl started to smile at me.

April 29 The third dealership of Chrysler Korea is located at a busy downtown corner. The sides facing the two main streets are each fitted with an enormous pane of glass from floor to ceiling. It’s only when you get closer that you see a little “Entrance” sign on the automatic sliding doors. It’s like a blemish on the glass. From sunrise to sunset, light spills directly in through the glass. As I waited for the crosswalk signal to turn green, I looked across to where I work. The dealership looked just like a greenhouse.

Whenever I sit in my office, I can’t help but make eye contact with the people walking by on the street. There is a cluster of buildings nearby: City Hall, two department stores, bus terminal, and banks. In the office, you can’t

even perform ordinary acts such as blowing your nose or tightening your belt to keep your pants from falling down without someone noticing. You never know when someone’s glance might wander in. The entire setup—the desks, chairs, every last f lower pot—revolves around the cars on display, not the people who work here. What kind of amenities come to mind when you think of a regular office?

Well, you won’t find them here. For example, not even a picture hangs on the wall. You don’t want people looking at it instead of the cars.

I polished the glass until it was time for the morning pep talk. A day didn’t pass without the glass getting dusty and smudged. In the three years here, I have mastered the art of cleaning windows. But I still don’t know what it takes to be a top-notch salesman. What I know is that if you moisten some newspaper, wipe the glass, then remove the remaining moisture with a cloth, the glass becomes so clear that a bird is likely to crash into it. The display window is as big as the screen at the Taehan or Piccadilly. High up on the window is “The World Chooses—Chrysler” written in fancy swirls.

During the night, someone had thrown up outside.

There’s a backstreet right around the corner full of bars with the lights down low and names like “The Red Rose,” “Casablanca,” “Ruby,” and “Winter Wanderer.” It must have been someone from one of those places, trying to catch a taxi. The vomit was splattered all over the bottom of the display window. I filled a watering can, sprinkled water onto the glass and carefully wiped away every last trace.

Inside the show room, there is a luxury sedan waxed to a brilliant luster. It’s set up on a round platform and there’s a device underneath it that makes it turn around and around all day long. The effect is amazing. Car buyers can’t take their eyes off it, at least until it goes all the way around.

With the money you’d need to buy the car, you could buy yourself a small apartment on the outskirts of Seoul. I’ve been here three whole years and I still haven’t sold that Chrysler.

Maybe my luck will change today.

May 3 Sometimes there’s no one here, not even Miss Kim the receptionist. Then I’m the one who watches the office.

When that happens, I like to get up on the platform and climb into the driver’s seat. The seats still have their plastic covers. The genuine leather seats have that new-car smell and the gear stick responds smoothly to my touch. The wooden knob is the size of an egg and it fits perfectly in my hand. You can even see its oak grain. I know every single word in the brochure for this luxury sedan. If you’re going to sell a product, you have to know everything there is to know about it. When there’s no one else around, I’ll chant the phrases of the advertisement. “The ultimate high-speed driving experience—feel yourself become one with the road.” Plus, there is a gyroscope half-set into the dashboard.

When the car is in motion, this round object is constantly turning. The ride is so smooth that you can almost feel the earth go around. Cream-coloured airbags, front and side, for both driver and passenger. In my mind, those airbags have gone off over a hundred times.

The morning meeting began before I finished polishing the glass. Each day begins with this twenty-minute pep talk. This is the one time of day when all forty or more salesmen are together in one place. After that, everybody’s day ends at a different time. At the pep talk they all stand in lines, dressed to kill. This “meeting” is all for show, for other eyes only. For example, the average height of our forty plus salesmen is 178.6 centimetres and the women who are hurrying off to work at City Hall or the department store are sure to steal glances. I rushed into the meeting and stood in the very last line.

Just before we hit the floor, we gathered in the lounge out back. This “lounge” consists of two benches in the empty space outside the men’s bathroom. Things you can’t find in the rest of the dealership are all here, such as ashtrays and wastebaskets. You can have a smoke, learn the latest way to knot your tie, or drink coffee out of paper cups from a machine. What I do is fix my tie in the latest style and put some mousse in my hair. While I do this, I get to hear list_ Books from Korea

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stories of getting kicked out of a building by the security, slipping in flyers under the windshield wipers of cars in an underground parking lot and then running into a salesman from another company coming from the opposite direction who’s been doing the exact same thing…

May 11 I recognized her right away.

I’ve always worked Sundays. We’re all supposed to take turns, but when their Sunday comes around, they always manage to weasel their way out. The usual? Weddings or funerals. I’ve covered for them a couple of times, and now, they just take it for granted. Not that I have a family or girlfriend to spend my Sundays with, anyway. And it’s not a complete loss when I’m the only salesman on Sunday, because everyone who comes in is my customer. Once I even sold two cars, even though they were compacts. My commission was pretty good, not a whole lot, but still pretty good. I raised the metal screens that covered the twelve hundred-square-foot dealership and went inside. I flipped the switch for the platform and spent the rest of the time polishing the glass. The morning flew by before I was even half done.

I had my nose to the glass, using my breath and fingernails on a particularly tough spot when I saw the hazy reflection of a woman. Her car was parked on the street outside the display window and she was gazing at the car on the revolving platform as if in a trance. I hurried into my office, rolled down my sleeves and put on my suit jacket. We’d been instructed to dress neatly to keep up the reputation of Chrysler. The woman had on cat-eye sunglasses that looked really good on her oval face. In her arms was a Maltese sporting a red bow. She drew closer to the display window and peered in at the car. Her nose was so close to the window that the glass fogged up. She kept nibbling her bottom lip, seemingly unable to decide whether to come in or not. She took a step towards the entrance and the doors slid open. She took a step back and the doors slid shut. I shuffled some papers and tried to look busy at 50 list_ Books from Korea

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my desk. The doors kept opening and closing. Finally, she came in. She had a way of walking: only her hips moved, while everything above seemed to hover motionless, a vision floating on air. Her face was very familiar. She removed her sunglasses.

“Hello, may I help you?”

My voice, resonating with confidence, sounded good even to my own ears. I picked up that little trick, listening to the other salesmen speak in their deep, polished tones. I may not be a top-notch salesman, but I do know the basics. The most important thing a salesman needs is a good memory, hands down. Before I knew what I was doing, I pointed at her.

“Heaven on earth, escape to Hawaii? That’s you, right?”

I was so excited I was practically shouting. That’s who she was—the Hawaiian maiden on the billboard. There was no way I wouldn’t recognize a face I stared at for a good ten minutes every single day when my bus was stuck in traffic.

I was seriously about to faint. Faith can move mountains, as they say. She must have taken pity on me for gazing at her every day and decided to honour me with a visit. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but that’s what I was thinking.

“So someone actually recognizes me. And I’m not even famous.” The woman smiled sheepishly.

It was her in the f lesh—the Hawaiian maiden. But unlike the brown-skinned model on the billboard, the woman before me was fair. I had imagined someone short and plump, but she was my height, and she was so thin that her cheekbones stuck out. The billboard guy had painted a plumper version than the real thing. She gave me a cheerful smile, just as she had from the billboard. She moved closer to the car and stroked the gentle curve of the hood.

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” she spoke softly, as if to herself.

“Would you care to sit behind the wheel?”

She hesitated a moment, then handed me her dog and climbed in. The car continued to rotate, with the woman at the wheel. She pressed every single button on the dashboard.

The windows went up and down, the driver’s seat went back and forth. Each time the car came back around, I could see

her examining every single feature.

“So, what’s Hawaii like? Is it really heaven on earth?”

“There were too many people. A pickpocket stole all my money,” she answered breezily as she turned the steering wheel.

She opened the mini fridge in the backseat and even pulled out the ashtray with the banana plant engraved on it. Meanwhile, her dog drooled all over my tie. I sensed that she wasn’t going to buy the car. From my three years of experience, I’d learned enough to tell the difference between someone who was serious about buying and someone who wasn’t. We called it “getting the vibe.” I wasn’t getting the vibe from the woman. Or was I wrong?

“I’ll think about it.”

She took her dog back and stepped out of the dealership.

Even after she had gone outside, she peered into the display window a couple of times. She went to her car parked on the street. It was a Le Mans GTI, a model discontinued in 1995.

The car accelerated out of sight.

May 26 I was outside polishing the display window, but I think the manager had been watching me from behind for a while.

Before stepping into the dealership, he said, “Being good at cleaning windows isn’t everything, you know.” I made a note to myself.

May 28 I saw her again today.

I got off at Seoul station and took a cab to the Hilton.

The Namsan Loop was filled with couples taking romantic walks. The young taxi driver kept crossing the median line because he was glancing out the window so much. Thinking of using the men’s room before I went up to the eleventh floor, I wandered around looking for the bathroom and ended up going all the way down to the basement floor.

Lighting from a stage escaped through the crack of an open door and illuminated the wall in front of me. A poster announcing “Yi Kangja Fall/Winter Collection” hung in

the lobby of the Crystal Ballroom, a spacious concert hall.

The ticket table was deserted. The fashion show seemed to have started a while ago. Standing by the door, I glanced into the ballroom. Positioned around the room were round tables draped in white tablecloths that people dined at while watching the show. Under the brilliance of the stage lights, models were walking out in time to the music. At the very front of the T-shaped catwalk the models paused, struck a pose, turned around, and walked back. They were all wearing dark eye shadow, similar to the kind of makeup a flashy singer named Kimera had worn—was it ten years ago she had come to Korea? The fall line ended and winter wear appeared, displaying leather and fur. She had on heavy eye makeup, but this time, too, I recognized her right away.

She was wearing a silver fox fur coat that came down to her ankles. I recalled what a customer had once told me. If a fox suffers a lot of stress, the fur loses its sheen. That’s why they electrocute foxes; they have to be killed in a way that doesn’t damage the pelt. Under the blue stage lights in the silver fox coat, she was mesmerizing. I asked a staff member standing near me what her name was. Her name was Yi Minjae.

“You mean you don’t know her? She’s a top model these days.”

When I got to the eleventh floor, I was an hour late. I pressed the buzzer to Room 1105. The door didn’t open.

I tried the handle, but it was locked. It seemed that the middle-aged woman who had introduced herself as Mrs. Han had gotten tired of waiting and gone home. When I thought hard, I vaguely recalled her mentioning that her husband was supposed to come back from the States either yesterday or the day after. She had made me promise many times not to be late. I had lost my chance to sell the car on the revolving platform.

June 3 I walked the distance of five or more blocks. It’s already been days since I planned on replacing the soles of my shoes, but I still haven’t been able to go to a repair shop. For the last three years, I’ve bought more shoes than I’ve sold cars. list_ Books from Korea

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In an underground parking lot, I had been slipping in flyers stapled with my business cards under windshield wipers and I was just starting to come up to ground level when my cell phone rang. It was Sanghyǒk.

“Man, it’s been a long time. You remember me, right?

You know, pimples, the one who always got caught by the student head and got his head shaved into a cross shape with a hair clipper? Yeah, I guess only an idiot wouldn’t remember me. I managed to get your number from Sǒngjin.”

Sanghyǒk said that he was getting married the day after tomorrow. Good-natured threats spewed from the phone.

It’d be a statutory holiday that day so I’d better have a very special excuse if I planned on not showing, that if I weren’t there, it was over between us. It was only after I hung up that I realized I hadn’t seen Sanghyǒk for over ten years.

It seemed that I had last seen Sanghyǒk at our high school graduation, but I couldn’t recall his features. As if there wasn’t more than one kid with bad skin and bad haircuts.

So this is how I ended up going to Sanghyǒk’s wedding.

Without even sticking around for the wedding pictures, we started drinking. The drinking continued even after the bride and groom left for the airport.

“Hey, Sǒngjin, long time no see. Haven’t seen you since last year.”

It seemed like Sǒngjin had been keeping in touch with our high school friends. A chunky man came and squeezed in next to me. I was watching the wall TV in the bar. It was playing the music video Thriller; Michael Jackson, made up like a zombie, was dancing with other zombies and prowling the night streets. I tried to sing along, but couldn’t remember the lyrics. Suddenly, Chunky smacked me in the back of the head.

“You retarded or what?”

The glass I had been holding tipped over and I ended up spilling beer on my crotch. Feeling my head, I looked up at Chunky, but just like Sanghyǒk’s face, I didn’t recognize him.

“I got fat, so that’s why you probably don’t recognize me.”

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Wedged in next to me, he bullied me into remembering him by telling me one anecdote after another of all the times he had caused trouble in high school.

“It’s all coming back now, right? Oh, this one will really make you remember.” Between his stories, Chunky would smack my head.

As we hopped bars for more rounds, our group shrank and in the end, it was the eight of us, including Chunky, Sǒngjin, and me.

“Leave the finishing touch up to me. Trust me, you’re not going to believe this place.”

Ushered by Chunky, we hailed two cabs and crossed the Han River Bridge. After we got out of the cabs, we had to walk deep into a backstreet. We stopped in front of a yellow sign with the words “Here’s Looking at You” in black. Like a warning sign at an intersection or a deadend, this sign would stay in my mind long after I had sobered up the next morning. A metal screen was pulled down at the door of the brothel. But when Chunky rattled the screen, an employee opened the door for us. We swarmed down the stairs all at once. The ones in front lost their footing and fell. We laughed and talked boisterously like a group of high school boys. The hall was lined with frosted glass doors. We were swept up into a room behind one of these doors and inside, hung a gigantic poster of a scene from Casablanca.

Draping his arm around a girl who had rushed into the room, Chunky hollered for Madame Kim. An enormous middle-aged woman came in, swinging her chest. The flesh that stuck out of her clothing looked like thick lards of fat.

The high slit in her skirt invited furtive glances at her thighs that were wrapped in black fishnet stockings. Her flesh also bulged out from the stockings, imprinting her skin with diamond patterns. Right then, girls crowded into the room.

As the disco ball spun, fragments of light fell on the large table. A girl who had climbed onto the table grabbed my hand and tried to pull me up. As I was trying to stand up, something heavy hit me in the back of the head. I collapsed onto the table.

When I finally woke because of a raging thirst, I found

Chunky—the one who had called me a retard—passed out beside me, snoring. The rest of the guys were sleeping in their wrinkled suits, having collapsed on each other some time in the night. Their snores going together at the same time sounded like a chorus sung by a clumsy group of offbeat, tone-deaf children. I went into the bathroom, turned on the tap and drank straight from it. Only after I had washed my face with cold water did my mind clear up a bit.

The room wasn’t big, but it was clean. My head throbbed. I felt my head and found some gauze stuck on it. In the dark, I found Sǒngjin and shook him awake. Sǒngjin rummaged through Chunky’s suit pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes and two ten thousand-wǒn bills. We found our shoes and came out into the hall. The carpet in the hall was the colour of red bean paste. The plush carpet absorbed the sound of our footsteps. Just then the doors of the elevator opened from behind and a couple stepped out. Even though my back was turned, I could see everything through a fulllength mirror that hung in front of me. A balding middleaged man was drunk out of his mind and had his arm slung around a woman’s shoulders. Supporting him, the woman was wandering down the hall, looking for a room. The woman had on cat-eye sunglasses. Sunglasses in the middle of the night? They attracted even more attention. Even in the dim light of the hall, I recognized her right away. It was Yi Minjae.

We came out of the brothel. The river was right across the street. An aging janitor, lugging a cleaning cart, was sweeping away the vomit we had puked up the night before.

We sat down side by side on the waterfront of the Han River and had a cigarette.

“My God, we’re turning thirty next year—I can’t believe we’re still living like this. Maybe the night is to blame. Or maybe we’re just used to this lifestyle. You know what they say, old habits die hard.” The voice that traveled up my vocal chords was not my normal voice; it was the deep salesman voice that I used when talking to customers.

Sǒngjin’s laughter mixed with the sound of the river.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay after Chaebǒm hit you in the

head with the beer glass?”

I smoked my cigarette to the filter. “Chaebǒm —you mean Chunky?”

Sǒngjin lit another cigarette for me and said, “Yeah. So now you finally remember him? He was so pissed off you couldn’t remember him that he said he knew how to make you remember. Man—we got so wasted last night.”

We ate some soup to cure our hangovers with the twenty thousand wǒn we took from Chunky’s pocket, and said goodbye.

Having loaded three passengers, the early morning bus sped along. The billboard came into view and we quickly passed it. I turned around, and with my arm resting on the back of the seat, I watched the ad grow smaller. The bus stopped to turn left. Right then, I saw the pupils of the Hawaiian maiden move. It looked like she was searching for someone very cautiously, afraid of the attention that she might attract. Like rolling marbles, her pupils rolled and rolled until they froze at a point in the intersection.

Our eyes met. She smiled brightly at me. What? How can a picture smile? I blinked hard and shook my head. Was it because of my head injury? The bus circled the building.

When I looked again at the billboard, the maiden in the ad had disappeared. She was gone, just as if someone had cut out a figure from a magazine or newspaper.

My front door was open a crack. I was certain that I had locked the door when I had come out on the morning of the day before. I had even turned the handle to double-check.

On the entrance tiles, there were water marks. The moment I stepped into my apartment, I could smell the sea. Nothing was leaking or dripping. I looked carefully at the water marks. They were wet footprints.

There were wet prints even on the linoleum floor of the living room. I placed my foot on top of a footprint. They were made by a person with small feet. The water seeped into my sock. The footprints led to the master bedroom.

I gently pushed open the door. A woman was lying facedown on the bed. Her back was tanned purple. With every breath, her shoulder blades stuck out, then sank back into list_ Books from Korea

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her skin. Breathing heavily, she turned over. Her long hair was plastered to her face like ivy, but there was no mistaking who she was. It was Yi Minjae.

Yi Minjae slept for a long time. I went out into the living room and waited for her to wake up. I didn’t even wonder how she had found out where I lived or why she was sleeping in my room. She came out into the living room. Her eyes were a little swollen, but it was definitely her. She walked towards me, moving her hips in her peculiar way.

“I really don’t know what kind of woman you are.” I was a bit angry because of the incident at the brothel.

“I’m not Yi Minjae. I’m the woman you see in that billboard. Come with me. Just promise me that you won’t get tired of my cheerful smile.”

She continued to smile brightly even while she talked.

Yi Minjae, I mean, the maiden on the billboard, stroked my shoulder.

It was the bus driver who shook me awake.

July 18 I raised the meta l screens a nd stepped into the dealership. I flipped the switch for the platform and went to the bathroom to get some water to clean the display window.

During the night, someone had thrown up right in front of the glass. Having filled the watering can, I was stepping out of the bathroom when I saw somebody in the driver’s seat of the car on the platform. It was Yi Minjae. Her hair was dyed blond and it now came down to her shoulders. She looked like a Barbie doll. Having seen me standing in the backdoor of the dealership, she smiled brightly.

“So, you’ve finally made up your mind?” I got the vibe as soon as I looked at her face.

“Do you think I could test drive it?”

“You sure can, Miss Yi.” I got the key and climbed into the driver’s seat. She had moved into the passenger’s seat, opened the glove compartment and was busily examining every feature.

As soon as I started the car, the dashboard lit up. The gyroscope began to turn slowly.

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“The fox fur coat looked really good on you the other day.”

“Oh, you were at the show? I didn’t think you would be interested in things like that.”

