Lifestyle - The Korea Times

RECENT BOOK

“Korean History: A beginner’s Guide”Kim Tae-gyu, Kevin N. Cawley; Adbooks; 135 pp., 13,000 won “Korean History: A beginner’s Guide,” authored by Korea Times reporter Kim Tae-gyu and Kevin Cawley, a professor from University College Cork  National University of Ireland, is an easy-to-read guide on Korean history tailored for foreigners. Instead of providing lengthy explanations, the book briefly outlines all of the major historic events in Korea from the ancient kingdoms to the contemporary period. Special sections are dedicated to Empress Myeongseong, the official wife of King Gojong (1863-1907) of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) killed in 1895 by Japanese assassins, and a personal tale of a Korean wartime sex slave. Kim and Cawley first collaborated on a 10-part series on Korean history published by the newspaper in 2012. The authors describe the book as an extension of their series.  

Apr 11, 2014

Universal appeal

Lee Jung-myung poses with his novel "Investigation," newly translated into English by Pan Macmillan, at a bookstore in London on April 8. / YonhapLee Jung-myung’s “The Investigation” reflects on impact of war, occupationBy Kim Young-jinThere’s no surefire method to predict the international success of a novel, especially one crossing over from a lesser-known market such as Korea. However, there are signposts that make the prognostication a bit easier.There have been a few such hints for Lee Jung-myung’s “The Investigation,” newly translated into English by Pan Macmillan.The novel is generating buzz because of the influential people involved in its English publication. But it’s also because the book explores the Korean experience of the Japanese occupation (1910-45) with nuance and compassion while maintaining a universal tone.It’s backed by global literary agent Barbara Zitwer, who has been involved in the publication of Shin Kyung-sook’s “Please Look After Mom” and other Korean books that have seen international

Apr 11, 2014

Korean authors arrive for London Book Fair

Korean novelist Lee Jung-myung poses with an English version of his novel, “The Investigation,’’ in front of the Goldsboro bookshop in London on Tuesday(KST). / YonhapBy Kim Young-jinThe “Korea Market Focus” of the London Book Fair, a major publishing trade event, opened Tuesday with the attendance of several major Korean literary figures.The Korea-centric event, which aims to highlight the Korean publishing industry, is being held under the theme, “Books opening the mind, doors opening the future.” It is seen as a steppingstone for the country’s authors to become better known internationally.Some of the best-known Korean scribes, including Kim Young-ha, Hwang Sun-mi, Shin Kyung-sook and Yi Mun-yol, were in town to participate in the event, which runs through Thursday. The market focus seeks to highlight a country through seminars on its publishing industry, author roundtables and by creating opportunities for conducting business with the rest of the world.Korean authors pose after participating in a reception for the Korea Ma

Apr 8, 2014

Korean authors arrive for London Book Fair

RECENT BOOKS

Gaepo-dong Kim Gabsoo’s Situation The book is the first novel from Heo Ji-woong, a popular film critic, political pundit and television personality.Using the voice of a narrator, the author tells the story of Kim Gabsoo, a man living in the sleepy southern Seoul neighborhood of Gaepo-dong, spending most of his leisure time hopping from one casual sexual relationship to another.Kim likes the sex, but not commitment. He feels overwhelmed by the intensity of his female partners when they seek to take their relationships to another level. He always wants the next woman to be the one he manages to love and bring him happiness.However, as his relationships continue to end badly, Kim begins to question whether he is capable of feeling love or whether love is an emotion that is not always romantic.Heo has a talent for fast-paced, witty writing, and the book plays to his strengths. It’s not the most thought-provoking of works, but an enjoyable one.By Jung Sung-eun 

Apr 4, 2014

Distance between Christians and Bible

Black comedy challenges those who claim to be Christians, especially mega-church pastorsAuthor Oak Sung-ho’s first novel “Cruel History of Seocho Church”deals with the wrongdoings of church leaders. / Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-hoGerman Catholic priest Martin Luther ignited the Protestant Reformation in 1517 by publishing the 95 Theses to protest against the Catholic Church’s abuses such as nepotism and the sale of indulgences.Five hundred years later, many Protestant churches in Korea are increasingly becoming a target for reform after their leaders’ major moral failures.Few believe that author Oak Sung-ho’s first novel, “Cruel History of Seocho Church,” is completely fictional. The first son of Oak Han-heum, the revered late founder of Sarang Community Church, also noted, “What is really happening in Korean mega-churches is far more nonsensical and even crueler.”The story revolves around Kim Gun-chook, a new pastor arriving at a mega-church in an upscale area of Seoul. With the slogan, “global missionary work,&rdquo

