Recent books

Share your memories: Korean sports history

Kim Hak-gyun, Nam Jung-seok, Bae Sung-min; econ: 339pp., 15,000 won

This new book by three sports aficionados does exactly what the title suggests: It shares sports memories in Korean sports history.

The authors have different occupations but came together through their common love of sports to compile the collection of essays.

The pieces are divided by sections and laid out on a loosely chronological order, from the incipient stages of sports after the emancipation from Japan to more recent developments like PyeongChang’s successful bid to host the Winter Olympics.

Each chapter mostly focuses on stars, and occasionally teams or moments, accompanied by photographs and briefly summarizes their achievements and the impact they had on society.

Readers will find familiar names, from old-timers such as wrestler Kim Il, footballer Cha Bum-kun and more recent stars such as pitcher Park Chan-ho, golfer Park Se-ri and figure skater Kim Yu-na.

Though somewhat disorganized (it does not mention which author wrote which piece), the structure of the book makes it perfect to put beside the bed to dip into before going to sleep.

— CHO MU-HYUN