“I just happened to see it. And that’s not the only place I saw you. I also happened to see you somewhere else…”

Her face, reflected in the rearview mirror, hardened.

“Don’t get smart with me. I’m not that easily pushed around. You want to sell this car, don’t you? Then why don’t you just open the display window so we can start?”

“Sure thing, Miss Yi. All clear for take-off.”

I pressed hard on the accelerator. It was only after the front wheels went down the platform that I remembered the display window. I had to deactivate the sensor before taking out the car. I had completely forgotten that the glass was there in front of me, because it was too clean. It was my fault for polishing the windows so much. The car went right through and shattered the huge pane. There wasn’t enough time to step on the brakes. Glass poured down the roof of the car and Yi Minjae shrieked as she covered her face with her hands. The car cut across the sidewalk and crashed into a streetlamp. With the blare of the horn, my entire vision was veiled in white.

When I came to my senses, my face was wrapped in the airbags that had deployed from the front and side. The airbags were cream-coloured, just like in the brochure. Then I remembered Yi Minjae in the passenger seat. Her face, too, was wrapped in the airbags.

Yi Minjae fractured her collarbone. It was from the force of the airbags. When I went to go see her, she had on a neck brace and was watching TV in a half-reclining position. As soon as she saw me, she started screaming and hurled the bouquet of roses that I had brought.

Because the demo car was insured, Yi Minjae’s medical bills and the cost of replacing the bumper were covered. Again, I had lost my chance to sell the car on the revolving platform.

As usual, it was congested there and, as usual, I looked up at the maiden on the billboard. The next stop was

announced. Someone rushed for the door, bumped my head, and knocked my glasses down to the floor. People rushed to the door and stepped on them. The left lens cracked into five pieces, but I didn’t mind. Through the crack in the lens, I now saw five maidens.

I pass has been replaced by a sudden urge to climb to the very top of a pole. I also want to place my banner at the top.

Yet, up until now, I have been able to fight that urge. translated by Janet Hong

3 The rain-soaked suit slowly shrank as it dried. I folded his suit, underclothes, socks, and tie into a neat pile and stored them in an empty cardboard box. The shoes had started to mildew, so I tossed them into the recycling box. I tacked up a note on the electric pole the man had climbed: “Whoever is looking for his suit and personal belongings, please make all inquiries to the following address: Taegwang Apartments, Building A, Suite 207. Tel: 345-2100.”

Once in a while, I would receive a prank call. Yet as time passed, even the prank calls stopped. When I passed by the pole, I saw that an ad covered my note. An art school for kindergarten students. To keep my note out of people’s reach, I climbed the pole once again. At the very top of the pole, I placed the paper with my contact info and climbed down.

I started to pay more attention to the calls our company received. I thought that he might climb another pole and set off another power failure. But the calls were usually inquiries concerning bills and payments. Blackouts were uncommon in 1997, but even more so in 1999. When I go out to eat or find myself downtown and notice extremely clean windows, I have an urge to go inside. If I wanted to, I could walk inside and introduce myself to the man working in the restaurant or shoe store. Recently I saw his shoes again—the pair I had thrown out. A Filipino man collecting recycling boxes full of old clothes and shoes was wearing them.

I’m still waiting for his phone call. But I know that a snake that has shed its skin doesn’t come back for what it has left behind.

My habit of calculating distance by the number of poles

The Woman Next Door Ha Seong-nan, Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2005, 286p, ISBN 8936436562

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Š Lee Young-kyoun

About the Author Ha Seong-nan was born in 1967. She debuted with the short story, Grass, which won the literary contest held by the Seoul Sinmun newspaper in 1996. She wrote Rubin’s Glass, The Woman Next Door, Bluebeard's First Wife, Flatbread, Pleasure of Eating, Sapporo Inn, Central Character in My Movie, and A. Ha has won the Dongin Literary Award, Hankook Ilbo Literary Award, and Hyundae Literary Award.

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Reviews Fiction

Speed to Salvation I Hear Your Voice Kim Young-ha, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2012, 280p, ISBN 9788954617628

Kim Young-ha, a major figure in Korean literature, is back. K im has been on sojourn in New York, writing and speaking to readers through his podcast, “Reading Time.” The title of his new work is I Hear Your Voice, after the song by Deli Spice, a Korean indie band. The work depicts a world after the apocalypse in the Book of Revelation.

October 28, 1992, is the day pegged by eschatologists as the day of rapture. No rapture takes place on that day, however, but a child is born in a bathroom at an express bus terminal. The child, named “J,” grows up in an orphanage. Growing up, he comes to realize that he has the ability to sense other people’s pain. At age 16 he moves to Seoul, and comes to experience the horrific life of teenage runaways. J then wanders alone from place to place in the city living on uncooked rice, reading books he’s picked up off the street, and meditating. With an increasing following of teenage runaways, J plans an all-out speeding spree as the leader of a

Beyond Deviation Pretending to Exist, Not to Exist Park Keom-san, Edition PPUL, 2012 284p, ISBN 9788901143132

One of the most basic motifs of literature is t he desire to esc ape from rea lit y.

This motif, which has existed since the beginning of literature, has been expressed more clearly and with greater power in today’s post-industrial society, in which even the territory of daily life is regulated.

I n a p o s t-i ndu s t r i a l s o c ie t y w he r e individuals are considered labor machines, a way to break free from the cycle of daily life seems far too distant. Strictly speaking, any leisure or break in daily life is nothing but a tool to be used for the reproduction of labor power. Thus the acts we often mistake for escape from daily life are, in the end, nothing but a one-time deviation.

Park Keom-san’s Pretending to Exist, Not to Exist, deals with an ordinary city dweller’s desire for escape. One day, the protagonist impulsively leaves for another city. He suddenly becomes aware that

his routine work life, as well as family, the structure that drives him to work, is dominating his life. And so the protagonist arrives at a seaside town and meets a woman there. After a week with her, the protagonist decides to live as a homeless man.

The encounter between the protagonist and the woman, which accounts for most of the story, doesn’t take on much meaning in itself. What stands out in this book is the fact that the protagonist chooses to become homeless rather than return to a regimented daily life. Many literary texts deal with a one-time deviation, only to end on a return to a stable home, and a return to the workplace, which guarantees economic security. The protagonist of Park’s novel, however, refuses to go back this way. He goes on a permanent escape, even when it means that he has to give up the tranquil life guaranteed by home and work.

Everyone desires escape, but escape in the true sense requires renunciation of a

biker gang. During the spree, J meets his death during a collision with the cops, and the cops and the bikers witness J’s literal ascension.

J is a modern day Jesus who speeds on a bike. As the work implies, today’s society tries to systematically manage even religious salvation and political revolution.

In that sense, J’s speeding is a ritual that confirms there’s still a possibility of change in the world: “Riding a bike is like making thick, powerful brush strokes on the city streets.” Through J, the writer asks: Where is the possibility of liberation? The author suggests that listening to the voices of others is a kind of ethics of the day, something that rings true throughout the book.

by Kim Dongshik

tranquil daily life. So we, in most cases, are satisfied with one-time deviations.

Park, however, questions the cycle of life itself through a more fundamental escape.

Can such escapes make a new life possible outside of an abject reality? The answer remains to be found by readers.

by Jang Sungkyu

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Reviews Fiction

The Impossibility of “Writing” My Left Hand Is the King and My Right Hand Is His Scribe Han Yu-joo, Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. 2011, 288 p, ISBN 9788932022659

Few Korean literary writers since the turn of the century rival Han Yu-joo in her deep awareness of writing. In the 1980s there was great interest in Korean literature that explored reality, and in the 1990s it was people’s interior lives, and since the 2000s, there has been a diversifying interest in literature itself. This is demonstrated in the negotiations between pop culture and literature, experiments in faction (fact + fiction), studies in social conditions and customs, and the political nature of the non-political, among others. Han has a special place in the Korean literary world today for she has been conducting a consistent epistemological study on the reproduction of language itself.

T h rou g h he r f i r s t c ol le c t ion of stories, To the Moon, and her second, The Book of Ice, Han has already displayed a unique awareness of the impossibility of reproduction through language, and the possibility of depiction through writing.

Her latest work, My Left Hand Is the King and My Right Hand Is His Scribe, continues

At What Cost?

Into the World of Passi Hwang Jung-eun, Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2012, 232p, ISBN 9788936437220

Hwang Jung-eun directs readers attention to the empty spaces between objects that exist but remain unnoticed, instead of the objects that occupy the space itself. In her first novel, Hwang used fantasy to make this possible, then in her new novel she actually writes about that which is not visible. For example, there is the vindictive spirit of Danny DeVito who even after he is dead, cannot forget his beloved and hovers around her.

The novel tells the story from the point of view of the protagonist-spirit, but the truth is that the woman is derived from a hallucination of the melancholy man unable to get over her. The author has the spirit provide the narrative rather than having the character tell a story about his impotent and lonely life. The spirit serves as an objective correlative that reveals his emotional state. The core point of 58 list_ Books from Korea

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Hwang’s current anthology of short stories is to represent what the eye cannot see in the form of a concrete entity.

Two seemingly different short stories can be read in the same way; that is, a clay vessel dug up in an unsightly manner from the earth in the “Story of an Earthen Vessel,” and a cat that repeatedly loses its life as a result of people’s cruelty in “Life of a Cat.” Both of them represent things people have had to sacrif ice in order to live a more comfortable life, such as devastated nature, destroyed buildings, people who have been uprooted in the course of redevelopment projects, and the countless stories that are enmeshed in these phenomena; if readers feel somber after reading the stories, it is because they strike a chord about our own lives. It is also because it is clearly undeniable that the material happiness we have gained was in exchange for a loss of something else. Hwa ng’s novel ma kes concrete the discarded and forgotten world. It is aesthetically outstanding as well as

to deal with the same issues. Her main interest lies in the question of whether or not language can depict reality, and further, what novels can accomplish. We commonly think that we can understand certain objects and ideas, which comprise reality, through the medium of language.

Is that indeed the case? Isn’t the use of language as a medium nothing more than a conventional pattern? And is it not a form of violence to limit the rich possibility of a subject to the narrow frame of language? W hat, then, can novels accomplish, using language as material?

Such questions are not simply about methods of writing, but fundamental questions about the way we understand and reproduce the world. Han Yu-joo is a young writer who has been studying this issue with dogged persistence for the past 10 years.

by Jang Sungkyu

effective in posing important questions.

Among the questions she asks is, What is a good life? If a good life comes at a cost of someone else’s happiness then can that still be considered good?

by Jeong Young-hoon

Writer's Note

Bologna: A City Blooming with Books

Last winter felt particularly long. There were no blossoming flowers well into March, and April brought a heavy snowfall.

Perhaps because of the long winter, I found the spring flowers in Bologna all the more lovely.

Seven years ago when I attended the Bologna Children's Book Fair for the first time, I hadn’t imagined that I would ever come back. The brick buildings that looked even more faded in the early spring, the cool shadowy area in the seemingly neverending corridors of the city, and the scenery that was plain compared to the other cities in Italy—all these did not leave me with a special impression because I admit that as a visitor at that time, I was more keenly interested in wine than books.

Perhaps that was the reason why all things in Bologna looked new when I went there for the second time to attend a children’s literary event organized by LTI Korea. Although I was told by an insider that each year there’s a steady decrease in the number of participants at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the event still looked to me quite impressive in scale and capacity. Amidst it all, children’s books from Korea were quietly becoming more prominent.

In 2009, Korea was invited as the main guest country at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, at which a number of Korean artists had been the recipients of the Bologna Ragazzi Award. This year once again the Korean artist Lee Hyeonju was a winner of the Ragazzi Award, the Opera Prima, for Grimmie’s White Canvas, which is given to an artist for their very first published work.

On the second day in the main event hall, critic Kim Jieun, children’s book illustrator Kim Dong-sung, and I did a presentation on Korean children’s literature. The theme was “Mirror, Reflecting Children.” The lecture and the reading, which took place at La Sapienza University in Rome before

and after the book fair, were also favorably received.

After all the events were over, I took a leisurely tour of the book fair. Encountering Korean literature amidst so many different publishing company booths, promotional banners, posters, and piles of books in numerous languages was certainly different from coming across a commercial billboard of a Korean product in a foreign city.

Rather, it was similar to viewing a fledgling departing its nest for the first time. In order to attract international readers, the children’s literature of Korea is spreading its wings. One hopes that beginning with children’s illustrated books, this will extend to children’s tales, and books for teenagers will cross the oceans and find a greater readership.

The event hall, which was filled with bestselling books from each country, might be a paradise for readers, yet it was also a vicious competitive arena of business. The walls by the entrance of the event hall were covered with business cards of up and coming illustrators, the seeds for the book fair’s future stars.

People cheerfully showed the books they brought and looked for works they would like to take back. Walking around slowly, I felt as though I was in a big garden blooming with books in a city called Bologna. Those who are like butterf lies and bees, which move diligently in search of flowers, will acquire the flower pollen and honey to bring back to their home countries to build their own gardens.

Books are like that. They are a commercial product, but also a potential seed that will grow into a new world, especially books for children. As writers, artists, and publishers make great efforts, children will be able to grow up reading special, worthwhile books.

Books in diverse languages are like little stars that contain a unique world. This is what I thought as I walked through the galaxy of books. Yet of all the books available, an individual can read only a small number in a lifetime. When else can one feel so acutely that life is but a moment?

The longing for what we cannot possess is always fatally beautiful, like the eye of a boy gazing at a star, or a girl’s heartbeat while she stands in a field of flowers in the spring.

I felt this upon seeing all the books from different countries, which would take more than a lifetime to read.

As I was leaving the book fair’s event hall, it suddenly occurred to me that Bologna was growing on me.

Bologna is a city where spring arrives twice, the spring of flowers and the spring of books. That is what I learned at the 49th Children’s Book Fair in Bologna.

by Kim Nam-joong * Kim Nam-joong is a writer of children’s stories. In 2004, Kim won the Munhakdongne Children’s Literature Award with Come on, Bear! and won the Changbi’s Good Children’s Book Award. His collection of stories, Pride, won the 2006 Arts Award. Kim also wrote Dream of the Oxen, Save the Small Bear, The Divine Bicycle Tour, and Small-minded Daddy (2011).

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Reviews Nonfiction

Life’s Questions Asked & Answered Forgotten Questions That Will Pump Up the Heart Cha Dong-yeob, Myung Jin Publications INC. 2011, 368p, ISBN 9788976777188

One can’t discuss this book without bri ng i ng up t he late L ee By u ngchull (1910-1987), the founder of the international conglomerate Samsung.

Lee did not subscribe to any religion in particular, but before he passed away in 1987, he left a close friend and Catholic priest with 24 questions concerning life and religion. He died without answers, but the document containing his questions was passed down in the Catholic Church of Korea. Twenty-four years after his death, Father Cha Dong-yeob offered the longawaited answers in this book.

Can’t good people be rich? Is there any proof that God made the universe? What meaning does heaven and hell have in our lives? We only live once. So why does life have to be so painful? Why is it difficult for us to be satisfied with our lives? Lee asks questions about the fundamentals of human life. To the question of the woes of life, the author replies, “Pain encourages us to think about our true purpose in life. […] whatever its shape or form, pain gives us a reason to seek out the ultimate transcendent: God. Pain gives us the wisdom to see farther and wider.

To answer the question on what to do with dreams that keep slipping away, the author offers a metaphor: “Plant your tree called dreams, and leave the rest to nature.

You may not be able to yield much fruit

from it, but the fruits of your dreams will have a positive effect on the surrounding env ironment, ot her fa rmers, a nd neighbors.” In this way, Forgotten Questions That Will Pump Up the Heart is not based solely on the Catholic faith and theology.

Father Cha Dong-yeop studied engineering in college, but joined the priesthood and studied theology at University of Vienna in Austria. He is famous as the writer of Blessing of the Rainbow, which has sold 1.4 million copies since it came out in 2007.

He gives lectures at churches, companies, and on TV programs throughout the year.

He may not have become a bestselling author if his Catholic faith had been heavily reflected in his writing. But even when it comes to the existence of God, he asserts that the existence of God is not to be proved, but to be experienced—not an objective truth, but a choice of the heart. He demonstrates great breadth of knowledge by citing not just theology and philosophy, but literature from the East and West, Asian religious texts, science, history, the arts, and everyday anecdotes.

This is an important aspect that makes Forgotten Questions That Will Pump Up the Heart an easy, compelling read.

The author comments on writing a self-help book as a Catholic priest: “The meaning of self-help is to push the boundaries of our personal limitations and

build true strength that pulls us through life. Religion is just the thing to help us transcend these physical and emotional lim it at ions. T hat is t he c orrelat ion between self-help and religion.” He points out that a true religion is one that is receptive to the problems people face in real life, and that a self-help book must help people in trouble find the strength to stand up on their own two feet. The book is based on religion, but appeals to a wide demographic by embracing the diversity of this world, valuing academic knowledge, and offering answers to universal questions and problems.

by Pyo Jeonghun

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A Few of His Favorite Things Something Special for Men Kim Chung-woon, Book21 Publishing Group 2012, 335p, ISBN 9788950935665

His idiosyncrasy is apparent simply in his job title, the Head of the Research Center for Various Issues. Professor Kim Chungwoon, who studied cultural psychology in Germany where he received his doctorate, now teaches at Myungji University. His playful appearance and wit has made him one of the best-loved lecturers in Korea.

The title of his previous work, I Regret Having Married My Wife, was topped by the more risqué and titillating title of his recent publication, Something Special for Men, which was actually written to console middle-aged men living in a tiring, competitive society.

Women have so much junk. They have designer bags, shoes, lipstick, and accessories, a ll stunning and varied.

But what about men’s things? Nothing particular comes to mind. The author claims that this is the reality Korean men face. So Kim interviewed 10 men who had interesting things to say about things they own. This book is about men’s psychology and daily life.

In pa r t one, K im point s out t he u n for t u nate sit u at ions Korea n men face from a cultural and psychological sta ndpoint. The obser vations a re so uncanny that every man in Korea would think that Kim was writing specifically about him. Part two consists of interviews of 10 men, their belongings, and their stories. The definitive Korean intellectual Lee O-young and his three-meter desk; professor Shin Young-bok who wrote the classic Letters from Prison during his 20year incarceration, and his prized ink well; Cha Bum-kun, also known among Germans as the Bundesliga “Cha Boom,” and his beloved egg holder; the presidential candidate hopeful Moon Jae-in’s baduk board; actor Ahn Sung-ki’s sketch pad; singer Jo Young-nam’s glasses; and other prize objects and their stories make for a compelling read.

Towards Building a Community Still Dreaming Of Striking Gold?

Park Kyung-chol et al, edited by Sim Sang-jung TINDRUM PUBLISHING LTD., 2011, 289p ISBN 9788963720555

There was once a time when it was popular among Koreans to say, “I hope you hit the jackpot!” Making a billion won was all the rage, and general interest in investments such as real estate, stocks, and funds skyrocketed. But what does our society look like today? In today’s winner-take-all, endlessly competitive society where profit margins and so-called elites call all the shots, many people would prefer happiness to success and money. This is because the paradigm is shifting from competition and success to solidarity and community. The idea that society is in need of new values to uphold is spreading fast, and there are various attempts to find alternatives.

