[Weekender] Small but strong: Indie bookstores embrace individuality, diversity and community

Although the reading population of Korean adults is less than half the total -- meaning over half of adults do not read a single book in a year -- unique independent bookstores are enjoying growing popularity. There were 815 independent bookstores nationwide in 2022, according to Dongneseojeom (Bookstores in Neighborhood), an independent bookstore recommendation service. It has been keeping track of the number of bookstores since 2015 in its annual trend report. The number has been steadily incr

April 15, 2023

[New in Korean] Teenage survivor recounts Sewol ferry disaster and the aftermath

"Becoming Wind to Survive" (working title) By Yu Ga-young Darun On April 16, 2014, Yu Ga-young, a 17-year-old student at Danwon High School recalls the day that shook the nation nine years ago. Yu is one of the 75 who survived the Sewol ferry disaster. The other 325 students did not return. “Everyone was at the cafeteria that morning, and suddenly we realized that the plates and desks were tilted,” she writes in her essay. One of her friends said, maybe it’s because t

April 15, 2023

[New in Korean] ‘Hello Baby’ on overlooked struggles of infertility

"Hello Baby" By Kim Eui-kyung EunHaengNaMu Publishing Korea had the lowest birth rate among the OECD member states with a total fertility rate of 0.78 births in 2022, marking the lowest rate since 1970 when it was 4.53. The country continues to report more deaths than births due to its aging population in January. The government has allocated a large budget to address the issue but there is little attention given to infertile couples who desperately want children. “Hello Baby,&rd

April 14, 2023

[New in Korean] 'Takoyaki in the Undersea City': Surviving in flooded, dystopian world

"Takoyaki in the Undersea City" By Kim Chung-gyul Rabbit Hole What will happen when all the glaciers melt and lands are submerged? Will we be able to survive on water, or in water? A series of six short stories, titled “Takoyaki in the Undersea City,” depicts mankind who survive on water or underwater in a future dystopian world where all the lands have submerged and disappeared. “Adults were afraid of the sea,” the book says in the second story “A Dance w

April 14, 2023

[Herald Interview] Choe Jae-chun's 'Darwin’s 12 Apostles' sheds new light on evolution theory

Charles Darwin, an English naturalist and biologist, widely recognized for his contributions to evolutionary biology, published “The Origin of Species” in 1859. More than 160 years later, Darwin’s theory of evolution is still meaningful to us, said Professor Choe Jae-chun, a renowned expert in the field who received his doctorate in evolutionary biology from Harvard University. “Freud, Marx and Darwin are often cited as scholars who changed the 20th century. Among them, D

April 8, 2023

[New in Korean] Yale professor guides readers through error of thinking in ‘Thinking 101’

“Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better” By Ahn Woo-kyoung, translated by Kim Bo-ram Next Wave Media Step one: Watch a dance clip of BTS’ 2019 megahit “Boy with Luv” -- just six seconds of the easiest choreography moves over and over again. You can watch a slowed down version if you want. Step two: Now it’s your turn to do it. Do you think you have the dance down to do it yourself? In one of her classes at Yale, psychology professor Ahn Woo-kyoung c

April 1, 2023

[New in Korean] Making of 65-year-old female assassin in 'The Old Woman with the Knife' prequel

“Shatter” By Gu Byeong-mo Wisdom House In Gu Byeong-mo’s bestseller “The Old Woman with the Knife,” a 65-year-old female assassin named Hornclaw struggles to accept that she is past her prime -- she remains a ruthless and efficient killer. But everyone must have a beginning. In this short story, “Shatter,” a prequel to the thriller-action, readers get a glimpse of Hornclaw’s past and how she was trained in her teens by an unnamed man to become the

March 31, 2023

[New in Korean] Past, present intersect at ‘The Bookstore of Illusion’

“The Bookstore of Illusion” (working title) By So Seo-rim Happy Books To You In So Seo-rim’s debut novel “The Bookstore of Illusion,” a mystical world is introduced where a mysterious bookstore can only be found by those who are lost. Here, there is no need to buy a book, plus the owner offers stories to listen to. After a rejection from a publisher while pursuing her dream of becoming an author, Yeon-seo climbs up a mountain to clear her head. Lost in her thoughts,

March 31, 2023

Brisbane Writers Festival to kick off focusing on Korean writers

South Korea will receive the spot light as the Country of Focus at the 2023 Brisbane Writers Festival, scheduled to take place May 10-14, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday. Founded in 1962, the literary festival is held every May in Brisbane, Australia. The Country of Focus program, initiated in 2022 with Aotearoa/New Zealand and Pasifika, celebrates a particular country or region within the Indo-Pacific region. Bora Chung, the author of “Cursed Bunny,” who w

March 29, 2023

[Herald Interview] Korean literature gaining global momentum, says US literary agent

