Two books written by Korean author Bok Geo-il have been published in English, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea said.

One is Bok’s sci-fi novel “The Jovian Sayings,” which the author first penned in Korean in 2002. Bok translated the novel into English himself. The story is set in the 29th century, where robots and human beings live on a satellite near Jupiter called Ganymede.

The other book, “The Unforgotten War,” is a play depicting the Battle of Jangjin Lake, also known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. It was one of the most ferocious battles of the Korean War.

One U.S. marine division fought seven encircling Chinese divisions for 17 days in November 1950, in the mountainous region around the reservoir in South Hamgyeong Province, which now belongs to North Korea. China entered the war to augment North Korean troops. Chinese units won a Pyrrhic victory in the battle, but the fight led to one of the largest U.N. troop withdrawals of the war. Bok’s play deals with the legendary battle from the perspective of a U.S. soldier.

Both books are published by Singaporean publishing house Stallion Press, with support from LTI Korea.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)