One such attempt was the “Empathy: Our Times” lectures run by the Village School, an innovative educational facility that opened in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province 62 list_ Books from Korea

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in 2008. This book introduces nine of the most popular lectures in the series.

Progressive Korean leaders in the field of politics, economy, culture, and education, such as Park Kyung-chol, who is famous for his alias, “Country Doctor;” Yoon Gubyeong, who quit his university post as a philosophy professor and now runs an alternative school in the country; Shin Young-bok, a well-known Korean leftwing intellectual; Professor Cho Kuk from the Seoul National University Law School; and the well-known Korean historian Lee Ehwa, offer a way to achieve “a beautiful world where everyone is happy.”

The book offers small solutions that the average person can easily adopt in daily life. According to the authors, all it takes to make the world a more beautiful place are small changes, such as choosing a traditional market over supermarkets and paying closer attention to your children’s emotional growth rather than grades.

by Richard Hong

by Richard Hong

Reviews Nonfiction

In Search of Altruism Social Capital KBS “Social Capital” Production Team Moonyechoonchu, 2011, 312p, ISBN 9788976040763

What is dissatisfying about capitalism separating itself from ideology is that it often disregards human dignity. It implies that humans are selfish animals and that the maximization of profit is the mission of a business. Of course, capitalism as a system is not so naïve and its cunning logic operates behind selfish or profit-seeking instincts. Social Capital is a written version of a documentary made by producers influenced by evolutionary economics who pursue an altruistic community.

Within the boundary of Darwin’s evolutiona r y studies, a contract ca n potentially establish the basis of biological ethics in a community. This has been verified in the experiments with primates.

Chimpanzee Politics by France de Waal is a good example: the chimpanzees received a slice of cucumber in exchange for each stone they brought. When one chimpanzee received a tasty grape instead, 40 percent of them stopped their exchange. When grapes were given even to the chimpanzees that did not bring stones, 80 percent of

them threw away the stones they were holding despite the fact that they could still get cucumber slices regardless of who got the better reward.

When chimpanzees cannot accept such unfairness, will humans be able to tolerate such a contract of injustice? The book introduces several interesting experiments on relationships of social trust that have been conducted in various cultures.

by Bae No-pil

Life on the Battlefield People Hurt Kim Young-me, Chungrim Publishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 336p, ISBN 9788992355810

Perhaps it is because war, conf lict, and famine are so widespread. Perhaps it is because the media in many countries, especially the medium of television, lay bare the atrocities of war and civil conflict, that many of us in developed countries f ind it diff icult to tell whether such atrocities are real or fiction.

It s e e m s t h a t w e a r e b e c o m i n g desensitized from the atrocities of war even though we know how terrible they are. The actual scenes in which people really die and children have to take on dangerous jobs in order to survive are not quite different from movie scenes. We think that life on the battlefield is not what our neighbors experience but are conflicts created by politicians, diplomats, and multinational corporations somewhere far away.

Producer Kim Young-me’s nickname,

though she does not like it herself, is a “conflict expert producer.” However, she describes herself as an ordinary middleaged single mother whose son is in high school. How then, did she come to cover conf lict areas such as Afghanistan and Iraq as an expert? As the title of the book suggests, what she really wanted to capture with her camera was the people. But as she went to where people were suffering, her coverage always ended up on the battlefield.

For those cynics who think wars draw the attention of the media but the political background of the war can be summarized into one sentence, I recommend one of Kim Young-me’s essays included in People Hurt, “Introducing the Best Restaurants in Baghdad.” Tasty restaurants on the battlefield? Kim’s camera captures the reality of war and daily life.

The vivid essays in People Hurt offer a glimpse into the way people live through the wars of the 21st century that are often defined too simply from the perspective

of nationalism, imperialism, and metadiscourse.

by Bae No-pil

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Whatever Helps You Sleep Sometimes Sane Hur Tae-kyun, Sam & Parkers 2012, 285p, ISBN 9788965700616

Hur Tae-kyun, a professor of psychology and a social psychologist, argues that we spend a lot of our lives in fantasy, false faith and desires, and illusions. Perhaps it is an inevitable human fate to be delusional, as humans tend to see only what they want to see, and think and argue whatever is most convenient for them. Enlightening us as to the delusions we live in, such as “I read people well,” “I’m a good person,” “So-and-so and I are close,” “We are one,” “I’ve known this from the start,” and “I’m never biased,” He shows us that these are a ressult of fundamental errors, an impact bias, or unrealistic optimism, and gives us an interesting explanations as to why we fall into these traps.

One spring day when the author was a sophomore in college, he was leaving a large lecture course when his friend pointed out an impossibly beautiful girl and bragged, “She’s got a thing for me.”

He could not believe it was true so he asked how he knew. His friend replied that the girl looked at him 13 times over

How To Read the Classics Philosophize!

Hwang Kwang-woo, Thinking Garden Publisher 2012, 612p, ISBN 9788996792901

Hwang Kwang-woo's Philosophize! is a good guide to Eastern and Western classical literature. The author has divided the book into two volumes, one for Eastern and the other for Western classical literature, introducing a total of 40 works. The volume on the Eastern classics contains writings by Mencius, Xunzi, The Analects of Confucius, The Doctrine of the Mean, and The Book of Changes, but also includes Yi Hwang's Ten Diagrams on Sage-Learning, Jeong Yak-yong's The Mind of Governing the People, and Shin Chae-ho's Ancient History of Korea, among other classic works. Hwang believes that readers can find their true selves through reading Eastern classics, and talks about the wisdom needed for crossing the desert of life.

In the volume on Western classics, the author introduces works from the disciplines of philosophy, psychology, 64 list_ Books from Korea

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law, economics, politics, and science to help readers grasp the methods necessary for understanding an uncertain world a nd to g ive t hem a fou nd at ion for understanding today’s world. The author begins by emphatically with a quote from The Confessions of St. Augustine, “In the inward person dwells truth,” which he then contrasts with a quote from Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, “...it is my task to answer the question how far reason can go...” The author also praises Marx's Das Kapital, which has recently come to be seen in a new light as “the Bible of the world’s working classes.”

Hwang seems to have painstakingly written the chapter on politics in his volume on Western classics. The author's position is that Plato’s The Republic and Aristotle's Politics aren't just idealistic theories of nation states created by two unparalleled philosophers, but ideas that should be put into practice in our daily lives. While introducing Locke's Two Treatises on Government and Rousseau's

the course of the class. To keep count of how many times she was looking at him, how frequently would he have had to look at her? The truth was as follows: a darkskinned, nerdy boy was burning a hole in the girl’s face all through class, and the girl had glanced over at him 13 times out of discomfort and perhaps fear. The book says although everyone is free to dream, one should at least be aware that one is dreaming.

by Richard Hong

The Social Contract, Hwang stresses that individual life and liberty should be the greatest virtues of a nation.

The classics are a record of where humanity has been, and can point out where we must go in the future. They can help readers find their steadfast, true selves so that they can navigate these uncertain times. A lt hough ma ny people cla im they’ve read the classics, few have actually read them properly.

by Jang Dongseok

Reviews Nonfiction

Why Did a Father Kill His Son? Power and Human Nature: Prince Sado and the Royal Court of Joseon Jung Byung-sul, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2012, 428p, ISBN 9788954617529

Power is ruthless, lacking blood or tears.

The lives of the king and those around him in the Joseon era were characterized by such ruthlessness in the quest for power.

Power and Human Nature reexamines, from a new perspective, King Yeongjo's order to execute Crown Prince Sado by imprisonment inside a wooden rice bin.

Most Koreans believe the Crown Prince died of mental illness. Later political analyses suggest he was the victim of factional power struggles. Such analyses claim that Prince Sado, who possessed an impeccable character, died because he sided with a losing faction. The author of Power and Human Nature, however, claims that hypotheses about this incident have up until now been distorted, and that Prince Sado was killed because he tried to assassinate his father, King Yeongjo.

The author meticulously reveals the circumstances of Prince Sado's death, closely tracking the every move of King Ye on g jo, Que en I nwon (t he K i n g’s mother), King Yeongjo's Queen Consort

Hope Found in Darkness Dark Land, Bright Hope Lee Daesung, Rambler 2011, 320p, ISBN 9788996727620

Time is fair to everyone, but how we spend it varies by circumstance and willpower.

The pages of Dark Land, Bright Hope are full of stories of people who fill their lives with happiness even in the most extreme circumstances. The author and photographer have captured images of hope from the darkest places in the world, including the Kawah Ijen sulfur mine in Indonesia, the Jharia coal fields in India, and the Cam Pha coal mines in Vietnam.

The mine at Kawah Ijen is the only one in the world that produces 99.9 percent pure sulfur and is located by an active volcano. Twice a day, miners climb up and down the volcano, carrying baskets containing 70 to 90 kilogram chunks of sulfur for six kilometers just to earn 10 to 13 dollars. Despite the sulfur gas which has stained everything in the surrounding area yellow, miners are only equipped with

wet rags covering their noses and mouths as they work in order to sur vive and educate their children.

The coal fires in India's Jharia coal fields never go out. Although villagers fear the sudden coal fires that erupt from the earth, these fires light the village and are a sign of life. In Jharia, where coal fires ignite whenever coal gas meets oxygen in the air, people only make 1,400 won (about $1.27) per day. Water is precious in coalrich Jharia. The author captured images of people washing their bodies with a single basin of water after a long, hard day’s work.

C a m Ph a i s Vie t n a m's f l a g s h ip coal mine and a supporting pillar of Vietnamese industry together with the tourist revenues of Ha Long Bay, which is located nearby. The miners at Cam Pha continue excavating late into the night because the number of hours they work determines their daily pay. Piles of coal are often framed against the magnificent backdrop of Ha Long Bay. A lthough

Jeongsong, and Royal Concubine Lee Youngbin, who was Crown Prince Sado's mother. The factors that inevitably drove Crown Prince Sado to madness as well as to grab a sword and attack his father, King Yeongjo, originate from this cast of characters. King Yeongjo was particularly strict with his son, Crown Prince Sado.

King Yeongjo was the son of a palace caretaker, not even a royal concubine, and this fact filled him with anxiety and anger, which he passed on without fail to his son.

by Jang Dongseok

Cam Pha is nearby, most tourists pass by unaware of the coal mines.

The lives of everyone on Earth are connected, although we try to ignore this fact. Thanks to the hard work, sweat, and tears of such workers we are able to enjoy lives of comfort. The author's words and photographs in Dark Land, Bright Hope show that bright hope can be found in the deepest darkness, and his message will appeal to readers’ hearts.

by Jang Dongseok

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A Passion for Fashion Aim for Fashion with Passion from the Runway Kan Hosup, RHK, 2012, 327p ISBN 9788925546285

One of the most well-known reality shows around the world is “Project Runway.” The program, hosted by Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, discovers new talents in the highly competitive fashion industry. In 2009, a similar program named “Project Runway Korea” got off to a start. Kan Hosup, professor of fashion design at Hongik University, plays the role of a mentor on the program, offering tips and guidance to f ledgling fashion designers. Aim for Fashion with Passion from the Runway sums up what Kan has achieved in his colorful life, detailing his experiences as a fashion designer abroad and depicting his thoughts and musings inspired by the fashion trade.

Kan first entered dental college but famously shifted his course to the design and textiles department. After a stint as a designer for the New York brand DKNY, Kan was offered a professorship at the age of 28. But he’s better recognized as a “multifessor” (multi-professor) rather than an ordinary professor, largely because he covers a wide range of fields such as the

character business, the industry of fashion complexes, and other the sectors.

K an spearheaded the product development for Amore Pacif ic’s new cosmetics brand for men, “Odyssey,” from planning and package design to product concept. He took up the consulting job for the Pucca character business, a brand popular among children. His consulting service for Noon Square, a large-scale fashion complex in Myeong-dong, Seoul, helped H&M, a global fashion brand, to set up its first shop in Korea.

The book offers ample advice to young people interested in fashion design and related industries, throwing light on what steps should be taken to develop a unique career path. The book centers upon Kan’s life story, so there’s a limitation in its perspective on the broader fashion industry at large; however, Kan’s trailblazing career offers a convincing tale of a role model.

by Han Mihwa

Darwin’s Wisdom Revisited Darwinian Intelligence Choe Jae-chun, ScienceBooks 2012, 310p, ISBN 9788983715005

2009 marked the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversar y of the publication of his masterpiece, On the Origin of Species. The Year of Darwin, declared throughout the world, helped foster a revival of popular interest in his theory of evolution.

Korea was no exception. Numerous books incorporating Darwin’s evolutionary theory from various perspectives were published in scientific circles and other fields such as economies, sociology, and the humanities. The year 2009 was also the called the Year of Science, with Charles Darwin becoming a symbolic figure of the scientific renaissance of the 21st century.

In Korea, this scientific renaissance has been led by the author of Darwinian Intelligence, Professor Choe Jae-chun. Choe received his PhD at Harvard University under Edward Osborne Wilson, known as a 66 list_ Books from Korea

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distinguished scholar of sociobiology. After returning to Korea, Choe became a key figure in establishing an academic network on Darwin’s evolutionary studies. His public-friendly writing and lectures have greatly contributed to an understanding of not only evolutionary studies but also biology and science in general.

T h i s b o o k c om pi l e s a s e r i e s o f ac a dem ic a nd popu l a r sem i n a r s on evolutionary studies that Choe has been actively organizing since 2009. Just as when Darwin was academically active, biolog y and other disciplines such as economics, sociology, and politics are still evolving within the range of evolutionary studies.

Taking the structure of science essays, the book examines 25 topics; each topic includes information on the most recent articles and theories of evolutionar y studies. These topics are divided into categories such as the basic principles of evolutionary studies, myths and truths of the theory of natural selection, sexual

selection, and genetics and sociobiology, making the book a solid introduction to evolutionary studies.

Darwinian Intelligence was met with great enthusiasm from its publication at the beginning of this year and went into its sixth printing within four months of publication.

by Bae No-pil

Reviews Nonfiction

SNS Marketing Made Simple The DIY Guide to Social Media Marketing Lee Sang-bae, EasysPublishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 329p, ISBN 9788997390014

The DIY Guide to Social Media Marketing will appeal to novices in social media marketing. The author is part of the first generation of social media marketers who became avid promoters of Social Networking Services (SNS) well before social media was common in Korea. Lee Sang-bae is a popular blogger with a Twitter following of over 90,000. He has put together a comprehensive, guide to social media marketing.

The book presents actual cases of successful social media marketing. Estée Lauder, for example, adopted the strategy of providing customers with makeup services in studios set up in department stores across the U.S, and afterwards, emailing them their photos taken by professional photographers. The customers used those pictures as profile images on Facebook and Twitter. Essentially, the Estée Lauder brand was communicated t hroug h t he SNS w it hout d irect promotional effort.

In another example, Tea Collection,

Welfare Isn’t Free Making the Right Economic Choice: Neoliberalism Versus Productive Welfare Chang Ha-joon, Jeong Seung-il, Lee Jong-tae Boo-Kie, 2012, 423p, ISBN 9788960512122

“Welfare is the only feasible solution among the seemingly many given options,” concludes Chang Ha-joon, a professor at the University of Cambridge whose previous works critical of neoliberalism include 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism. The new release Making the Right Economic Choice: Neoliberalism Versus Productive Welfare is a collection of discussions on the Korean economy that Professor Chang had with Jeong Seungil, Policy Commissioner of Welfare State Society, and Lee Jong-tae, Director of the Economy/International Team of Sisa IN. “A n outdated lef t- or rig ht-w ing neoliberalism cannot be a solution to the Korean economy,” Professor Chang says f latly, maintaining that we should move toward a welfare state. He defined welfare as a ‘group purchase,’ not taking

away from the rich to give to the poor. He notes, “Welfare makes childcare, health care, savings for life after retirement, and other essentials that have been up to individuals to prepare, available at a lower cost through a group purchase made by the entire population of the nation. It is a universal welfare that gives benefits not only to the poor but also to the whitecollar middle class, doctors, and managers, as well as to blue-collar workers.”

T he b o ok i s a l so cr it ic a l of t he viewpoint that blames the Park Chunghee administration for the widening gap between the rich and the poor. The gap, the book asserts, is due to the neoliberal, shareholder-oriented, reshaping of the Korean economy after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and the opening of the financial market, the increased flexibility of the labor market, and the ROK-US and ROK-EU FTAs during the periods of the Roh Moo-hyun (left-wing neoliberalism) a nd the L ee My ung-ba k (right-wing neoliberalism) administrations.

an American children’s clothing brand, launched a Facebook event that invited customers to hit the ‘Like’ button for their favorite clothes, promising that the most ‘Liked’ item would be made available at an amazing discount. The result was a resounding success. The $50 girl’s dress voted number one instantly sold out. That day, the Tea Collection brand broke its own sales record.

Lee includes detailed tips on utilizing blogs in the age of social media as well as on cross-linking Twitter, Facebook, and personal blogs. Tips on how to get advertising effects worth tens of millions of won without actually spending money can be found throughout the book. This is an essential guidebook for corporate ma rketing ma na gers a nd individua l business owners.

by Heo Yunhee

The authors suggest that the Korean government should lay out five year plans for welfare development and carry them out for the next 30 years. They say that “while Korea ranks among the lowest of OECD countries in welfare, comparable to Mexico, if Korea increased its welfare budget by 10 percent of the GDP, it could transform itself into a welfare state at the levels of Italy in 10 years, and of Sweden in 30 years.”

by Heo Yunhee

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The Winning Pizza Master of the Trade Jung Woo-hyeun, Wisdomhouse Publishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 275p, ISBN 9788960865181

Is pizza fast food or not? Before Mr. Pizza, pizza was considered fast food in Korea. But pizza after Mr. Pizza was no longer considered junk food and earned the status of a truly healthy ‘slow food.’

After 22 years of countless challenges and experiments, Mr. Pizza has become the number one pizza chain in Korea. For its next challenge, Mr. Pizza is aiming to be the number one pizza in the world.

In Master of the Trade, Jung Woohyeun, CEO of Mr. Pizza and a living legend in the pizza industry, divulges his management tactics. Since his introduction to the business world in 1974 when he sold wholesale fabric in Dongdaemun Market, he was able to become the number one merchant in Dongdaemun based on his philosophy of integrity. He later jumped into the dining industr y and created Mr. Pizza, making pizzas distinguished from competitors with low-temperature fermentation, hand-topped pies, and grill ovens. Starting with the first store in 1990 near Ewha Womans University, Mr. Pizza

has developed into a fast-growing chain with 400 stores nationwide and 27 stores in China, the U.S., and Vietnam, forging toward becoming the number one pizza in the world.

Jung said, “What’s more crucial for me than being number one is maintaining the mentality of a winner. The mentality of a winner is the pride and confidence that comes with the distinction, and to own this sense of pride, one must honor the number one responsibility of providing customers with the best value for the price.

This is the true meaning of a winner.”

Just as one must go through the process of making dough, fermenting, topping, and baking to make a delicious pizza, Jung Woo-hyeun’s life flowered only after these four stages. The book is a moving biography of his passion and endeavors as a man who lived for pizza.

by Richard Hong

Noodles Get Respect Seoul Noodle Road Hong Nan-young, Lee Jin-woo, Bookway 2012, 359 pages, ISBN 9788994291

A popular word among young people these days is myeon-sik-su-haeng. This term refers to the act of staying indoors for long durations, leading a life of poverty and idleness, and getting by on instant noodles. The word reflects the tendency in Korea to treat noodles as a cheap, lowquality food alternative. But with the recent developments in the food culture in Seoul, this prejudice is being re-examined.

