Gu Byeong-mo’s ‘Book of Lorem Ipsum’ blurs boundaries of fantasy, reality

Bestselling author Gu Byeong-mo of “Wizard Bakery” and “The Old Woman with the Knife” has released a collection of 13 short stories that offers a unique glimpse into the writer’s style and imagination. “The Book of Lorem Ipsum,” published by Anonbooks, hit bookstore shelves on Jan. 31. The 50-page collection of short stories consists of pieces that were previously published in magazines or anthologies beginning 2017, as well as four previously unpublishe

March 11, 2023

Korean picture books receive special mention at BolognaRagazzi

Four Korean picture books received special mention at the BolognaRagazzi Award this week, as part of the Bologna Children's Book Fair held in Italy. “Moving Away,” written and illustrated by Lee Ji-yeon, was given special mention in the Fiction category. “This exquisitely designed leporello … invites the reader to follow a magnified ant trail through the garden where a child is playing,” said the jury. "The Blue: Bench" written and illustrated by mia

March 7, 2023

[Herald Interview] First English biography of Imjin War's hidden hero published

Standing tall at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul is a statue of Adm. Yi Sun-shin, one of the most celebrated figures in Korean history, a national hero who prevailed over the Japanese invaders during the Imjin War (1592-1598). Yi didn’t start his career in the Navy. He was serving in the Army when he was stripped of his rank by adversaries who were jealous of his talent. But 14 months before Japan invaded Korea in 1592, Yi was appointed commander of the Left Jeolla Naval District. It w

March 5, 2023

Daesan Foundation accepting applications for translation, research and publication of Korean literary works

The Daesan Foundation is accepting applications for the 2023 Korean Literature Translation, Research, and Publishing Support program. Applicants for this year’s translation grants will be accepted until 3 p.m. on June 1 through the foundation’s official website. Successful applicants will be announced in August. Applicants can select from Daesan Literary Award-winning works that have not been translated into the target language, or any other literary work in need of translation. The

March 5, 2023

Popular webtoon 'Surgeon Elise' to be adpated into Japanese animated series

South Korean content company Kidari Studio’s beloved webtoon “Surgeon Elise” is being adapted into a Japanese animated series. “Surgeon Elise,” originally adapted from author Yuin’s 2015 web novel of a same title, was released as a webtoon series via Kakao Entertainment, a content subsidiary of the South Korean IT giant Kakao, in 2017. The series came to an end with a total of 143 episodes in February 2021. The romance fantasy revolves around Elise, a wicked e

March 1, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Jeong-nyeon' webtoon creators shed light on traditional all-women musical troupe

In the 1950s, when there was little entertainment available, it was female "gukgeuk" that dominated the entertainment scene in Korea. Like a musical, a "gukgeuk" performance features "pansori," or narrative singing, dance and drama. What was special about gukgeuk in those days was that many troupes featured an all-female cast. The actors took on male roles and dressed up as men, children or the elderly and played heroes or villains in melodramatic tales of war and r

Feb. 25, 2023

New edition of 'City of Ash and Red' looks at world plagued by pandemic

The unnamed protagonist, referred to only as “the man,” is dispatched by his pharmaceutical company on an extended assignment to Country C -- an imaginary country descending into chaos after a contagious disease has taken over. As soon as he disembarks, the man is whisked away by two health inspectors in their “puffy suits and face masks” that look like “rubber lifeboats bobbing towards him.” The man is detained overnight -- isolated and forgotten. When he fin

Feb. 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Na Tae-joo publishes 50th poetry collection

GONGJU, South Chungcheong Province -- Walking around the small garden surrounding the Gongju Pulkkot Literary House, poet Na Tae-joo delights in the sight of tiny buds sprouting through the soil. Sitting in the back garden of the Literary House, basking in the February sunlight, Na talks about language and poetry with The Korea Herald. “The word ‘sunshine’ (byeot, in Korean) sounds as if it came from afar and stopped here, whereas the word ‘star’ (byeol) has a flowi

Feb. 20, 2023

Writer Lee Geum-yi, illustrator Kwon Yoon-duck nominated for Andersen Award

Children’s book author Lee Geum-yi and illustrator Kwon Yoon-duck have been selected as the Korean candidates for the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award. The Korean Board on Books for Young People, the Korean branch of the International Board on Books for Young People, announced the nominees for the prestigious literary award during a general meeting held at the Suwon Convention Center on Saturday. Lee, 61, debuted in 1984 with the short story “With Younggu and Heukgu.” Her wor

Feb. 19, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Incendiaries' author R.O. Kwon says loss of faith was healed by literature

What happens when two people who love each other very much believe completely different things about the world? “The story began with the question more than anything,” said R.O. Kwon at an online interview Saturday about her 2018 English-language novel, “The Incendiaries.” The Korean edition of her bestselling debut novel hit the shelves in January, published by Moonji Publishing Co. Growing up religious, Kwon had planned to become a pastor. But, it was her own experience

