Recent Books

The Good Rich

Song Seung-woo; Hwangso Books; 264 pp., 13,800 won

Many people seek money to become rich. But Socrates once said“don’t praise the rich who brag about their assets until you know how they use their money.” People are interested in how they get rich but not that much in how they spend it for the good of society.

This book introduces 10 wealthy Korean people living in the United States including Matthew Lee, Chris Nam and Ryu Eun-ju and reveals how they succeeded, accumulated their fortunes and spent them.

For example, Nam went to the U.S. with only $300 as a first generation immigrant and now serves as CEO of Newstar Realty & Inv. with more than 3 trillion won ($2.5 billion) in profits every year. Also, Ryu, an executive director of Pfizer in the U.S., reveals her secret of success through the preparation of a presentation for two weeks. Surprisingly, she began studying English after she turned 30 years of age.

The author calls them “the good rich” as they practice “noblesse oblige” through donations and charities but some refuse to reveal the details of their good deeds in the book.

The writer says that the book can help change the perception toward the rich positively and give an opportunity to respect them.

-Chung Ah-young