In Seoul Noodle Road, two women with the nicknames Hungry Sister and Shy Girl introduce restaurants in Seoul famous for noodles. The eateries they visit are categorized according to area, and their reports are communicated in the style of a blog through photos and short writeups. Brought together here are accounts of restaurants serving various noodlebased specialty dishes unique to specific regions, such as Jeju Island’s gogi guksu, 68 list_ Books from Korea

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Japan’s pork broth ramen, Koreanized Chinese cuisine such as jjajangmyeon and jjambbong, as well as Italian and Vietnamese noodles. Reader’ eyes are opened to restaurants serving foreignstyle noodles in two trend-setting areas: Itaewon and Hongik University.

Korea boasts its own noodle cuisine hundreds of years old, represented in the areas of Myeongdong and Jongno. At two of the best Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurants, Woo Lae Oak and Eulmildae, one can enjoy relatively uncommon North Korean-style cold noodle dishes.

Although many of the restaurants in this book are already well known, others are included that ref lect the writers’ personal tastes. For example, there is the Gangnam branch of the restaurant chain Eumak Guksu Jip (Music Noodle House), which features an interior designed to reflect the themes of music. Also near the entrance to Hongik University, there is no sign hanging out front to mark the Ireum Eomneun Kalguksu Jip (the Nameless

K a lg u k su Restaura nt), which ser ves generous portions of kalguksu and momil guksu.

by Yi Myung-suk

Reviews Nonfiction

Rediscovering Traditional Alcohol In the Beginning, There Was Alcohol Kim Hak-min, Booksea Publishing Co. 2012, 331p, ISBN 9788974835071

A move me nt to r e d i s c ove r K or e a’s traditional cuisine is gaining strength. In particular, interest is rising in traditional alcohol, starting with makgeolli. Kim Hak-min, the director of Pressian Food Culture Institute, has sampled various kinds of traditional alcohol worldwide and experienced the cultures from which each has emerged. His magazine articles on alcohol and culture have been collected in one volume.

Since triba l times, Korea ns have fermented alcohol and enjoyed drinking a nd d a nci ng when c om memorat i ng ancestral rites. A lthough alcohol was forbidden during the Goryeo dynasty when Buddhism was being promulgated, the king and the noble classes enjoyed soju and other kinds of liquor at banquets.

In the Joseon era, when Confucian principles held sway, immoderate drinking was curbed through the practice of hyangeum-ju-rae (the rites for sharing alcoholic beverages), but records remain of the production processes for various kinds

of liquor that were developed during this time.

One notable aspect of this book is the extensive background knowledge of diverse traditional alcoholic beverages. There are also stories behind the common terms used when drinking, for things such as drinking bowls (daepo), Korea n boilerma kers (poktanju), and the expression that means “Cheers!” (geonbae). Kim explains what role alcohol has played in Korean modern history while paying tribute to Korea’s most well-k nown traditiona l liquor, magkeolli.

by Yi Myung-suk

Be Good Parents, Not Perfect Ones Stress in Children Oh Eun-yeong, Woongjin Living House 2012, 398p, ISBN 9788901142425

Parents never hesitate to spend money for their children: top-notch programs, expensive toys, healthy food. But why is it that today’s children are under a record amount of stress? The author Oh Eunyeong, a veteran doctor who has practiced in child and adolescent psychiatry for 20 years, has met with countless Korean parents and children. The book offers solutions to problems, drawn from her rich experiences in the field.

Despite all that parents do to help their children get ahead, children often fall into the trap of rebellion and misbehavior. The author defines stress as a possible conflict between a parent’s desire and a child’s innermost thoughts.

For starters, Korean kids are extremely busy because they have to attend all sorts of after school classes. Naturally, forging deep friendships is difficult. Parents, for

their part, rush around to become better role models. Unfortunately, they often miss quality time with their children in the process. Small misgivings, grievances and lost opportunities, if not dealt with properly, could turn into anger, disrupting parent-children relationships. After all, what children want is not a perfect mother who runs a tight schedule in order to take advantage of better education programs, but a mother who actually listens and believes in what they want.

The book details why children get stressed and what creates the gaping hole between mothers and children. Specific answers are given to handle various stressful situations involving children. W hat’s urgently needed for children under stress is not identifying what’s right or wrong; becoming a true friend and offering comfort is what parents are required to do. The book, as with other similar titles, emphasizes what parents should do to become a ‘good’ parent.

by Han Mihwa

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Reviews Nonfiction

EQ Is Key to a Kid’s Success A Child's Emotional Intelligence EBS A Child’s Emotional Intelligence Production Team Knowledge Channel, 2012, 324p ISBN 9788952764812

Figure skater Kim Yuna and Manchester United soccer player Park Ji-sung are world-renowned sports stars. What are their secrets? K im’s weapon wa s her incredible ability to focus; Park’s strength lies in his energ y to f ight on. These characteristics that helped top-notch sports players, in fact, stem from emotional intelligence.

A Child’s Emotional Intelligence argues that the key to achievement and happiness is none other than emotional intelligence.

The book is based on a TV documentary of the same title, which attempted to identify how emotional intelligence affects children through experiments.

Emotional intelligence is a concept that can be better understood through a compa rison w it h IQ (intel ligenc e quotient). If IQ offers an assessment of intelligence, EQ (emotional quotient) provides a measurement of emotional intelligence. In 1995, Daniel Goleman put out a seminal book titled Emotional Intelligence, which sparked the use of the

word across the world. His argument is simple. A good student in school is not necessarily an excellent member in society.

Then, what makes a person successful in society? The very quality is emotional intelligence. People with a higher IQ will likely fail in society if their EQ levels are not up to standard.

A Child’s Emotional Intelligence depicts how one’s ability to challenge, concentrate, and persevere affects life, introduces successful figures known for their high EQs, and outlines ways to help children improve their EQs. A C hil d ’ s Em ot ion al Int ellige n ce suggests that emotional intelligence should be nurtured in order to help children get higher scores at school. Namely, children lag behind on test scores not because of their poor IQ but because of a lack of motivation, concentration, and curiosity.

Korean parents should remember that what children need to be happy is not just IQ but EQ.

by Han Mihwa

Happily Ever After?

Cheese in the Trap, Season 1 Soonkki, Funnism 2012, 900p, ISBN 8901140640

“Then can I take you to dinner?” The man, perfect in every way, looks at the woman with devotion. He’s obviously trying to make her feel special, and he intends to go out of his way to show her a good time. How would a normal girl react at this moment? Wouldn’t she gladly receive his attention, even as her heart is pounding?

Not Hongseol, the main character in Cheese in the Trap, Season 1. She keeps trying to get away. Hongseol is a university student in her third year of a business degree. She isn’t particularly beautiful and doesn’t have any special talents.

Although she manages to study hard, she can’t achieve top marks. Then there is Yujeong, a tall, handsome, rich, and smart guy. Since he has a kind nature on top of everything else, he can’t help but be idolized by all girls who compete for 70 list_ Books from Korea

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his attention. For some reason, Yujeong develops an interest in Hongseol and tries to get close to her.

At f irst gla nce, this comic series seems to have the structure of a standard romance. An ordinary but kind heroine falls in love with someone who has all the right credentials, and the t wo of them overcome difficult circumstances to be together. But from the outset of the stor y, the focus is on Hongseol’s feelings of anxiety. As the complex plot unfolds, zigzagging back and forth in time, Yujeong’s strange inner self come slowly into view from behind his perfect exterior. And suspicion arises as to whether somehow the events weren’t all part of a conspiracy. In other words, for Hongseol, Yujeong was like the tasty cheese in a mousetrap.

The illustrations and design have an urban f lair; the punchlines hit right on the mark; and the plot unravels according to the author’s unique sensibility so that it is impossible to guess the ending of the

story. Cheese in the Trap, Season 1 depicts the anxiety and inner turmoil of this generation of young women with great subtlety. While reading the series, readers become apprehensive about the outcome, but can’t abandon hope that the romance will end happily.

by Yi Myung-suk

Steady Sellers

A Classic of Our Day In This Earth and In That Wind Lee O-young, Munhaksasang Co., Ltd. 2008, 290p, ISBN 9788970128207

In the 1960s, the total number of books that could be printed during a 24-hour period at the printing shops in downtown Seoul was no more than 200. The Korean War had just come to an end, and there wasn’t enough of anything, whether it was printing shops or paper. At dawn before sunrise, bookshop owners would line up in a long queue in front of Hyeonamsa, a publishing house. As it grew light, the Hyeonamsa staff would hand out ticket numbers to the bookshop owners—200 of them, that is. To the rest who were lined up, the staff would apologize, asking them to return the next day. The book that landed into the hands of bookshop owners waiting with ticket numbers was none other than Lee O-young’s In This Earth and In That Wind, published in 1962.

Lee O-young, born in the 1930s, sent a wave throughout the Korean literary world with his publication of “The Destruction of an Idol” in the Hankook Ilbo in 1956. It was an act of all-out defiance against the existing literary circles in Korea, centered around the Korean Writers’ Association.

By criticizing the prominent literary figures

of the day, such as Jo Yeon-hyeon, Baek Cheol, Seo Jeong-ju, and K im Dongri, Lee marked a new era in the world of Korean literary criticism. It was indeed the beginning of a new generation. The range of his subject matter was so wide that no one could predict what he would write next. An attempt to determine whether it was his literary criticism, studies on modern Korean poetry, columns, poems, novels, plays, criticism on pop culture and civilization, or essays that had the most influence on Korean society would probably be meaningless. Having said this, his work on Korean pop culture has left an unequivocal mark on Korean history. He showed creative insight on the historical and cultural reality that Korean society faced, as well as the direction the society should take in the future.

Such insights account for the status of In This Earth and In That Wind as the bestseller of the day, as well as its steady seller status even now, having sold 2.5 million copies 50 years since its publication.

Lee’s insight comes from his reading a wide range of books encompassing history,

philosophy, literature, and science.

Lee, adhering to his position of severing from tradition, with his advocacy of “slashand-burn literature,” maintained that Korean literature must consist of a literature of a new generation. A quick turn from this concept brought about In This Earth and In That Wind, a return to Korean traditions.

The book is replete with the histor y, customs, culture, language, and scenery of the old Korea.

The book takes place in Korea in the 1960s when most of the country consisted of farmland. At the onset, the author is going down a sloping red clay road in a jeep. He sees rural village women running about in confusion, unable to dodge the car like sophisticated city people. The women, with liver spots on their sallow faces, waddle like ducks in fear and perplexity.

With one hand they clench their tattered bundles, with dried pollack sticking out, and with the other, they try to put back on their rubber shoes, which have slipped off.

The author states that he saw the simplicity, poverty, shabbiness, and warmth of the Korean people. The Korean people, under the tyranny that descended upon them throughout history, were always driven like animals. The author begins with such a scene.

In the 1960s, when the translation of foreign books into Korean was uncommon, Lee’s interests ranged from Eastern and Western literature to history, philosophy, and mythology, as well as countless other subjects. The author provides readers with erudite information ranging from s u bje c t s s u c h a s Gr e e k a nd R om a n mythology, world history, and geography.

In addition, he points to the meaning and the creative affirmation that traditional Korean culture takes on in the context of Western civilization and history. With his many books continuing in print today, Lee established himself as the greatest intellect in the modern history of Korean humanities.

W hat, then, did Lee seek to reach inside t he w ide ba sin of histor y a nd culture? It was none other than the reality of Korea here and now. In the 1960s, when modern Western civilization came roaring in, the question of “Who are the Koreans?” or “Who am I?” was asked. To Lee, an intellectual who had learned to read and write in Japanese, the colonizer’s language at the time, and had an easier command of Japanese than Korean, the book must have been a self-revolution as well as a search for the self through revolution.

by Kim Yonghee

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Reviews Children's Books

Our Precious Objects Become Us A Town Hidden from the Map Choi Yang-sun; Illustrator: O Jung-tac Changbi Publishers, Inc., 2012, 149p ISBN 9788936442675

A Town Hidden from the Map is a fantasy that was awarded the “Good Children’s Award” by Changbi Publishers, Inc., a prestigious prize for new writers in Korea.

Author Choi Yang-sun also received the prestigious Munhakdongne Children’s Literature Award in 2010 for another book of fantasy, The Monster Virus City.

Just how much potential lies dormant in this author, who has already swept up t hese awa rd s for t wo d istinctive works of fantasy? Both works criticize the realities of the world today, such as the environmental destruction caused by urban redevelopment and rampant capitalism. The author seeks to overcome such problems through the restoration of traditional human relationships.

On Birch Island at the edge of the world, where the legend of the sea witch is passed down, stands a gigantic junk shop that resembles the Tower of Babel.

Gu Jin, a new principal who harbors a secret, is appointed to a school on the island. Bodam, the protagonist, sneaks into the principal’s office to play a prank, and discovers a mysterious scrapbook of missing people in a cabinet. Chasing after the secret, Bodam learns that the principal’s secret concerning a gigantic junk shop and the unsolved cases of missing persons in the city are interrelated.

In the process of solving the mystery, the secrets of the people on the island— Bodam’s dad Hodon, Bodam’s mom who has disappeared, Lian, who works on a secret task every night in a restricted area

of the gigantic junk shop, Eun, a producer at the Mystery Broadcasting Company and the creator of a show called “People Who Commune with Things,” Principal Gu Jin, who possesses the missing persons file, and Haemo, the owner of the junk shop—are unveiled one by one.

The greatest secret is that the people who are missing have become one with the special things they had cherished; the objects end up in the junk shop on the island, are selected by Haemo, who possesses special abilities, and are then reassembled in the hands of Lian.

Haemo, the owner of the junk shop, has a special place in the story. Haemo is the sea witch in “The Little Mermaid,” a tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The sea witch, who transformed the little mermaid into a human, becomes human herself in The Town Hidden from the Map, so that she may have a human heart. Haemo, the witch, who comes to live on Birch Island as a human, ends up hating humans who have ruined the sea and the island in the name of development. Thus, Haemo takes apart the things that embody the human spirit and reassembles them for sale so that they cannot become human again.

The two children who uncover the secret persuade Haemo, the sea witch, to tell them how the people who have turned into things may recover themselves.

The book leads one to reflect on the many selfish human desires, including the obsession for things. It also raises the alarm on the capitalist structure of endless

desire, in which people must buy new products to maintain their identity and obsess over material goods, loving objects more than people.

The work is unique in that it creates a mysterious aura by employing some of the settings and characters of Western fairy tales, whereas many other works of fantasy are based on mythology. That doesn’t mean, however, that the setting for this work is reminiscent of any specific area in the West, or in Korea; this also refers to the names of the characters. The enigmatic time-space, however, does not render the work obscure, but makes it more universal, to be loved by children around the world.

The silkscreen-like photo collage illustrations by O Jung-tac, the hottest illustrator in Korea at the moment, adds to the book’s charm.

by Yu Youngjin

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Reviews Children's Books

What If You Could Swap Yourself?

Witch Capsule's Abracadabra Pharmacy Kim Somin, BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 88p, ISBN 9788949161495

I wonder just how ma ny people a re satisfied with themselves as they are. Many people, adults and children alike, long for a self different from their current one.

Witch Capsule's Abracadabra Pharmacy depicts this feeling admirably.

The main character, Dong-dong, is to compete in a taekwondo match with his younger sister, Myo-myo, but Myomyo, although two years younger, is bigger and far better at taekwondo than he is.

In a state of anxiety, Dong-dong goes to his father’s drugstore, where he meets an elderly woman. The old woman introduces herself as Witch Capsule and says that she has invented a capsule that enables one to change souls. Witch Capsule likes computer games, and Dong-dong tells her his game ID and password in return for two of the soul-changing capsules. His idea is that if he can swap souls with Myomyo, then he will be able to beat her in taekwondo. However, while Dong-dong takes one of the capsules himself, the other one, which he had hidden inside a cream

Free Will Makes Us Human The Thirteenth Child Lee Eun-yong, Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

2012, 268p, ISBN 9788954617352

The word ‘robot’ originally comes from the Czech word ‘robota’ which means ‘forced labor.’ The word first appeared in the 1920 play by Karel Capek, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universa l Robots), where robots are mechanical laborers that are responsible for all the work in society. The Thirteenth Child is set in the year 2075 when robots, made and programmed by humans, are indispensable for maintaining both home and society. The irony is that in this society humans are also programmed much like robots.

The main character, Si-u, is a robotlike child born according to his mother’s wishes. As the 13th child customized by genetic modification, Si-u is a perfect child in whom any shortcomings in previous customized children have been rectified.

Then Si-u gets to meet Leo, a robot that has all the emotions of a human being.

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Leo has Si-u’s feelings and memories stored on a microchip, though of course they are more likely the feelings and memories of Si-u’s mother rather than Si-u’s own. By contrasting Si-u, a child going through life devoid of emotions, and Leo, a robot that feels and expresses emotions, this book raises the question, “What makes us human?”

If a child is born and educated as demanded by the parents, and does what she or he can excel at determined by data, then that child can never become a whole human being. The suicide of the first custom-made child Dr. Kim Seon, the resistance of the robot Leo, the sudden change in Dr. Min who had created a customized child, and the attempt by Si-u to reject a programmed future and build a future of his own clearly illustrate that what makes us human is having free will.

Through science fiction, this work shows the reality that Korean children face today as their parents map out their futures.

by Eom Hye-suk

bun for his sister, is accidently consumed by his father. As a result, Dong-dong turns into his father by mistake! Having swapped souls with his father, Dong-dong has a variety of experiences in his father’s place, such as going on a date with his father’s lady friend, Min Suk-ja.

T h e c h a r m o f W i t c h C a p s u l e' s Abracadabra Pharmacy is the point that when someone becomes a self different from their current self, things turn out very differently than expected. The book’s message is that by experiencing things that you have never conceived of, your soul will develop. The story ends with Dongdong taking another capsule, which was left as a present by Witch Capsule, again hoping to swap souls with his sister. This time his step-mother eats the capsule instead of Myo-myo, so Dong-dong turns into his stepmom and vice versa. The final outcome is left to the reader’s imagination.

by Eom Hye-suk

Reviews Children's Books

Living a Magical Life I’m Going to Become a Witch Jung Ok; Illustrator: Jeong Eun-hee Samtoh, 2012, 118p, ISBN 9788946416772

Children, by definition, are physically immature and financially and socially dependent on adults. They dream of growing up so they can go to faraway places, try forbidden things, and become somebody “who can do whatever they wa nt.” T his is why grow ing up a nd children’s longing for freedom is such an enduring theme in children’s fiction.

I’m Going to Become a Witch talks about this desire. The seven-year-old protagonist Song-song is an ordinary girl who is full of curiosity but unenthusiastic about studying. One day she finds out her estranged grandmother is a witch; despite this, she begins to study to become a witch herself. Grandma tells Song-song that a witch is “someone who helps everybody in this world to imagine.” In other words, a witch’s duty is to help people really see and hear what they imagine. Song-song’s lessons in witchcraft take place against the backdrop of Korea’s beautiful scenery over four seasons, ranging from craggy mountaintops to rice paddies and small

island villages.

