Special Project
[English Books in Korea ①] Korea Today and the Charm of Korean Culture
2024.06.03
I’m pleased to be able to introduce the English edition of my book about Korea through this interview. This is because such an opportunity does not come around often, and because through this, I can draw the attention of the industry and readers in this harsh climate where the number of English books about Korea is decreasing rather than increasing.
A detailed and intuitive look at Korean culture
Sketches of Korea:
If there’s one book about Korea that foreigners living in Korea or tourists visiting Korea pick up casually, it is the book Sketches of Korea: An Illustrated Guide to Korean Culture (Seoul Selection). As the title suggests, it is an illustrated guide to Korean culture. Although it is a small book that fits in the palm of your hand and has only 200 pages, it introduces Korean culture in a very detailed and straightforward fashion, making it popular among staff members of foreign embassies in Korea, expatriates of foreign companies, international students learning Korean, and tourists.
Korean culture explained with illustrations
In the part describing Korean drinking culture, the writers introduce noraebang (karaoke), poktanju (bomb shot), and room salon (karaoke bars with private rooms for hostesses to entertain customers), as well as the ‘n-cha culture’ (where people move to different places to drink - ‘1-cha’ means the first place, ‘2-cha’ means the second place), daeri woonjeon (replacement driver) - the people who drive drunken people home safely, and haejangguk (hangover soup) - the food that relieves the stomach the day after drinking. An illustration of a typical Korean office worker in a tie lying drunk in the street is a fitting reminder of the exotic side of Korea as seen through the eyes of the writers. Professor Benjamin Joinau wrote - “He will be tired in the morning, but he has gotten rid of his stress, expressed his anger, and improved team spirit, making him socially ready for a new day of work!” - exhibiting his positive thoughts and affection towards Korean culture.
A customized guide to Korean history for foreigners
English and Korean covers of A Korean History for International Readers
Aside from culture, the main areas of interest to foreigners about Korea are literature and history. However, with the rise of Korean literature’s international popularity, foreign publishers have begun to publish Korean works through translations, making overseas publication of literature the trend. It is not that there are no literary publications carried out in Korea, but overseas publications have become the dominant type in terms of number and impact. In this article, I would like to introduce history books published in English in line with the given topic of English books published in Korea.
Pages from A Korean History for International Readers
In fact, from a foreigner’s perspective, Korea is a unique country that has managed to maintain its cultural identity while remaining an independent nation for so long amongst the great powers. It has achieved both economic growth and democratization in the shortest period of time in modern history; it is also an exciting country in terms of pop culture, such as Hallyu (Korean Wave), and food culture, with kimchi, galbi (short ribs), doenjang (soybean paste), gochujang (chili paste), and tteokbokki. Last year, doejigomtang (Korean pork broth) was named one of the “8 Best Dishes in New York City” by the New York Times.
Korea’s yadam – historical and fun eerie tales
Eerie Tales from Old Korea
The next book that foreign readers find interesting to read, while it’s neither about culture nor history, is Eerie Tales from Old Korea (Seoul Selection), which is a collection of yadam (short, eerie folk tales) and mindam (folklore), and are long-known Korean stories. The book is a collection of stories that Koreans have been exposed to since childhood, such as stories that go something like, “A journeyman was traveling down the road, but the sun had set, and he was lost in the darkness... He ended up staying the night in a secluded house where a young woman in a white dress lived alone.” Most of the stories are scary or grotesque. Characters like ogres, tigers, ghosts, and goblins appear in the stories. Although they might have been terrifying by the standards of the people of the past, they don’t seem to be as scary as they could be from a modern perspective.
The royal culture during the Joseon Dynasty, as seen in K-dramas and historical dramas
English and Korean covers of Joseon Royal Court Culture: Ceremonial and Daily Life
When it comes to English books about Korea, you can’t leave out books about the royal culture of the Joseon Dynasty. This is because historical dramas play a large role in K-dramas, and Seoul is home to palaces from the Joseon Dynasty, such as Gyeongbokgung Palace, royal tombs where the kings are buried, and jongmyo, where they are reborn as ancestral spirits - the kings and royal tombs are designated as the UNESCO cultural heritage. As such, they are of great interest to international readers and tourists.
Written by Kim Hyung-Geun (CEO of Seoul Selection)
Kim Hyung-Geun (CEO of Seoul Selection) #Korean Culture#English Books#History#Folk tales#Royal culture |
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