Feb. 13, 2023

LTI Korea to set new rules for translation award after AI translation sparks controversy

A translator who is not fluent in Korean winning the webtoon category at the 2022 Korea Translation Award has sparked controversy about the use of artificial intelligence in translation. A local newspaper reported Wednesday that Yukiko Matsusue, a Japanese translator who won Rookie of the Year at the annual award organized by the Korean Literature Translation Institute in December, had used Naver’s AI-translating system Papago while translating Gu A-jin’s occult thriller “Mirae

Feb. 9, 2023

Web novels follow webtoons' successful footsteps

After becoming a new major source for alternate forms of multimedia content, web novels -- written works available primarily online -- are poised to continue following the successful footsteps of webtoons, setting new sales records and yielding successful drama adaptations. Naver Series, South Korean tech giant Naver’s web-based book platform, said that the accumulated sales of its action fantasy novel “Return of the Blossoming Blade” hit a record-high of 40 billion won ($31.8

Feb. 8, 2023

Korean diaspora literature revisited

With the success of the Apple TV+ original series “Pachinko” and the novel of the same title by Korean American author Min Jin Lee, literature of Korean diaspora has come under the spotlight. The genre has been around since the 1940s, its early writers mostly ethnic Koreans living in Japan and the US. There were around 300 Korean diaspora writers who hail from around the world in 2020, according to a study published in the Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society las

Feb. 7, 2023

[Herald Interview] ‘Nine Fox Gambit’ author highlights history, gender in sci-fi fantasy romance

The Korean edition of the science fiction fantasy novel “Phoenix Extravagant” by Korean American author Yoon Ha Lee hit local bookshelves on Jan. 17. The book was published by Hubble, a sci-fi imprint of East-Asia Publishing Co. The English edition was released in October 2020. The three-time Hugo Award nominee for his space opera trilogy “Machineries of Empire” -- which includes “Ninefox Gambit,” “Raven Stratagem” and “Revenant Gun” --

Feb. 4, 2023

Webtoon ‘Dark Moon: The Blood Altar’ records 100 million views

Webtoon “Dark Moon: The Blood Altar” has recorded 100 million views worldwide as of Wednesday, Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind the superband BTS said. An original webtoon collaboration between Hybe and Naver Webtoon, “Dark Moon: The Blood Altar” is a fantasy webtoon featuring seven members of Hybe boy band Enhyphen as werewolves. The story develops as a mysterious new student Soo-ha -- a vampire -- transfers to the school and draws the attention of the werewolves. Seria

Feb. 2, 2023

[Reading Korea Through Books] Peers' admiration, big office job, house in Seoul: A dream or source of heartache?

"Tale of Department Head Kim at a Conglomerate Who Owns a House in Seoul" by first-time writer Song Hee-koo is a three-volume series about characters who work at a large conglomerate in Seoul. The last of the series hit local bookshelves in November 2021. The title may raise questions about the "ideal" image of a middle-class worker in South Korea. It would be someone who owns a house -- preferably in Seoul -- and works at a big company like Samsung, LG or SK and ultimately b

Feb. 1, 2023

Actor Kim Hye-ja's memoir explores 60-year career

Best known for playing the archetypal Korean mother, Kim Hye-ja, 81, has established herself as an iconic actor in the Korean entertainment industry. Over some 60 years, the beloved actress has starred in more than 100 drama series and films, including the recent series “Our Blues” (2022), “The Light in Your Eyes” (2019) and “Dear My Friends” (2016). Kim’s recent memoir, “Thank You For Life” (Suo Books), released Dec. 22, is a "confessio

Jan. 28, 2023

Outdoor library to open at Gwanghwamun Square in April

Seoul City will launch an outdoor reading project at Gwanghwamun Square this spring, following the open-air library at Seoul Plaza showcased last year. Titled “Gwanghwamun Book Yard,” five open libraries and reading spaces will open on April 23 for World Book Day and run until November, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The book yard will operate at three outdoor venues around Gwanghwamun Plaza, which opened to the public in August after two years of renovation, and at

Jan. 27, 2023

[Herald Interview] Darkly riveting tale of alien survival on Earth to be released in English

The English-language edition of sci-fi novel “Walking Practice,” by Korean author Dolki Min, is scheduled to get a worldwide release on March 14 by HarperVia, an international fiction imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The Korean edition hit local shelves in February 2022, while the English translation was in progress. Though "Walking Practice" seems to have followed a typical route -- a local release followed by overseas release of the translated edition -- rights to the

Jan. 26, 2023

Collection of Bora Chung’s early short stories hits shelves

The name Bora Chung was trending on the Korean literary scene last year after she was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize, one of the largest literary awards in the world. Although her name appeared to have come from nowhere, the author of “Cursed Bunny” has been writing under the pen name Chung Do-gyung for over 20 years. A collection of short stories from Chung’s early career written under her pen name hit local bookshelves Friday. “We hope this book wil

Jan. 20, 2023