A number of funny or surprising things happen to Song-song during her studies, a process of which will inspire readers to think about what it means to live a magical life. Song-song shows readers that it is worthwhile to make one’s own path in life and not be afraid of adventures. Above all, she shows how helping other people fulfill their dreams can transform one’s own life, as if by magic. Written by Jung Ok, winner of the 6th Ma Haesong Literary Award, this book with its young protagonist is a feminist story set against Korea’s natural world and timeless traditions.

by Kim Ji-eun

Finding Out What’s True The Nari Elementary School Scandal Ha Eun-kyung; Illustrator: Oh Seung-min Hankyoreh Publishing Co., 2012, 199p ISBN 9788984315655

Adolescence starts when children begin asking complex questions about what is true and what is false in this world. At a young age children believe that everyone around them is as truthful as they are, and cannot comprehend the fact that there is much more falseness in this world than they know. Each year, however, they learn that people hide, change, and lie about things. They learn about white lies and how to tell them. At a certain point they become active liars themselves, or witness others telling lies with impunity. This is about the time they start worrying about ethics.

The Nari Elementary School Scandal tells the scandalous story of a private elementary school that admitted students on bribes instead of through the open lotter y system that wa s its sta nda rd

practice. Once the media discovers this, the story lands all over the news. A rumor starts among the students that Park Mido in the 6th grade was one of those students, and Mido’s friends Jiyu, Sojeong, Suji, Hyeri, and Yoonji set out to find the truth.

It is a process that involves breaking and reestablishing trust, and soul-searching about how truthful or deceitful they are themselves. They also wonder how truthful their friendship is, as big and small lies begin to surface.

The author takes the sensitive ethical issues of bribery and plagiarism and weaves a gripping tale for readers in the first years of puberty. The story offers a realistic portrait of how children agonize over truth and falsehoods and gives them the courage to speak out. It also sends home the message that true friendship must be based on truthfulness and trust.

by Kim Ji-eun

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Steady Sellers

Love Conquers All My Sister, Mongsil is set in the tumult and tragedy of modern Korean history, illustrating the vivid effects on individual lives. In the midst of such great historical storms, the most pressing issue for the protagonist Mongsil is poverty. As her family is torn apart by poverty and put together again, Mongsil holds onto her faith in love and hope and keeps her spirits high despite the brutal times.

Mongsil is the daughter of a yumin, also known as “Japanese pauper,” who returned to Korea after liberation from Japanese occupation, and was considered the lowest of the low at the time.

The hunger is so excruciating that Mongsil has to search for a new father to replace the first who went away to earn money. The poverty of the times is palpable in Mongsil’s mother, the Lady from Miryang, and her betrayal of Mongsil’s father. No longer able to endure the hunger and poverty, Lady Miryang marries another man and takes Mongsil along with her. Things seem to be looking up for Mongsil in her new life with her stepfather, but he starts to abuse her after the birth of her half-brother. Disgruntled with Mongsil in their midst, her stepfather gets into a fight with her mother after Mongsil’s father shows up, and the result is violence.

In a struggle with her stepfather, Mongsil’s leg gets broken.

1

2

1. My Sister, Mongsil Kwon Jeong-saeng, Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2012, 300p, ISBN 9788936433895 2. My Sister, Mongsil (Hard Cover) Kwon Jeong-saeng, Changbi Publishers, Inc. 2012, 265p, ISBN 9788936433901

Mongsil escapes from the abuse and seeks shelter at her father’s house. Her father remarries a woman from Bukchon, creating another new family for Mongsil. The lady from Bukchon is affectionate and warm, but leaves Mongsil with a half-brother, Nannam, to look after during the war. Mongsil, only a girl of 10, finds herself responsible for all household affairs as well as raising her little brother. She lives a difficult life that sometimes forces her to beg in the streets, but she muddles through and matures without once blaming her misery on anyone. She silently bears the wounds of war, abuse, and a stolen childhood in stride.

The late author Kwon Jeong-saeng once said that his books are widely read among various age groups because he chose to write about the trials and tribulations that all Koreans have experienced.

He believed that stories of others in pain would comfort those in pain and even give them hope. Even if readers haven’t experienced the same grief as Mongsil, there may come a moment of consolation when the reader projects their own private sorrows onto hers. At that moment, Mongsil becomes the reader.

Kwon Jeong-saeng’s stories are praised for promoting the value of life and sacrifice, and My Sister, Mongsil is the perfect manifestation of his ideals. An unparalleled masterpiece in Korean children’s literature, My Sister, Mongsil has sold over 400,000 copies since the publication of the revised edition in 2000. Mongsil has become a quintessential female protagonist in Korean children’s literature.

by Yoon So-hee

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Overseas Angle

Between Korea and France: Adventures in Literatures

“Oh gentle sound of the rain On the ground and on the roofs!”

– Paul Verlaine “Outside the noise of the rain started again, pouring down even more heavily, and the dogs began to vie with the rain, barking ever more loudly. The rain was at its height now and from the storage platform came the clanging sound of metal hitting the ground. It must be the aluminum pail hanging on the wall.”

– Yun Heung-gil

1

The English title is The Rainy Spell [English translator’s note].

2 translated by Im Hye-gyong and Cathy Rapin (Autres Temps 2004) 3 translators’ note in the French original 4 Yi Sang, Kim Chun-soo, Ko Un, Hwang Tong-gyu, Jeong Hyeon-jong, Lee Seung-hoon, Cho Jeong-kwon, Lee Seong-bok, Choi Seung-ho, Song Chan-ho, Nam Jin-woo, and Ki Hyung-do 5 The translators were Kim Bona, No Mi-sug and Alain Génetiot, Gilles Cyr and Han Daekyun, Choe Ae-young and Jean Bellemin-Noël, Chung Ye-young and Laurent Zimmermann, and others.

One evening, while I was at home in Orléans, in the middle of France, I read these phrases, these phrases from La Mousson1, a collection of short stories by the novelist Yun Heung-gil 2. It was raining. Somewhere off in the distance a dog barked. What I was reading, even though written by a Korean author, resembled what I was actually hearing. I could almost hear the sound of the rain hitting against a metal pail….But “the storage platform”? Nothing of the sort, obviously, where I was. Any normal French reader would need an explanatory note at this point: “a place behind a house where the pots containing fermented products to be used in flavoring various dishes such as soybean paste, kimchi (a Korean spicy cabbage dish)…”3 (One might point out, in passing, that it is not sufficient to translate a novel or poems: these need to be extended by explanatory notes, or a preface, or by some other means—and this is an art, a very subtle art.)

Another rain sound: that of raindrops drumming on large, tall earthenware pots, placed outside, against a wall. It is not the same sound that Yun Heunggil talks of. This drumming of the rain on the pots came back to me while reading La Mousson that night in Orléans—I was remembering some moments of an evening I had spent two or three years earlier, somewhere in the southern part of Korea. Where exactly? I don’t know. When I experienced those moments, I only knew that I was on a mountain in Korea: exhausted and a bit drunk—and in any case strangely happy.

That was during my first stay in Korea. Seven or eight of us were at a restaurant, brought together by Lee Chung-joon. I had read, in French or in English, several novels or short stories of this marvelous writer. And in France I had seen the film Sopyonje, directed by Im Kwon-taek, which was based on one of Lee Chung-joon’s novels.

Lee Chung-joon abruptly asked me, at that very moment, as I was discovering Korea, to say what was the most “different.”

I could have answered that it was obviously the language. Or the food, or the fact that people sit on the floor to eat, or I could have mentioned the door serving as a partition, made of white paper, that made a soft sound when it was slid open or closed.

Perhaps I should have found a way to talk about one of the “political phenomena” that a foreigner feels when experiencing the details of the timespace tensions that are the daily fare of the hosts.

But I just mentioned, not knowing exactly why, the steady and calm sound that one could hear coming from outside: that of the rain falling on the pots. * Several months prior to that, Lee Chung-joon had come to my house. It was an early summer evening, in Orléans. He arrived unannounced, along with three other Koreans. Enjoying some wine, we had talked about literature until late at night (of course, we had had to translate, or communicate in English). Everyone slept over at my house.

In the morning, we all had tea or coffee in the kitchen. Outside in the garden, it was gently raining. Then suddenly, Lee Chung-joon went outside. A few moments later he returned, a bit wet. He sat down and said with a smile, “Life begins at 60.” list_ Books from Korea

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Overseas Angle

* The adventure had started at the University of Paris 8, where I was a professor of general and comparative literature. I had asked the international students (of which there were many in the department) to select texts from their own literature and to present these to the other students. The Korean students immediately became the most active—both quick and generous at the same time. We began to translate Korean poems, not only at the university, but also in cafés or at my home. So many discoveries! Yi Sang, for example, had not yet been translated into French at that point.

After that several poets and novelists came to the class: Ko Un, who stimulated the class with his talk, his readings, his singing, and Hwang Sok-yong, who introduced the students to 20th century Korean history and its ravages.

It was around this time that I proposed to dedicate a special volume of the magazine Po&sie to 20th century Korean poetry.

One year later, in Volume 88, published in 1999, French readers were able to discover 12 twentieth century Korean poets.4 In the years that followed, various publishing houses finally began to translate several Korean poets: Yi Sang, Kim Soo-young and Hwang Ji-woo at William Blake, Ko Un, Hwang Tong-gyu, Ki Hyung-do at Circé, Lee Seong-bok and Ko Un at Belin, Yi Sang, again, at Zulma, then at Imago.5 I have had several occasions to talk about Hwang Ji-woo in France, and in particular on the occasion of the Primo Levi colloquium: his poems, which are sometimes connected to political or social upheaval, have a universal appeal in today’s world.

Another shock: the discovery of the strong work of Kim Hyesoon. None of her poems have been translated and published in France, to my knowledge, although she has been widely translated into English…But it is, generally speaking, from the poetry written by women in Korea (or in the Korean diaspora) that the world’s poets can receive liberating impulses.

* For the past three or four years, at least, Ju Hyounjin (who was a student at Paris 8) and I have been working on (along with several translators, notable among whom is Kim Hyun-ja) a new volume of the magazine Po&sie which will be devoted to Korean poetry. In this volume of 300 pages (which will appear at the end of May 2012), French readers will be able to discover the works of 27 contemporary Korean poets, all selected by Professor Jeong Myeong-kyo, from Park In-hui or Ko Un to Kang Jeong or Ha Jaeyun, as well as Kim Kyung-ju.

In March 2012, the oldest French magazine, La Revue des Deux Mondes, devoted—with contributions from various specialists and with a contribution from the French Nobel Prize winner J.M.G. le Clézio—a special volume on Korea, with an emphasis on contemporary Korean literature (with Choi Mikyung and JeanNoël Juttet, and Ju Hyounjin and Claude Mouchard).

In June—coinciding with the publication of this special volume of Po&sie—four Korean poets will be in France and will present their poems in Paris. On June 2nd, in this wonderful setting, Kim Hye-soon, Hwang Ji-woo, Gwak Hyo-hwan, and Kang Jeong (accompanied by Jeong Myeong-kyo) will read their poems. * Can a French reader today obtain a comprehensive overview of contemporary Korean poetry? That would be illusory. The diversity of the poets defies description. Or, rather, it can be said that it is the multiplicity of their poetic positions that is significant and creative. If I may be so bold as to claim that I have a somewhat accurate overview of contemporary Korean poetry, I would say that it is characterized by the irreducible individuality of the poets, or by the intense divisions separating their positions. * It is raining in the early hours of the morning as I write these lines, in Orléans, and I am thinking again of Lee Chung-joon, the poet-novelist. I was in Korea when he passed away. Overwhelmed, I went to a ceremony where I found some of his friends—in particular Yi In-seong, another poet—among his books.

Poetry cannot be constricted. It lives in novels, in paintings, in photos, in theatre or in dance. Or in film. The film Poetry by Lee Chang-dong was wildly popular in France: just a few days ago, in fact, a young French poet told me he had been deeply moved by this film.

The presence of Korean poetry in France will take its course, thanks to the many translations. I am thinking of the Korean students who, 15 years ago, led me to discover the poems of their country. They were participating, already, in the thrust—the complex thrust, and in some ways the contradictory thrust—which is today carrying Korea towards and into the world.

1

by Claude Mouchard

2

1. Po&sie n° 88 Poésie sud-coréenne Belin, 1999, 176p, ISBN 9772701125115 2. Po&sie n° 139-140 Corée 2012 Belin, 2012, 304p, ISBN 9782701158648

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* Claude Mouchard is a French poet and professor emeritus of comparative literature at Paris VIII University. He is also an editor of Po&sie, a literary quarterly. The magazine featured the poetry of Korean poets in the 1999 summer edition, marking the first time for the journal to exclusively focus on one country's poetry in depth.

The special coverage led to an invitation for a trip to Korea from LTI Korea. He teamed up with Ju Hyounjin to translate poems of Ki Hyung-do and Yi Sang, and wrote an introduction for the books, which were published by Circé and Les Petits Matins, respectively. Mouchard’s poetry collections include Loss, The Air, Here, and Papers!

New Books

Fiction

Recommended

by Publishers Korean editors have handpicked their favorite titles among the collections from their own publishing houses. The following list contains hidden gems in Korea’s publishing industry. For further information, please contact the agents directly.

A Man Walking His Dog

Moon Geun-young Is Dangerous

Jeon Min-sik, EunHaeng NaMu 2012, 296p, ISBN 9788956606064

Im Seong-sun, EunHaeng NaMu 2012, 336p, ISBN 9788956605616

The main character loses his wellpaying consulting job as a result of a one-time mistake. He ends up walking a very expensive dog called “Lama,” and dreams of reversing his misfortune. It is a heartwarming portrayal of emotionally scarred people on their way to healing.

What would it mean if one day three men had the actress Moon Geun-young appearing in each of their dreams, whispering “I love you”? This book starts off with the premise that behind a famous actress there is a secret force, and continues with three men who try to save Earth.

Copyright Agent: Lee Jinny-H ehbook@ehbook.co.kr 82-2-3143-0651 www.ehbook.co.kr

Copyright Agent: Lee Jinny-H ehbook@ehbook.co.kr 82-2-3143-0651 www.ehbook.co.kr

Where Should We Go?

The Ballad of Youth

41

Kim Seo-ryung Hyundaemunhak Publishing Co. 2012, 312p, ISBN 9788972755975

Kim Yu-kyoung Woongjin Think Big Co., Ltd. 2012, 320p, ISBN 9788901143866

Lee Jae-ik, JAEUM & MOEUM 2012, 324p, ISBN 9788954427203

Kim Hyungsoo, JAEUM & MOEUM 2012, 360p, ISBN 9788957076033

This second anthology of short stories

by Kim Seo-ryung contains nine stories about hopelessly lonely, fragile, and good-hearted characters that are all inept in life. The author tells their stories in her typically lucid and refined style.

The Ballad of Youth is an indispensable book that tells the story of people from North Korea, who reside in South Korea, but are voiceless. It is a vivid account of the North Koreans who have to live a most peculiar life because of their special circumstances, and their suffering as well as their hopes and passions.

This novel dissects the case of serial gang rape against a middle school girl in a provincial city, zeroing in on the gravity and the social meanings of the crime. The case is about the 41 assailants who videotaped the crimes and then distributed them on the Internet.

This series constructs a new mythology of Asia during the Middle Ages, and centers on Genghis Khan, providing a panoramic story of Asia and the lives of nomadic communities. It is not so much an epic about a hero but a delineation of Asian history during the Middle Ages, and the lives of the nomads.

Copyright Agent: Choi Hae-kyoung nina8277@naver.com 82-2-2017-0295 www.hdmh.co.kr

Copyright Agent: Kim Chan-young rights@wjbooks.co.kr 82-2-3670-1168 www.wjbooks.co.kr

Copyright Agent: Noh Yuri feelsky666@jamobook.com 82-70-8656-9595 www.jamo21.net

Jod - Poor Saints (Vol. 1)

Copyright Agent: Noh Yuri feelsky666@jamobook.com 82-70-8656-9595 www.jamo21.net

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Poetry

Nonfiction

A Remote Place

For My Endless Revolution

Moon Tae-june, Changbi Publishers 2012, 100p, ISBN 9788936423438

Kim Seon-woo, Changbi Publishers 2012, 128p, ISBN 9788936423445

Moon Tae-june is widely known inside and outside of the literary establishment for carrying on the tradition of lyrical poetry. His fifth book of poems, A Remote Place, resonates with profound Buddhist reflections, humble introspection, and quiet contemplation on the transient nature of life.

This fourth book of poems by Kim Seon-woo comforts the pain and sorrow of those dealing with a harsh reality.

Kim’s poems permeate through the body of others and poignantly move our hearts. Her poetry is filled with the warmth of life and passion.

Copyright Agent: Lee Soon-hwa lssul@changbi.com 82-31-955-3353 www.changbi.com

Copyright Agent: Lee Soon-hwa lssul@changbi.com 82-31-955-3353 www.changbi.com

The Poetic World of Classic Korean Women Writers Lee Hai-soon Ewha Womans University Press 2005, 116p, ISBN 8973006126

This book explores the world of 13 female poets who relied on Chinese characters in bringing to life their poetic world. Due to social restrictions, women were unable to receive a proper education at the time, but the writers in the book showcase a strong desire for knowledge and reveal profound reflections.

Copyright Agent: Lee Hye-ji press@ewha.ac.kr 82-2-362-2966 www.ewhapress.com

Korean Travel Literature Kim Tae-joon Ewha Womans University Press 2006, 156p, ISBN 8973006762

Travel literature in South Korea revolves around travelogues by monks and poets, journals by Chinese and Japanese delegations, and writings by those in exile. The book succinctly chronicles the country’s travel literature by depicting key points in history.

Copyright Agent: Lee Hye-ji press@ewha.ac.kr 82-2-362-2966 www.ewhapress.com

The Power of Mathematics

Places to Visit, Places to Stay

Secret Trip to South Korea

All Human Emotion

Kim Yong-woon, Kyung Moon Sa 2011, 416p, ISBN 9788961053914

Kim Bong-ryul, Culturegrapher 2011, 236p, ISBN 9788970595962

Lee Sung-won, Culturegrapher 2011, 384p, ISBN 9788970596051

Choi Hyun-suk, Booksea Publishing Co. 2011, 272p, ISBN 9788974834647

Professor Kim Yong-woon examines how math is related to culture. Kim explores ways of dealing with the key issues facing Korean education in the 21st century.

First published in 2002, this is a collection of reviews on the temples in South Korea accompanied with photos by the Venerable Monk Gwanjo, a masterful photographer specializing in Buddhist images. The steady seller revisits the temples and reexamines their geographical and religious significance.

Lee Sung-won, a staff reporter at the Hankook Ilbo, introduces the most memorable 35 travel spots in South Korea, based on a compilation of articles he wrote over seven years. A specialist in travel and leisure, the author brings to life the dazzling beauty of the Korean peninsula.

This book is the second installment of the Human Concept Dictionary series, which captures the core characteristics of humans through keywords such as senses, emotions, and thoughts. The latest title offers an overview of human emotions, based on scientific data.