As Korean entertainment and culture continue to captivate audiences worldwide, Korean literature is also gaining momentum in the English publishing market. Major international publishing house Bloomsbury recently bought the rights to Hwang Bo-reum's bestseller "Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop," while HarperCollins bought the rights to Kim Ho-yeon's "Uncanny Convenience Store," which sold over a million copies in Korea. In April, English editions of bestselling K

March 28, 2023

Literary agent recounts her journey in new travel memoir

A travel memoir, "The Korean Book of Happiness," by a New York-based literary agent who has represented big-name Korean writers such as Han Kang and Shin Kyung-sook overseas, hit the shelves on March 2, published by Short Books, an imprint of the Octopus Publishing Group. Barbara Zitwer shares her insights and experiences with Korea -- which boasts a flourishing culture while also upholding the ages-old principles of “han” (resilience) “heung” (joy) and “j

March 28, 2023

[Herald Interview] Untold story of pansori master Lee Nal-chi comes to life

In 2020, the traditional Korean music-inspired band Leenalchi took the nation by storm with its music for a series of tourism promotion music videos, “Feel the Rhythm of Korea,” created in collaboration with Ambiguous Dance Company and Korea Tourism Organization. The band has since also gained a global fanbase, completing an international tour last year. What most fans may not know, however, is that the band is named after Lee Nal-chi, a pansori master and "jultagi (tightrope wa

March 25, 2023

Westerners' written accounts of Korea showcased at NYC exhibit

Some 120 books about Korea from the 1700s to the 1960s written by Westerners are on display for the first time at the Gallery Korea, Korean Cultural Center New York. Titled “The Wonder Unbound,” the exhibition is part of “Asia Week New York” celebrating Asian art in New York City, organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Asia Society. The books were selected from a collection of 1,350 books by Lee Seung-chul, an art professor at Dongduk Women’s University

March 24, 2023

LTI Korea accepting applications for translation academy

The Literature Translation Institute, Korea’s Translation Academy is accepting applications for the 2023 academic year, which begins this August. The academy offers a two-year program in the translation of Korean literary and cultural texts such as films and webtoons, into seven languages -- English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Japanese. About 70 students will be accepted -- about 10 students per language. The classes for the 15-week semester will be held in person at the

March 21, 2023

ChatGPT sparks trend in publication and sales of related books

With the number of users of ChatGPT, an interactive artificial intelligence chatbot, exceeding 100 million worldwide, the publishing industry in Korea is seeing a rapid rise in the number of publications and sales related to ChatGPT. A total of 17 books on ChatGPT, including preorders, were published in February. The sales of the related books in January increased 3.4 times compared to the previous month, and the number soared to 94.5 times in February, according to a recent report by Yes24, Kor

March 21, 2023

ChatGPT's first book in Korea explores ‘45 Ways to Find a Purpose in Life’

Can AI write its own book? The question prompted one Korean editor to test just how far ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, could go. “45 Ways to Find a Purpose in Life,” published by Snowfox Books, is the first book officially authored by ChatGPT in Korea, and having hit the shelves on Feb. 21. It only took seven days from the time of its writing to its first sale, according to Seo Jin, CEO and the book’s editor at Snowfox Books. The entire process of writing, editing

March 21, 2023

Kakao Entertainment continues fight against pirate content sites in Indonesia

Kakao Entertainment announced on Monday that it blocked over 15,000 illegally distributed webtoons and shut down major pirate webtoon platforms in Indonesia in 2022. Webtoons are digital comics that are read by scrolling down one's screen, mainly on readers’ smartphones. Kakao Entertainment’s Protecting the Contents of Kakao Entertainment, known as P.Cok for short, Kakao Entertainment's global webtoon division team, said that it reported and blocked the distribution of 15,6

March 20, 2023

New literary and translation prizes select winners to find fresh voices in Korean literature

A newly established series of literary and translation prizes, which aims to discover emerging talent in Korean literature and Korean-English translation, has completed its selection of inaugural winners with an announcement of its translation winner earlier this week, according to the series organizer, Charm Agency, this week. On Tuesday, Jenny Jisun Kim, a US-based translator and visual artist, was named the winner of the New Translator Prize for her translation of Dolki Min’s “Set

March 18, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Whale' by Cheon Myeong-kwan makes International Booker Prize longlist

South Korean novelist Cheon Myeong-kwan’s “Whale” has been longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, one of the three most prestigious literary awards in the world. "Whale," a story of an ambitious woman making something of herself in the world, was among the 13 preliminary nominations that were announced by the organizer on Tuesday. “Right now, I am just nonchalant because it has been so long, almost 20 years, since I wrote the book, that I have nearl

March 15, 2023

Cheon Myeong-kwan's ‘Whale’ longlisted for 2023 International Booker Prize

South Korean novelist Cheon Myeong-kwan's "Whale," has been longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, one of the three largest literary awards in the world, the award's organizer announced Tuesday. “Whale,” translated by Chi-Young Kim and published by Europa Editions on Jan. 19, was among the 13 preliminary nominees for the British prize, established in 2005 to honor an author and translator equally for a single work of fiction translated into English. T

March 14, 2023