Mar 28, 2014

Michell's 'The Defections' a suspenseful political romp

Hannel Michell uses the massive 2008 protests against U.S. beef imports as a backdrop to support a complex tale featuring North Korean defectors, spies and identity issues. / Korea Times  Hannah Michell“The Defections” Quercus EditionsBy Kim Young-jinIn her debut novel, Hannah Michell weaves together plotlines involving North Korean defectors and embassy intrigue, but the work isn’t inherently political. Instead, “The Defections” focuses on the troubled behind-the-scene stories of its characters, whose lives intertwine against the backdrop of a tumultuous Seoul.The book doesn’t add insight into well-trodden political issues, opting to be a suspenseful page-turner rather than historical fiction. As such, it’s a very readable work with solid character development, one which uses politics as a jumping-off point for intrigue.The story revolves around Mia Kim, a translator at the British Embassy in Seoul. The child of an English mother and a Korean father, who is in ill health, she’s been raised by her stepmother and her

Mar 21, 2014

Michell's 'The Defections' a suspenseful political romp

Recent books

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, Wonder and GivingArianna Huffington; Gimmyoung Publishers; Translated by Kang Joo-hun: 384 pp., 15,000 won Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of the online media group Huffington Post, published her 14th book where she redefines success through her personal experience.The Korean edition of the book, which was released on March 3, is the first global edition to be published ahead of the U.S. release on March 25.In “Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, Wonder and Giving,” she questions the current definition of success in this world powered by the drive for money and power. She says they are just two legs of a three-legged stool.Instead, she expresses the need for redefining success through the “third metric,” the third leg which is comprised of four pillars ― well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving. Without these values that hold up the third leg, success will have no meaning, she says. The book is

Mar 7, 2014

Emotion for the masses

Korean author Gong Ji-young’s “Our Happy Time” has been translated into English by U.K. publisher Short Books. / Courtesy of Short Books'Our Happy Time' is heart-wrenching, if predictable, journeyGong Ji-youngBy Kim Young-jin“Our Happy Time,” a bestselling book by celebrated and controversial author Gong Ji-young, has been smoothly translated into English by U.K. publisher Short Books. It’s a highly anticipated release, viewed as the next Korean book to potentially cross over into the international market, following Shin Kyung-sook’s “Please Look After Mom.”It’s easy to see why: the story, which involves a bright but mentally unstable woman who forging a friendship with a convicted murderer, strikes on universal themes of forgiveness and redemption. Taking place in the 1990s, it references Korea’s difficult history while hinting at its ultramodern future.The translation successfully renders the story nicely into English for the international audience. But while it meditates on capital punishment and the thin line

Feb 21, 2014

Book event to feature novelist Hwang Sun-mi

Hwang Sun-miHwang Sun-mi’s “The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly”By Kim Young-jinHwang Sun-mi, author of the popular book “The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly,” has been a household name here since it was published in 2000. But she’s poised for wider recognition because she will be featured in April as part of the London Book Fair’s “market focus” on Korea.Her entrance into the international literary scene began with the English-language publication of “Hen” by Penguin last year. The book is much loved here, and its film adaptation is the country’s highest-grossing animated film ever.Book-lovers can get to know the novelist on Saturday, when she is the guest of the 10 Magazine Book Club, an event organized by expat bookworm Barry Welsh. Welsh, host of the “The Bookend” on TBS eFM (101.3), will interview the author onstage. The event is accessible in English and Korean.“It’s a world-class piece of fiction,” Welsh says of “Hen.” “I think it’s poised to crossover

Feb 18, 2014

Book event to feature novelist Hwang Sun-mi

Korean literature meets digital world

By Charles MontgomeryIn an era in which it seems that everyone owns a computer, laptop, tablet, or smart phone, sometimes it seems like stodgy old literature might be left in the pre-electronic dust. The challenge for the Literature Translation Institute (LTI) of Korea is to ensure that even the most digital person in the world can have access to Korean modern literature. LTI Korea has placed 20 works of early-modern Korean fiction online, where they can be accessed as PDF files or through applications for smartphones, tablets and other mobile Internet devices. These twenty works are the equivalent of a free collection of modern colonial fiction of Korea that can give an overseas reader a snapshot of the first ``modern’’ Korean literature and its styles, themes and discontents.``The authors were chosen carefully to include all aspects of Korean life at the time, from the lives of peasants in villages, to the lives of stifled intellectuals in cities, the stories of the men and women who lived through the colonial era and in the industrialization era,’’ says LTI

Feb 14, 2014

Books