Copyright Agent: Cho Kyung-hee katiecho11@hotmail.com copyright@kyungmoon.com 82-2-332-2004 www.kyungmoon.com

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Copyright Agent: Park Hyun-ju jade@ag.co.kr 82-2-745-0631 www.culturegrapher.com

Copyright Agent: Kim Jun-young junyoung@ag.co.kr 82-2-745-0631 www.culturegrapher.com

Copyright Agent: Jung Jiwon shmj21@hanmail.net 82-31-955-7470 www.booksea.co.kr

Korean Family Foods Community Service Group Daewoo Securities Co., Ltd. Bookie Publishing House, 2012, 164p ISBN 9788960512016

This book covers popular recipes and essential details needed to enjoy Korean cuisine including kitchen tools, condiments, and shopping tips.

Interesting anecdotes about Korean food, holiday specials, ritual food, and even proverbs linked to food items are explained in an engaging fashion along with photos.

Copyright Agent: Seo Heejeong hj_seo@bookie.co.kr 82-2-338-0873 www.bookie.co.kr

A Love-Hate Relationship of Family: Therapy for Myself and My Family Choi Kwang-hyun, Bookie Publishing House 2012, 264p, ISBN 9788960511972

This therapeutic title argues that a distorted wife-husband relationship usually stems from family-related problems they had suffered before marriage. It introduces real cases through which readers can take a better look at their problems and explore possible solutions.

Rare Earth Elements Kim Dong-hwan, Miraebook Publishing Co. 2011, 206p, ISBN 9788959891559

Rare earth minerals have emerged as one of the most powerful strategic resources in the 21st century. This book outlines the features of rare earth minerals, applications, and production situations, as well as analyses of the resource battles among countries.

Copyright Agent: Kim Sung-ok miraebookjoa@naver.com 82-2-325-7556 www.miraebook.co.kr

Copyright Agent: Seo Heejeong hj_seo@bookie.co.kr 82-2-338-0873 www.bookie.co.kr

Walking Along the Waterway of the Ming Dynasty Seo In-beom, Hangilsa 2012, 416p, ISBN 9788935665334

In 2009, Seo In-beom, a scholar specializing in the Ming Dynasty, travelled from Hangzhou to Beijing for 31 days by foot and public transportation. The book touches upon historical facts as well as literature, historical figures, food, and the everyday life of the Chinese today.

Copyright Agent: Ahn Min-jae anjuri@hangilsa.co.kr 82-31-955-2039 www.hangilsa.co.kr

Children’s Books

Uncle Chanda

Who Am I?

Helping Each Other

Hyojae’s Bojagi Play

Yoon Jane; Illustrator: Oh Seung-min Nurimbo, 2012, 36p ISBN 9788958761365

Sohn Suk-chon; Illustrator: Jeong Min-ah Nurimbo, 2011, 112p ISBN 9788958761310

Chae In-seon; Illustrator: Jang Ho Hanulim Publishing Co., 2012 40p, ISBN 9788991871908

Lee Hyo-jae; Illustrator: Kim Eun-jung Marubol Publications, 2012, 40p ISBN 9788956634524

A six-year-old child living with his father encounters a Nepalese man called Chanda, who comes to Korea to get a job. The boy and Uncle Chanda slowly begin to understand each other.

The book introduces a special family in a new multicultural Korean society.

One of the most important philosophical questions is: “Who am I?” Asking this crucial question prompts one to embrace philosophy.

Through following the everyday life of children, the book illustrates that philosophy is not an arcane academic pursuit but an enjoyable endeavor.

A variety of animals in this book help each other and forge mutually beneficial relationships, helping children realize the importance of taking care of others. Younger readers will be able to better understand the world and grasp ways to live in harmony with others.

The bojagi can be used for many purposes, including as a wrapping cloth, food covering, and a carrying bag. Its infinite possibilities underlie this story featuring children who pick up bojagi stored in their mother’s drawers and out of it, make aprons, backpacks, and grocery bags.

Copyright Agent: Lee Eun-mi nurimbo_pub@naver.com 82-31-955-7391 www.nurimbo.co.kr

Copyright Agent: Lee Eun-young fireeun@daum.net 82-2-2635-8110 (Ext.104) www.inbumo.com

Copyright Agent: Heo Sun-young sunyoung@marubol.co.kr 82-2-790-4150 www.marubol.co.kr

Copyright Agent: Lee Eun-mi nurimbo_pub@naver.com 82-31-955-7391 www.nurimbo.co.kr

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Children’s Books

Things I Want to Steal

Our Unforgettable Summer

Grandma

Frientor! Germany

Lee Jongsun; Illustrator: Ahn Ye-ri Prooni Books, Inc., 2010, 168p ISBN 9788957982358

Han Gyeol, Prooni Books, Inc. 2012, 240p, ISBN 9788957983218

Shin Kyoung-lim Illustrator: Yoon Moon-young Gesunamu Publishing House, 2012, 36p ISBN 9788989654698

Gumbook; Illustrator: Gumbook Amoeba, 2012, 52p, ISBN 9788965690238

A theft takes place in a classroom, touching off a delicate battle among four 13-year-old girls. This story depicts a moving tale of initiation, in which a misunderstanding gets resolved and friendship begins to blossom.

Copyright Agent: Choi Jin-woo agency@prooni.com 82-2-581-0334 (Ext.121) www.prooni.com

Min-hee and Jo-an, both 17, find their life full of confusion and run away from home. The story involves rather sensational yet realistic issues such as eating disorders, conflicts with family members, sexual molestation, and a class boycott against teachers.

Copyright Agent: Choi Jin-woo agency@prooni.com 82-2-581-0334 (Ext.121) www.prooni.com

In this timeless tale, an old grandma cooks tofu to give her seven grandchildren. On her way, however, she encounters one animal after another and she gives her tofu to the hungry animals out of sympathy until there is only one block of tofu left in her basket.

Copyright Agent: Jeong Eun-mee gesunamu21@hanmail.net 82-2-566-6288, 6504 blog.daum.net/gesunamu21 blog.naver.com/gesunamu21

Germany went through two world wars but emerged as the biggest economy in the Eurozone and spearheaded the integration of the EU. The book puts together detailed information and pictures, offering readers a glimpse into modern Germany.

Copyright Agent: Lim Sun-hwa ssunf@amoeba.co.kr 82-2-3449-0360 www.amoeba.co.kr www.gumbook.co.kr

Sweet Potato

Hello, Moon Rabbit

Getting Compliments

The Kimchi SWAT

Jo Gyeonghui; Illustrator: Ju Yujin Iandbook, 2012, 180p ISBN 9788992830997

Moon Seung-yeoun Illustrator: Moon Seung-yeoun Gilbut Children Publishing Co., Ltd. 2011, 28p, ISBN 9788955821789

Ko Dae-young; Illustrator: Kim Young-jin Gilbut Children Publishing Co., Ltd. 2012, 38p, ISBN 9788955821970

Choi Jae-sook; Illustrator: Kim I-jo Bear Books, 2011, 40p ISBN 9788993242546

Ji-won and Byeong-gwan go hiking for the first time with their parents.

They come across many people in the mountain, many of whom give them encouraging compliments and praise.

As adults recognize their efforts, they become proud of themselves.

The Kimchi SWAT team of cabbage, white radish, chili pepper, salted fish, scallions, garlic, onion, and salt rush to rescue today’s children, many of whom face dangerous situations in connection with what they eat. The book explains kimchi’s history and nutritional value in an engaging way.

Jo Eom, an official during the reign of King Youngjo, was sent to Japan as part of a court delegation and brought back sweet potatoes to help feed starving Koreans. This book adopts interesting historical facts into a children’s story.

Copyright Agent: Jung Ae-young iandbook@naver.com 82-2-2248-1555 www.iandbook.co.kr

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Hun, who lives on Earth, makes new friends: moon, rabbit, mouse, snake, turtle, and bear. Hun plays with his new friends and has a great time together. The book, based on a traditional Korean fairy tale, puts a fresh spin on the story.

Copyright Agent: Yoon Sunmi gilbut_kid@naver.com 82-31-955-3261 www.gilbutkid.co.kr

Copyright Agent: Yoon Sunmi gilbut_kid@naver.com 82-31-955-3261 www.gilbutkid.co.kr

Copyright Agent: Choi Hyun-kyoung bearbooks@naver.com 82-2-332-2672 www.bearbooks.co.kr

Egg & Dough

The Secret Garden of 0 (zero)

Stray Cat Kani

I’ll Be a Bad Boy

Seo-young; Illustrator: Seo-young Bear Books, 2012, 32p ISBN 9788993242577

Park Hyeonjeong; Illustrator: O Yunhwa Blue-bicycle Publishing, 2011, 184p ISBN 9788994258164

Moon Youngmi; Illustrator: Lee Gwangik Hankyoreh Children’s Books, 2011, 116p ISBN 9788984315105

Seo Seokyoung; Illustrator: Kim Youngsu Sigongsa Co., Ltd., 2012, 80p ISBN 9788952765055

A blue fridge in Ggul-ggul’s house contains eggs. In a yellow bowl lies soft dough. One egg remains in the freezing fridge; the dough in the bowl gets bigger and bigger. What will happen to the two? This picture book features an interesting story and an intricate patchwork of colorful cloth.

This fantasy tale dives into the world of the mathematical concept, zero.

The author describes how characters in the fantasy world of math, called “Secret Garden of 0,” confront various incidents and, in the process, come to understand incorrect concepts and errors.

Copyright Agent: Choi Hyun-kyoung bearbooks@naver.com 82-2-332-2672 www.bearbooks.co.kr

Copyright Agent: Jung Jiwon shmj21@hanmail.net 82-31-955-7470 www.paja.co.kr

Stray Cat Kani is based on the author’s experience of adopting a stray cat.

Various episodes, including mistakes, funny incidents, and the happiness the cat brings to the house, are compiled in the form of a diary by a 10-yearold. Practical information such as tips about cats, vaccinations, and neutering are included.

Gyeong-min is an ordinary boy with average grades, though smaller than many of his classmates. He always tries to follow his mother’s advice and improve his test scores, only to find his results disappointing. He turns into the laughingstock of the class and runs away from home, sparking a series of events.

Copyright Agent: Yeom Mihee salt23@hanibook.co.kr 82-2-6373-6730 www.hanibook.co.kr

Copyright Agent: Amelie Choi amelie@sigongsa.com 82-2-2046-2855 www.sigongjunior.com www.sigongsa.com

Did King Sejong Study Math?

Milky Way Hitchhiking

Chang Hye-won, Kyung Moon Sa 2011, 168p, ISBN 9788961053907

Sirial, Daewon C.I., Inc. 2011, 240p, ISBN 9788925283074

Natural Food for Dogs and Cats (2 vols.)

This comic explains the ancient mathematics systems of Korea, targeting readers in elementary school.

The history of math is important in many ways as it involves the progress of mathematical thinking.

It also prompts readers to ponder the origins of mathematical knowledge and compare modern math with past achievements.

This exciting comic is rapidly gaining popularity at home and abroad, thanks to its beautiful colors and meditative story. A magical cat named Milky Way travels through time and space, encountering various people.

Miraculously, all the people who spend time with Milky Way find their emotional wounds healed.

Comics

In Search of a Dream: Star Audition Ham Young-yeon Illustrator: Park Jung-sub Sigongsa Co., Ltd., 2012, 180p ISBN 9788952764928

Ju-ho dreams of becoming an actor after participating in a drama camp.

He wants to be a star, but his parents strongly oppose it. Ju-ho, however, jumps into the exciting journey of star auditions. The perfect mix of a realistic storyline and lively pictures creates a thrilling reading experience.

Copyright Agent: Amelie Choi amelie@sigongsa.com 82-2-2046-2855 www.sigongjunior.com www.sigongsa.com

Copyright Agent: Cho Kyung-hee katiecho11@hotmail.com copyright@kyungmoon.com 82-2-332-2004 www.kyungmoon.com

Copyright Agent: Oh Sunjoo sunjoo@dwci.co.kr 82-2-2071-2141 www.dwci.co.kr

Kim Tae-hee, Daewon C.I., Inc. 2011, 192p, ISBN 9788925289281

In providing accurate information on natural food for cats and dogs, the author presents natural food recipes in the form of a cookbook, featuring simple steps. The book is also filled with interesting anecdotes concerning cats and dogs, as well as information on holistic animal care.

Copyright Agent: Oh Sunjoo sunjoo@dwci.co.kr 82-2-2071-2141 www.dwci.co.kr

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Meet the Publishers

Hyeonamsa

2

Publishing Co., Ltd.

Trusted among authors, readers, and printers, publishing stalwart Hyeonamsa broke new ground and has stayed true to the book-making principles of its founder through three generations.

The late Cho Sangwon (1913~2000), who founded Hyeonamsa Publishing Co., Ltd., called himself “chaekbachi,” which roughly translates into “book engineering” in Korean. As his nickname suggests, for 67 years Hyeonamsa produced high-quality titles from planning to editing to design and proofreading, as if an artisan was behind the entire publishing process. As with family-owned luxury shoe and bag makers, the respectable Korean publisher has expanded and refined its know-how for three generations.

In 1945, Chairman Cho Sangwon was working as a reporter for the Daegu Ilbo, a daily newspaper based in the city of Daegu. That December, he founded a publishing firm named Gyeongguk Gongron. Later, the company name was

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1

changed into Hyeonam, which was Cho’s pen name. Lee Byung-chull, the late founder of the Samsung Group, used to work with Cho at the Daegu Ilbo. Lee’s pen name was Hoam. As the two people’s pen names sounded similar and their initial background was at the same firm, people later made a comment on their contrasting career path: “Hoam started a rice business (Samsung Trading Co.) and Hyeonam started a book business.”

Hyeonamsa made its name in the domestic publishing industry by focusing on steady sellers rather than bestsellers that quickly come and go. In 1959, it published the constitution of the Republic of Korea titled the Code of Laws, a landmark book that shaped the company’s image. During the Japanese colonial period, the legal texts were called Six Law Books but after Hyeonamsa’s title, the Code of Laws was used as a common noun.

Chairman Cho Keun-tae (1942~2010), who took the helm of the company after Cho Sangwon, produced a series of blockbuster hits in literature: Hwang Sok-yong’s Jang Gilsan; Park Kyungri’s The Marketplace and the Battlefield; and Lee Dong-Chul’s Children of the Dark and People of Ggobang Town. During Cho’s tenure Hyeonamsa also expanded its repertoire to the environment, ecology, Western humanities, and children’s books.

Cho Mi-hyun, Chairman Cho’s daughter, was sworn in as the third top manager for Hyeonamsa in 2009. Cho studied in the U.S., majoring in the arts, but she returned to her family business, taking advice from her father.

Cho is currently mapping out a long-term vision ahead of the company’s 100-year anniversary. As for the company’s corporate tradition, she says, “I learned from my grandfather and father that the most important business principles are trust and sincerity.”

1. One Hundred Trees of Korea

That We Must Absolutely Learn About Lee Yumi, HYEONAMSA 2005, 591p, ISBN 8932313091 2. One Hundred Folk Tales of Korea

That We Must Absolutely Learn About (2 vols.)

Seo Jeongo, HYEONAMSA 2004, 492p, ISBN 8932312710 (Vol. 1) 2004, 304p, ISBN 8932312729 (Vol. 2) 3. House Made with Wisdom,

Korean Architecture

Kim Dogyeong, HYEONAMSA 2011, 375p, ISBN 9788932315843

3

Hyeonamsa has never failed to pay its employees on time, even when it faced the threat of bankruptcy due to the delay of the Yukdang Choe Namseon Complete Collection in the 1980s or its struggles in the wake of the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s.

The company’s reputation among printing and bookbinding firms is also legendary as it has never delayed payments to its contractors. As a result, it is common for Hyeonamsa to maintain relations with authors and contractors for long periods, often extending 20 to 30 years. The trust-based principle applies to book publishing. Many of the 500-plus Hyeonamsa titles available on the market have been circulating for decades, a tradition that has won trust among its readers.

Hyeonamsa has been leading the publishing market in South Korea since the 1960s. For foreign readers, the company’s wellknown One Hundred series is highly recommended. Two notable titles of the series are: Lee Yumi’s One Hundred Trees of Korea That We Must Absolutely Learn About and Seo Jeongo’s One Hundred Folk Tales of Korea That We Must Absolutely Learn About. The series has been the company’s major steady seller since the 1990s, and about 50 titles have been published so far. The series, which ref lects Hyeonamsa’s professional expertise, has captured the hearts of many readers with its rich humanities knowledge and visually catchy editing.

Other notable titles from Hyeonamsa include House Made with Wisdom, Korean Architecture written by Kim Dogyeong, professor of architecture at Kangwon University. The book won the Korean Publisher Culture Award in the editing category.

It features the structure and science of tranditional Korean architecture particularly its rational and aesthetic aspects, and critics have given high marks to its quality. As if overhauling a completed structure of numerous lego blocks, the book dissects and explains every single component of a traditional Korean house, from cornerstones to pillars to decorations. To that end, the book cites more than 1,200 documents and books. It also contains about 700 photos shedding new light on 200 Korean structures including royal palaces, temples, fortresses, pagodas, individual hanok houses and even the sites where only the traces of old buildings remain.

Hyeonamsa broke new ground with the publication of Fabre’s Book of Insects (10 volumes), a complete 10-volume series that marked the country’s first-ever full Korean translation. Kim Jinil, professor emeritus of Sungshin Women’s University, translated the monumental series, reflecting the original text’s content and style to the fullest. Kim, a scholar who has engaged in the study of insects for more than 40 years, obtained his doctorate degree

in entomology at Montpellier University. Fabre himself received a degree at the same university. The Korean-language translation version contains the 500 pictures in the original French text and an additional 800 photographs of insects and imaginative illustrations. Thanks to the series’ high quality and stylish editing, Hyeonamsa continues to gain interest from China and other Asian countries.

Art history is another field where Hyeonamsa has broken new ground with Gyeomjae Jeong Seon, a three-volume work by renowned scholar Choe Wansu. Choe is the research head of Kansong Art Museum who studied the Joseon period’s landscape paintings for 40-plus years. Choe says, “Gyeomgjae Jeong Seon’s True-view landscape paintings depict Joseon’s land as it is, making a significant departure from the Chinese painting style, and it’s the very essence of the Joseon art tradition.” Choe’s lifelong research of Chusa Kim Jeong-hee, a renowned calligrapher of the Joseon period, will be published in 2013 by Hyeonamsa.

Hyeonamsa’s recent titles that might interest foreign readers are: What’s the Fun If You Live Well Alone (Jeon Uik), Thinking with Lao Tzu (Oh Kangnam), Thinking with Chuang Tzu (An Dong-lyim), Pansori Tales for Children Retold (Seo Jeongo), Samguk Yusa on the Road (Ko Ungi), Freedom to Read Books (Lee Hyeon-woo), Street Corner Architecture: Medium Architecture Beyond the Myth of Construction (K im Sung-hong ), a nd Remembering the Past by Looking at Old Paintings (Sohn Cheolju).

by Cheon Seung-hoon

4. Gyeomjae Jeong Seon (3 vols.)

Choe Wansu, HYEONAMSA 2009, ISBN 9788932315324

4

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Afterword

Korea: Past and Present

The fortuneteller had a nice perch in the laneway leading to the church. The wall behind blocked the wind and he had built a little awning to protect the books of his trade which were arrayed on two little stools. The third stool he sat on himself. Fervent ladies on their way home from mass—when they thought no one was looking—checked important matters such as dates for weddings or taking a trip. The parish priest, a man with two decades experience of East Asian affairs, was wise enough to know when it behooved him not to know such things and when to avail himself of the services on offer. A kindly man, he always gave the fortuneteller the high form.

“Good morning, Mr. Kim. Have you had your rice?”

“Yes, thank you, Father. Lovely day and how are you?”

“Fine, thank you. Is it a good day for things in general?”

“Depends on what you have in mind, Father.”

“I was thinking of planting a few trees.”

The fortuneteller looked up the books. An enquiry from the foreign priest brought a measure of gravitas to his enterprise. It took a few minutes.

“Not so good this morning, Father,” he said, “but anytime after three will be fine.”

When the parish priest got home, he called the cook.

“We’ll plant the camellia today,” he said. “The fortuneteller says it’s auspicious after three.”

“How much did you give him, Father?” the cook asked.

“A thousand won,” he replied.

“Father, don’t you know you can’t get anything worthwhile nowadays for a thousand won!”

That’s the Korea I came to in 1964. I came from an Ireland that was one of the poorest countries in Europe; outdoor toilets and houses without running water or electricity were still common. And I remember a confrere on Korea’s East Coast telling me that a tilley lamp was a better reading light than any bulb. I did not realize how backward Ireland was in 1964 because it was a paradise compared to Korea, even if Korea with its dusty roads, shibal taxis, trams, broken bridges and fortunetellers was a much more exotic place to live. Seoul was a city of three million people with three bridges over the Han and one ten-story building in

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the heart of the city. Gangnam was paddy fields. There were a hundred kilometers of paved road in the entire country.

Buses and trucks roared along country roads filling the air and lungs with grit. It was a lot of fun getting where you wanted to go, but you arrived with dust embedded in every pore.

The awareness of Korea’s natural beauty is a fairly recent phenomenon. In the 19th century when Korea was still a hermit kingdom, the tops of mountains and headlands were denuded, and the countryside, at least what was visible from the sea, was deliberately made ugly in order to discourage interest on the part of foreign devils.

In the ‘60s and ‘70s the area around City Hall had lovely winding alleyways dotted with teahouses and drinking establishments where artists and writers held court.

You could walk into a tearoom and meet Kim Tongni or Seo Jeong-ju or any one of a dozen of the most important men in the arts. The greats sported their fame; they didn’t feel the need to hide behind the veil of anonymity. Kim Sungok’s “Seoul 1964, Winter” was the cult story of the decade; this avant-garde story that proclaimed a new postwar existentialism, sent me looking for the scratch on the door of the toilet in the Yeungbo Building in Jongno. Seoul was an exciting place to be. Parts of Deoksu Palace, the widening of Jongno and the construction of Pagoda Park may have been the brainchild of an Irishman, Sir John McLeavy Brown, Chief Commissioner of the Korean Customs and Financial Adviser to King Gojong, but most of what happened here is rooted in 1,500 years of cultural history and in the Korean character that grew therein.

Korea is now a modern nation, its economy a world leader. Yet despite all the extraordinary changes that have happened over the last 50 years, the fortunetellers still sit on their stools and the women still ask them for auspicious dates for family gatherings. That intimacy is what’s nice about living in Korea. Hyeshim’s poem from the 12th century, “Small Lotus Pond,” always rings in my ears: No wind, no swell; a world so various opens before my eyes.

No need for a lot of words; to look is to see.

Surely this is the ultimate lesson.

by Kevin O’Rourke

* Kevin O'Rourke is professor emeritus at Kyunghee University. Born in 1940, O’Rourke came to Korea as a Catholic priest in 1964 and began to teach English literature at Kyunghee University in 1977. O’Rourke is regarded as one of the best translators specializing in Korean literature.

He has translated and published 20 books in a wide range of genres including modern literature and the classics. Among his works, The Contemporary Korean Poets (1980) won the Best Translation Award organized by the Poetry Society of London.

Contributors

Bae No-pil is a reporter with the JoongAng Ilbo.

Cha Mi-ryeong is a literary critic and assistant professor of education at GIST College.

Cheon Seung-hoon is a reporter covering the publishing industry on the Culture Desk of the Dong-A lbo.

Cho Yeon-jung is a literary critic. She made her debut in 2006 when she won the Seoul Shinmun New Critic’s Award.

Eom Hye-suk is a researcher in children’s literature and a critic of illustrated books. She also works as a translator. Her most well-known work is Reading My Delightful Illustrated Books.

Gwak Byeong-chang is a playwright and professor of creative writing at Woosuk University. He has published a collection of plays, Beyond the River, Fog, Forest and a collection of critical reviews, Play, Drama, Festival.

Han Mihwa writes on the subject of publishing. Her written works include Bestsellers of Our Time and This Is How Bestsellers Are Made, Vols. 1, 2.

Han Sung-dong is a senior reporter at The Hankyoreh. He has published Kicking the Republic of Korean and translated several books into Korean.

Heo Yunhee is a reporter covering the publishing industry on the Culture Desk of The Chosun Ilbo.

Jang Dongseok is a book columnist and critic in the publishing industry.

He is the author of The Living Library.

Jang Sungkyu is a literary critic. He currently lectures at Kwangwoon University.

Jeong Young-hoon is a literary critic and professor of Korean Literature at Gyeongsang University. He has published Writing and Identity in Choi In-hoon’s Novels. He is currently an editorial advisor to a literary magazine, Segyeui Munhak.

Jung Yeo-ul is a literary critic. Jung lectures at Seoul National University and the Korean National University of Arts.

Kang Yu-jung is a literary critic. In 2007, she published Oedipus’ Forest.

Currently, she teaches at Korea University and is a member of the editorial committee for the quarterly publication Segyeui Munhak.

Kim Dongshik is a literary critic and a professor of Korean language and literature at Inha University. He has published Cynicism and Fascination.

He is on the editorial board of list_ Books from Korea.

Kim Ji-eun is a children’s book writer and children’s literature critic.

She currently lectures on theories of children's fiction writing in the Department of Creative Writing at Hanshin University.

Kim Su-yeong is president of Rhodus Publishing Co., and a lecturer of philosophy. He is on the editorial board of list_Books from Korea.

Kim Yeran is a professor of media art at Kwangwoon University and is on the editorial board of list_Books from Korea.

Kim Yonghee is a literary critic and professor of Korean Literature at Pyeongtaek University. Her works include Penelope’s Loom: Modern Women Poets and Going to Heaven. She is on the editorial board of list_Books from Korea.

Kim Young-burn is a reporter on the Culture Desk of the Munhwa Il-bo.

Lee Kwon-woo is a book reviewer. He has published A Lazy Person’s Reading and A Master Reader: Homo Bookus.

Oh Seran is a critic of children’s literature. Oh won the Changbi Children’s New Critic Award in 2007 and wrote The Life and Literature of Kwon Jeong-saeng and Lee Won-su and Children’s Literature in South Korea.

Pyo Jeonghun is a book reviewer, columnist, translator, and freelance writer. He has translated 10 books into Korean and written Books Have Their Own Destiny, A Short Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, and An Interview with My Teacher: What Is Philosophy?

Richard Hong is a book columnist and the head of BC Agency. He translated 13: The Story of the World’s Most Notorious Superstitions, has appeared on KBS 1 Radio’s “Global Today,” and writes columns for The Korea Economic Daily and Posco News.

Yi Myung-suk is a columnist. He has published such books as Yi Mung-Suk’s Japanese Comics, Manhwa: Finding the Critical Point, and A Cafe for Every Day. Yoon So-hee is a children’s book writer. She has written such works as Prejudice, Aram’s Secret, and 7 Stories to Help You Study. She is the winner of the 13th MBC Children’s Writing Prize. She is on the editorial board of list_Books from Korea.

Yu Youngjin is a children’s literature critic and a teacher at Jaun Elementary School. He is the author of The Body’s Imagination and Fairy Tale.

Yun Sukjin is a professor of Korean literature at Chungnam National University and a drama critic. Yun’s major works include The Modern Imagination of Korean Melodramas, The Drama Confrontation Between Kim Sam-sun and Jang Jun-heok, and TV Drama: Talk about Life.

Translators Ann Isaac moved to Korea in 2001 to study Korean. She currently translates from Korean to English, with a special interest in literary translation.

Cho Yoonna is a freelance interpreter and translator.

Choi Inyoung is an artist and translator specializing in Korean literature and the arts. She has been translating for over 20 years.

H. Jamie Chang is a Bostonian/ Busanian freelance translator.

Janet Hong is a writer and translator living in Toronto, Canada. She won the grand prize for her translation of Ha Seong-nan's "The Woman Next Door" in the 32nd Korea Times Modern Literature Translation Contest, and was the recipient of a grant from the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.

Jung Yewon is currently working as a freelance interpreter and translator.

Jung received the Daesan Foundation Translation Grant in 2009. She is currently working on No One Writes Back, a novel by Jang Eun-jin.

Kari Schenk was the co-recipient of the commendation award in the 2006 Korea Times contest for new translators, and in 2010 she attended a special course in translation at KLTI. She lectures in English at Korea University.

Kevin O'Rourke is a professor emeritus at Kyunghee University. He has translated over 20 books in a wide range of genres. Among his works, The Contemporary Korean Poets (1980) won the Best Translation Award organized by the Poetry Society of London.

Kim Hee-young is an editor and freelance translator.

Kim Soyoung is currently working on translating fiction and nonfiction in Korean into English.

Kim Ungsan is a freelance translator.

He has worked as a lecturer in English literature at Seoul National University as well as at Korea National Open University.

Marilyn Plumlee is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of English Linguistics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Park Sang-yon has translated a number of books and papers on Korean Studies including Suwon Hwaseong: The New City of the Joseon Dynasty Built on the Spirit of Practical Learning.

Peter J. Koh is a freelance translator and interpreter who completed KLTI's Special Workshop in 2009 and Intensive Workshop in 2010. He currently resides in Seoul.

So r a K i m - Ru s s e l l t e a c h e s f u l l time at Ewha Womans University’s Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation and is currently translating a novel and a short story collection.

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Contributors

Featured Authors

Yang Sung-jin is a staff reporter and editor at The Korea Herald. Yang wrote a Korean history book in English, Click into the Hermit Kingdom, and a newsbased English vocabulary book, News English Power Dictionary.

Fiction pp. 42-44, pp. 57-58

Yi Jeong-hyeon is a freelance translator.

She has translated several books and papers, including Korean Traditional Landscape Architecture, and Atlas of Korean History.

Yun Yennie a freelance translator for KBS World Radio. She won the 7th Korean Literature Translation Contest for New Translators in 2008 and is working on the translation of Eun Hee-Kyung’s Let Boys Cry with support from KLTI.

Kim Stoker is an editor and fulltime lecturer at Duksung Women’s University.

Krys Lee is an editor, translator, and fiction writer. Her short story collection Drifting House was published by Viking/Penguin in the US and Faber and Faber in the UK, in 2012.

Cover Art Park Hang Ryul has had over 28 domestic and international solo exhibits and participated in over 150 group exhibits, including the São Paulo Art Biennale. He is currently professor of fine art at Sejoug University. hrpark@sejong.ac.kr www.hangryul.com

Kim Yeon-su is a novelist. Kim debuted in 1993 by publishing a poem in Writer’s World. He published the novel Walking While Pointing to the Mask in 1994, which received the Writer’s World Award. His novel Goodbye Mr. Yi Sang won the Dongsuh Literary Award, and Kim won the Dongin Literary Award with When Still a Child in 2003. Other awards he has received include the Daesan Literary Award in 2005 for I Am a Ghost Writer; the Hwang Sun-won Literary Award in 2007 for The Comedian Who Went to the Moon; and the Yi Sang Literary Award in 2009 for his short story “Five Pleasures of Those Who Take Walks.”

Kim’s other novels are Route 7, The Night Is Singing, and Wonder Boy. His story collections include Twenty and The End of the World, Girlfriend.

Kim Young-ha is a novelist. He debut edwith “Reflections on a Mirror”

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Hungku Kim © ScienceBooks

Editors

Jeong Chan is a novelist. Jung debuted with the publication of a novella in the magazine World of Language, in 1983. His story collections include The River of Memory, The Road of Comfort, and Die in Venice. His novels include Evening of the World, Golden Ladder, Under the Broom Tree, Wilderness, and A Wanderer. He has won many literary awards, including the Dongin Literary Award.

for the quarterly journal, Review, in 1995. Kim’s much-celebrated novels include Black Flower, Your Republic Is Calling You, Quiz Show, I Have the Right to Destroy Myself, Why Arang, and I Hear Your Voice. Kim’s short story collections include None the Wiser, Brother Returns, What Happened to the Guy Stuck in the Elevator, and Pager. Kim has won many literary awards including the Dongin Literary Award, the Hwang Sun-won Literary Award, the Hyundae Literary Award, and the Yi Sang Literary Award. Kim’s stories have been translated into many languages and are available in 10 countries including the U.S., France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey.

Lee Eung-jun is a poet and novelist.

He published a poem in the quarterly Literature & Criticism and formally debuted as a novelist by publishing a short story in the literary journal, Imagination. He published the poetry collection, Lover; the short story collections My Girlfriend’s Funeral and Love Affair of a Callous Animal; and the novels Private Life of the Nation and All About My Romance.

Han Yu-joo is a novelist. In 2003, she made her literary debut by winning the new writer’s award from Literature and Society. She has published the short story collections To the Moon, The Book of Ice, and My Left Hand Is the King and My Right Hand Is His Scribe. Her short story “Mak” won the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award in 2009.

Leontief Prize, which helped him gain a reputation as a leading economist. His major works include Bad Samaritans, 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism, Making the Right Economic Choice: Neoliberalism Versus Productive Welfare.

Park Keum-san is a novelist. Park made his literary debut with “Accomplice” for the literary journal Munye Joongang in 2001. Kim’s novels include Island Table and Pretending to Exist, Not to Exist. He has also published a serialized novel Body Painting and the short story collections A Birthday Present and Did She See My Toes?

Hungku Kim © ScienceBooks

Hwang Jeong-eun is a novelist. She made her literary debut with the short story “Mother,” which won the literary contest held by the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper in 2005. She has published two short story collections The Seven Thirty-two Elephant Train and Into the World of Passi and the novel One Hundred Shadows. In 2010, she won the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award with One Hundred Shadows.

Choe Jae-chun is an evolutionary biologist and department chair of ecoscience at Ewha Womans University.

Choe, known for his passion to make science more available for the general public, first became known through the translation of Edward Wilson’s Consilience. He received the John Henry Comstock Award from the Entomological Society of America in 1989 and the Korea Science Culture Award in 2000. Choe is also the director of Eco-Science Research Center at Ewha Womans University. His books include Ant Empire Unearthed: A Fascinating Story of an Ant Colony, and Darwinian Intelligence.

Nonfiction pp. 60-70 Hong Nan-young has been running a food blog since 2006 and won the Best Blogger designation for four straight years. In 2010, Hong become CEO of a social marketing firm, Food Sister Company. She is the author of Seoul Noodle Road.

Chang Ha-joon is an economist. He has been professor of economics at the University of Cambridge since 1990.

In 2003, his book, Kicking Away the Ladder, was awarded the Gunnar Myrdal Prize for Best Monograph by the EAEPE (European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy).

In 2005, he was awarded the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought by Tufts University. Chang was the youngest recipient of the Wassily

Hur Tae-kyun is a social psychologist and professor of psychology at Korea University. From the perspective of social psychology, Hur is investigating the mechanism of choices and

decision-making, perception of threats, regrets, and errors in judgment. Hur has published more than 40 articles in respectable journals at home and abroad. Hur translated If Only into Korean and wrote Sometimes Sane.

Hwang Kwang-woo is a scholar interested in philosophy and humanities. Based in Gwangju, Hwang is teaching classical texts at the Dasan Institute. Hwang’s published works include Philosophy Concert, Great Thoughts That Changed History, and Philosophize!

Jung Byung-sul is a professor of Korean literature at Seoul National University. Jung specializes in Korean classical literature and researches Korean-language novels and related culture of the Joseon period. Jung’s works include I Am a Gisaeng: Reading Sosurok, Guunmongdo, Risqué Stories of the Joseon Era and Power and Human Nature: Prince Sado and the Royal Court of Joseon. Jung translated The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong and is now translating Guunmong and researching literature on Catholic martyrs.

Jung Woo-hyeun is the founder of Mr. Pizza, a South Korean pizza restaurant chain. Jung has built his franchise into the country’s No. 1 pizza brand in the past 18 years, solidifying his position as the “pizza master.” He is the author of Master of the Trade.

Kan Hosup is a fashion designer and professor at Hongik University. Kan promoted Korean fashion by taking advantage of his overseas experiences.

He works as a creative director and advisor for various brands and media venues, and helps advance the local fashion industry. Kan is the author of Aim for Fashion with Passion from the Runway.

Kim Chung-woon is a cultural psychologist. Kim is head of the Leisure Culture Research Center in Myungji University and director of the Human Management Research Center. He is carrying out various projects related to the leisure industry and contributing articles to Dong-a Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo and other newspapers, stressing the importance of managing leisure time.

Kim’s major published works include Cultural Psychology, Successful Leisure Technique, You Succeed as Much as You Play, and Something Special for Men.

Kim Hak-min is the head of the Pressian Food Culture School. Kim wrote regular columns titled “Kim Hak-min’s Food Story” and “Kim Hak-min’s Drinking Life” for The Hankyoreh 21, a weekly magazine. Kim focused on introducing Korea’s popular drinks and food items to the public.

He wrote In the Beginning, There Was Alcohol.

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K i m Yo u n g - m e i s a p r o d u c e r specializing in the coverage of conflictladen regions. At the age of 30, she came to read an article about a female college student who got killed during the civil war in East Timor.

Kim packed up and headed to East Timor right away. Since then, she has reported on the world’s major regions struggling with civil wars and other serious conflicts. She also produced a piece about Korean sailors on the vessel Dongwon, who were kidnapped by pirates off Somalia. She made a number of documentaries such as SBS’s “Blue Angel of East Timor” and wrote People Hurt.

Lee Daesung is a photojournalist. He lives in France and continues to work in Eastern Europe and India. Lee published the photography collection, Dark Land, Bright Hope.

Lee Sang-bae is CEO of the online marketing firm MAKIIND. Lee provides consulting to Hanwha, KOTRA, and other enterprises.

Lee is one of the first-generation experts on social media and social marketing. Since 2007, Lee’s blog has been one of the most popular sites among marketers in South Korea. He published The DIY Guide to Social Media Marketing.

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Norbert Cha Dong-yeob is a Roman Catholic priest who was ordained in 1991. He is professor at Catholic University based in Incheon and also head of the Future Pastoral Institute.

He published Blessing of the Rainbow, Reading the Vein of the Bible Series (Happiness Code), Forgotten Questions That Will Pump Up the Heart, and many others.

Soonkki is a comic artist. Since 2010, she has serialized the webtoon “Cheese in the Trap, Season 1” on Naver. com. The online comic series won the Reader’s Comics Awards in 2010 and 2011. Her webtoon series has also been published as a book with the same title.

Jung Ok is a children’s book writer.

Jung’s debut work Imo's House of Dreams won the Ma Haesong Literary Award. Jung published Imo's House of Dreams, The Tree Boy, and I’m Going to Become a Witch.

Children's Book pp. 72-75

Oh Eun-yeong is a psychiatrist who specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry. She is an adjunct professor of Yonsei University Medical School and a member of the Child Abuse Prevention Center. She is also director of the Children and Adolescent Clinic and the Learning and Development Center. She published Anxious Mother and Indifferent Father and Stress in Children.

Park Kyung-chol is a surgeon, also known as the ‘country doctor.’ One of the most celebrated intellectuals in Korean society, Park is an expert in economics, a popular columnist, and bestselling writer. His published works include A Country Doctor's Beautiful Companion, Economics of the Rich: A Country Doctor's Secret Guide to Investment, and Still Dreaming Of Striking Gold?

Choi Yang-sun is a children’s book writer. Choi made his literary debut with his novel Monster Virus City in 2009, which won the Munhakdongne Children’s Literature Award. Choi’s A Town Hidden from the Map won the Changbi Good Children’s Book Award in the category of ‘Good Children’s Book’ in 2011. He published Monster Virus City and A Town Hidden from the Map.

Ha Eun-kyung is a children’s book writer. Ha’s Hi, Spong Tree won the Munhakdongne Children’s Literature Award in 2007. Ha published Hi, Spong Tree, and The Nari Elementary School Scandal.

Kim Somin is a children’s book writer.

She made her literary debut by winning the Socheon Children’s Book Award in the category of new writers. Her Witch Capsule’s Abracadabra Pharmacy won the BIR Literary Award in 2011. She also published Raccoon ‘Ggaeggeumi’ in the Lab.

Lee Eun-yong is a children’s book writer. Her book The Thirteenth Child won the Munhakdongne Children’s Literature Award.

INDEX Title Original Title Publishers/Agent Copyright Agent E-mail Phone Homepage

11p The Days of Sungkyunkwan Confucian Students (Seonggyungwan Yusaengdeurui Nanal) Paran Media Im Su-jin paranbook@gmail.com 82-2-3141-5589 paranbook.egloos.com The Immortal Yi Sun-shin (Bulmyeorui Isunsin) Goldenbough Publishing Co., Ltd. Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000 (Ext. 206) www.goldenf.net A Novel: Dong Eui Bo Gam (Soseol Donguibogam) Maroniebooks Choi Hong-kyu hkchoi@maroniebooks.com 82-31-8070-8246 www.maroniebooks.com

13p Korean History Letters (Hanguksa Pyeonji) Cum Libro Kim Na-young prpub@hanmail.net 82-2-335-1982 blog.naver.com/prpub

14p The House Where Books Dwell (Chaekgwa Nonineun Jip) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

Kate Han rights@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com Letters from Chojeong-ni (Chojeongni Pyeonji) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Choi Ko-eun copyright2@changbi.com 82-31-955-4359 www.changbi.com/english A Child Who Delivers a Letter (Seochareul Jeonhaneun Ai) Prunsoop Publishing Co., Ltd. Kim Sol-mi peach@prunsoop.co.kr 82-31-955-1410 (Ext. 302) www.prunsoop.co.kr

17p Song of the Sword (Karui Norae) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

Kate Han rights@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com

17p

25p

38p

Mishil (Misil) KL Management Joseph Lee josephlee705@gmail.com 82-10-6239-9154

A Life-Changing Encounter: Jeong Yakyong and His Pupil Hwang Sang (Salmeul Bakkun Mannam: Seuseung Jeongyagyonggwa Jeja Hwangsang) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

Kate Han rights@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com

Song Geon-ho: A Journalist Turned Warrior (Songgeonho Pyeongjeon: Sidaega Tusaro Mandeun Eonnonseonbi) Chaekbose Publishing Ltd. Han Seung-o chaekbose@gmail.com 82-2-322-0513

Black Flower (Geomeun Kkot) Lippincott Massie McQuilkin Kent D. Wolf kent@lmqlit.com 212-352-2055 www.lmqlit.com The Deep-rooted Tree (Ppuri Gipeun Namu) KL Management Joseph Lee josephlee705@gmail.com 82-10-6239-9154

19p Song Si-yeol and His Country (Songsiyeolgwa Geuui Nara) Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. Lee You-jeong bookmaker@gimmyoung.com 82-2-3668-3203 www.gimmyoung.com/english A Country the Crown Prince Sado Dreamt Of (Sadosejaga Kkumkkun Nara) Wisdomhouse Publishing Co., Ltd. Kwon Min-kyung ohappyday@wisdomhouse.co.kr 82-31-936-4199 www.wisdomhouse.co.kr Histories Whisper (Yeoksadeuri Soksaginda) Phronesis Kim Chan-young rights@wjbooks.co.kr 82-2-3670-1168 www.wjthinkbig.com Reading History with Literature, Reading Literature with History (Munhageuro Yeoksa Ikgi, Yeoksaro Munhwa Ikgi) Sakyejul Publishing Ltd. Kang Hyun-joo 82-31-955-8600 www.sakyejul.co.kr The Age of Maritime Expansion (Daehanghae Sidae) Seoul National University Press Sim Kyeong-yong sky830127@snu.ac.kr 82-2-889-0434 www.snupress.com History: Everything One Has to Know (Yeoksa: Sarami Araya Hal Modeun Geot) Dulnyouk Sunwoo Mi-jeong jerome@ddd21.co.kr 82-31-955-7386 www.ddd21.co.kr

21p Playground of History: West, East, Korea (Jonghoengmujin Yeoksa) Greenbee Publishing Company Lim Eugene dayongdo@greenbee.co.kr 82-2-702-2717 www.greenbee.co.kr

A Book of Dasan’s Quotations (Dasaneorokcheongsang) Prume Song Yeo-kyoung prume88@hanmail.net 82-2-334-4285 prume88.blog.me Madness Is Genius (Michyeoya Michinda) Prunyoksa Shin Sang-mee rolieca@hotmail.com 82-2-720-8920 www.bluehistory.net Dasan’s Knowledge Management (Dasan Seonsaeng Jisikgyeongyeongbeop) Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. Lee You-jeong bookmaker@gimmyoung.com 82-2-3668-3203 www.gimmyoung.com/english A Walk Through the Beauty of Classical Korean Poetry (Majimak Ibenteu) Humanist Publishing Group Jun Doohyun jdh2001@humanistbooks.com 82-70-7842-9404 www.humanistbooks.com

31p What You Never Know (Neoneun Moreunda) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

Kate Han rights@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com My Sweet Seoul (Dalkomhan Naui Dosi) Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. Choi Ji-in jiin@moonji.com 82-2-338-7224 (Ext. 7111) www.moonji.com Romantic Love and Society (Nangmanjeok Saranggwa Sahoe) Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. Choi Ji-in jiin@moonji.com 82-2-338-7224 (Ext. 7111) www.moonji.com Hyundae Literary Award: Sampoong Department Store and Other Stories (Sampungbaekhwajeom) Hyundaemunhak Publishing Co. Choi Hae-kyoung sinpodo@hdmh.co.kr 82-2-2017-0295 www.hdmh.co.kr

38p More Than Witnesses (Sidaereul Jikin Yangsim) Korea Democracy Foundation Yang Ji-yeon yangji@kdemo.or.kr 82-2-3709-7536 www.kdemocracy.or.kr

39p History of the Korean Democracy Movement (Hangungminjuhwaundongsa) Dolbegae Publishers Kwon Young-min inboil@dolbegae.co.kr 82-31-955-5038 www.dolbegae.co.kr Time According to Historians (Yeoksagaui Sigan) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Choi Ko-eun copyright2@changbi.com 82-31-955-4359 www.changbi.com/english Country of the Rulers, Country of the People (Jibaejaui Gukga, Minjungui Nara) Dolbegae Publishers Kwon Young-min inboil@dolbegae.co.kr 82-31-955-5038 www.dolbegae.co.kr June Democracy Movement (6Wolhangjaeng) Dolbegae Publishers Kwon Young-min inboil@dolbegae.co.kr 82-31-955-5038 www.dolbegae.co.kr Sixty Years of Modern Korean History: 1945~2005 (Hangukhyeondaesa 60Nyeon: 1945~2005) Yuksa Bipyungsa Cho Su-jeong yukbi@chol.com 82-2-741-6125 www.yukbi.com

40p Ever So Thankful (Jigyeopdorok Gomaun Saramdeura) Humanitas Lee Jin-sil ljstruth@hanmail.net 82-2-739-9929 www.humanitasbook.co.kr A Single Spark: The Biography of Chun Tae-il (Jeontaeil Pyeongjeon) Chun Tae-il Memorial Foundation Ha Jang-ho chuntaeil@chuntaeil.org 82-2-3672-4138 www.chuntaeil.org

41p I, a Woman Worker (Na, Yeoseong Nodongja) Greenbee Publishing Company Lim Eugene dayongdo@greenbee.co.kr 82-2-702-2717 www.greenbee.co.kr Salt Flowers (Sogeumkkot Namu) Humanitas Lee Jin-sil ljstruth@hanmail.net 82-2-739-9929 www.humanitasbook.co.kr

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43p

63p

67p

74p

A Wanderer (Yurangja) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

Kate Han rights@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com

Social Capital (Sahoejeok Jabon) Moonyechoonchu Han Seung-soo hvline@naver.com 82-01-2776-5959 www.moonycc.co.kr

The Thirteenth Child (Yeolse Beon Jjae Ai) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

Kate Han rights@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com

44p

People Hurt (Sarami Apeuda) Chungrim Publishing Co., Ltd. Joo Min-sook sophiajoo@chungrim.com 82-2-546-4341 www.chungrim.com

Making the Right Economic Choice: Neoliberalism Versus Productive Welfare (Mueoseul Seontaekhal Geonninga) Bookie Publishing House Seo Hee-jeong hj_seo@bookie.co.kr 82-2-338-0873 www.bookie.co.kr

All About My Romance (Nae Yeonaeui Modeun Geot) Minumsa Publishing Group Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000 (Ext. 206) www.minumsa.com Wonder Boy (Wondeoboi) KL Management Joseph Lee josephlee705@gmail.com 82-10-6239-9154

57p I Hear Your Voice (Neoui Moksoriga Deullyeo) Kent D. Wolf kent@lmqlit.com 212-352-2055 www.lmqlit.com Pretending to Exist, Not to Exist (Jonjaein Cheok, Anin Cheok) Edition PPUL Kim Chan-young 82-2-3670-1168 www.wjthinkbig.com

58p My Left Hand Is the King and My Right Hand Is His Scribe (Naui Oensoneun Wang, Oreunsoneun Wangui Pilgyeongsa) Moonji Publishing Co., Ltd. Choi Ji-in jiin@moonji.com 82-2-338-7224 (Ext. 7111) www.moonji.com Into the World of Passi (Passiui Immun) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Lee Soonhwa copyright@changbi.com 82-31-955-3369 www.changbi.com

61p Forgotten Questions That Will Pump Up the Heart (Nae Gaseumeul Dasi Ttwige Hal Ithyeojin Jilmun) Myung Jin Publications Inc. Han Hye-jung myungjinbooks@gmail.com 82-2-326-0026 (Ext.112) www.myungjinbooks.com

62p Something Special for Men (Namjaui Mulgeon) Book21 Publishing Group Song Hye-jung ssong@book21.co.kr 82-31-955-2194 www.book21.com Still Dreaming Of Striking Gold?

(Geudae Ajikdo Bujareul Kkumkkuneunga) TINDRUM Publishing Ltd. Kim Injung book4u@tindrum.co.kr 82-2-335-6407 cafe.daum.net/tindrum

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64p Sometimes Sane (Gakkeumeun Jejeongsin) Sam&Parkers Jeannie Hwang jeannie_hwang@smpk.kr 82-2-3140-4671 www.smpk.co.kr Philosophize!

(Cheolhakhara) Thinking Garden Publisher Park Jae-ho pjh7936@hanmail.net 82-10-2359-7936 blog.naver.com/3347932

65p Power and Human Nature: Prince Sado and the Royal Court of Joseon (Gwollyeokgwa Ingan: Sadosejaui Jugeumgwa Joseon Wangsil) Munhakdongne Publishing Corp.

Kate Han rights@munhak.com 82-31-955-2635 www.munhak.com Dark Land, Bright Hope (Geomeun Ttang, Malgeun Huimang) Rambler Lee Chul-ho rambler413@gmail.com 82-10-2644-6425 cafe.daum.net/ramblerbook

66p Aim for Fashion with Passion from the Runway (Reonwei Wiui Yeoljeongeuro Paesyeoneul Wanseonghara) RH Korea Chung Ju-yi jychung@rhk.co.kr 82-2-6443-8920 www.randombooks.co.kr Darwinian Intelligence (Darwin Jineung) ScienceBooks Michelle Nam michellenam@minumsa.com 82-2-515-2000 (Ext. 206) www.minumsa.com

67p The DIY Guide to Social Media Marketing (Makidieoui Sosyeolmaketing Jeongseok) EasysPublishing Co., Ltd. Lee Joo-dong nlrose@easyspub.co.kr 82-10-2229-9560 www.easyspub.co.kr

68p Master of the Trade (Naneun Kkunida) Wisdomhouse Publishing Co., Ltd. Kwon Min-kyung ohappyday@wisdomhouse.co.kr 82-31-936-4199 www.wisdomhouse.co.kr Seoul Noodle Road (Seoul Nudeullodeu) Bookway Lee Ho-chul master@bookway.kr 82-70-4268-5012 www.bookway.kr

69p In the Beginning, There Was Alcohol (Taechoe Suri Iseonne) BookSea Publishing Co. Jung Ji-won shmj21@hanmail.net 82-31-955-7470 www.booksea.co.kr Stress in Children (Aiui Seuteureseu) Woongjin Think Big Co., Ltd. Kim Chan-young rights@wjbooks.co.kr 82-2-3670-1168 www.wjbooks.co.kr

70p A Child's Emotional Intelligence (Aiui Jeongseojineung) Knowledge Channel Lee Bo-ra foreign_right@sigongsa.com 82-2-2046-2856 www.sigongsa.com Cheese in the Trap, Season 1 (Chijeu In Deo Teuraep Sijeun 1) Funnism Kim Chan-young rights@wjbooks.co.kr 82-2-3670-1168 www.wjbooks.co.kr

71p In This Earth and In That Wind (Heuk Soge Jeo Baram Soge) Munhaksasang Co., Ltd. Yoon Hye-jun munsa@munsa.co.kr 82-2-3401-8543 www.munsa.co.kr

73p A Town Hidden from the Map (Jidoe Eomneun Maeul) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Choi Ko-eun copyright2@changbi.com 82-31-955-4359 www.changbi.com

74p Witch Capsule's Abracadabra Pharmacy (Kaepsyulmanyeoui Surisuri Yakguk) BIR Publishing Co., Ltd. Sujin Lena Park sujinpark@bir.co.kr 82-2-515-2000 (Ext.350) www.bir.co.kr

75p I’m Going to Become a Witch (Nan Manyeoga Doelgeoya) Samtoh Hong Mira rights@isamtoh.com 82-10-2303-5438 www.isamtoh.com The Nari Elementary School Scandal (Narichodeunghakgyo Seukaendeul) Hankyoreh Publishing Co. Yeom Mi-hee salt23@hanibook.co.kr 82-2-6373-6730 www.hanibook.co.kr

76p My Sister, Mongsil (Mongsireonni) Changbi Publishers, Inc. Choi Ko-eun copyright2@changbi.com 82-31-955-4359 www.changbi.com

84p One Hundred Trees of Korea That We Must Absolutely Learn About (Uriga Jeongmal Araya Hal Urinamu 100Gaji) HYEONAMSA Cho Eunmi bscrap@hyeonamsa.com 82-2-365-5051 (Ext. 300) www.hyeonamsa.com

LTI Korea Overseas Publication Grants

FAQ What is list_Books from Korea, and where can I find it? list is a quarterly magazine packed with information about Korean books.

Register online at www.list.or.kr to receive a free subscription.

Can I get it in English?

The printed edition of list is available in English and Chinese.

The webzine (www.list.or.kr) is available in English, Chinese, and Korean.

What if I want information about Korean books more often?

We offer a monthly online newsletter.

Simply email list_korea @ klti.or.kr to begin receiving your free copy.

list is published by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, which is affiliated with the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

LTI Korea’s mission is to contribute to global culture by expanding the knowledge of Korean literature and culture abroad.

Visit www.klti.or.kr to learn about our many translation, publication, cultural exchange, and education programs.

Contact: list_korea @ klti.or.kr

list_Books from Korea App (iPad only) now available for download

• Part of the total publication expense • The amount varies depending on the cost of publication and the genre of the book.

• The grant will be issued after publication.

Application

LTI Korea provides publication grants to overseas publishers who are planning to publish or have already published translated Korean books. The aim is to reach more international readers through increased overseas publications of Korean books.

• Required Documents 1. Publisher’s profile 2. Publication plan 3. A copy of the contract between the publisher and the translator 4. A copy of the contract between the publisher and the copyright holder • Register as a member on LTI Korea’s English website (http://eng.klti.or.kr) • Complete an online application form on the website and upload the required documents.

Qualifications

Schedule

• Any publisher who has signed a contract for the publication rights of a Korean book and can publish the book by December 2012.

• Any publisher who has already published a translated Korean book in 2012, based on a contract for publication rights of the book.

• Submission deadlines: March 31/ June 30/ September 30 • Applicants will be notified in April/ July/ October

LTI Korea Translation Grants LTI Korea aims to promote Korean literature overseas by helping produce high-quality translations of Korean books in a way that allows more foreign readers to better understand and appreciate Korean literature.

LTI Korea Assigned Books List Who publishes list_Books from Korea?

Grants

Grants are available only for the titles on the LTI Korea Assigned Books List, which covers titles ranging from literature to humanities to children’s books. New titles are added to the list twice a year, and anyone can recommend titles for the list. Once recommended, a book goes through a screening process by the Books Selection Commission prior to final selection.

Contact grants@klti.or.kr Mina Park (English)/ Youngju Cha (Chinese)

Grant Application • Qualifications: No restriction on nationality or background • Translation languages: All foreign (non-Korean) languages • Number of applicable books: 1 title in literature, humanities, and social science; up to 3 children’s book titles • Grant amount: approximately 16 million won (The amount for children’s books will be determined based on the volume to be translated)

*

The LTI Korea Assigned Books List recommendation form and LTI Korea Translation Grants application form are available on the LTI Korea homepage (www.klti.or.kr). For further information, please refer to the details on the homepage.

Contact Lee Yoomi at the Translation & Publication Team (translation@klti.or.kr/ 82-2-6919-7731)

Vol.16 Summer 2012

Vol.16 Summer 2012

Special Section

Korean History and Storytelling Interviews Professor Jung

Min Novelist Jung Yi-hyun Spotlight on Fiction

“Banner” by Ha Seong-nan The Place

Jeonju Hanji ISSN 2005-2790