Books from South Korea
72 popular south korean books
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
The target of the Read Around The World Challenge is to read at least one book written by an author from each and every country in the world.
All books that are listed here as part of the "Read Around Asia Challenge" were written by authors from South Korea.
Find a great book for the next part of your reading journey around the world from this book list. The following popular books have been recommended so far.
11.
Familiar Things by Sŏg-yŏng Hwang EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
A vibrant and enchanting novel from one of Korea's most celebrated writers. When 14-year-old Bugeye and his mother arrive at Flower Island -- a vast landfill site on the outskirts of Seoul -- they soon become part of the eclectic community of impoverished outsiders who make their living weeding recyclables from the rubbish. Then, one night, Bugeye notices mysterious lights dancing around the landfill ... Could it be the island's ancient spirits? Is his luck about to change? Familiar Thingsdepicts a society on the edge of dizzying economic and social change. It is a haunting reminder to us all ... continue
12.
Flowers of Mold : Stories by Ha Seong-nan EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
Unsettling, haunting short stories in the vein of Yoko Ogawa and Brian Evenson.
13.
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
In this "mesmerizing" novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Pachinko, the Korean-American daughter of first-generation immigrants strives to join Manhattan's inner circle (USA Today). Meet Casey Han: a strong-willed, Queens-bred daughter of Korean immigrants immersed in a glamorous Manhattan lifestyle she can't afford. Casey is eager to make it on her own, away from the judgements of her parents' tight-knit community, but she soon finds that her Princeton economics degree isn't enough to rid her of ever-growing credit card debt and a toxic boyfriend. When a chance encounter with ... continue
14.
Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
This true story of a Korean comfort woman documents how the atrocity of war devastates women’s lives Grass is a powerful antiwar graphic novel, telling the life story of a Korean girl named Okseon Lee who was forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War—a disputed chapter in twentieth-century Asian history. Beginning in Lee’s childhood, Grass shows the lead-up to the war from a child’s vulnerable perspective, detailing how one person experienced the Japanese occupation and the widespread suffering it entailed for ordinary Koreans. Keum Suk Gendry-Kim em... continue
15.
Happiness Falls: A Novel by Angie Kim EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another in this thrilling page-turner, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek. Belletrist Book Club Pick • Finalist for the New American Voices Award • “This is a story with so many twists and turns I was riveted through the last page.”—Jodi Picoult One of the Most Anticipated Books of the Season: The New York Times • Los Angeles Times • Oprah Quarterly • T... continue
16.
Human Acts by Han Kang EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
From the internationally bestselling author of The Vegetarian, a “rare and astonishing” (The Observer) portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice. In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed. The story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial, and the echoing agony of the massacre. From Dong-ho’s best friend who meets his own fateful end; to an editor struggling against censorship; to a prisoner and a factory worker,... continue
17.
I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
THE PHENOMENAL KOREAN BESTSELLERTRANSLATED BY INTERNATIONAL BOOKER SHORTLISTEE ANTON HUR'Will strike a chord with anyone who feels that their public life is at odds with how they really feel inside.' RedPSYCHIATRIST: So how can I help you? ME: I don't know, I'm - what's the word - depressed? Do I have to go into detail? Baek Sehee is a successful young social media director at a publishing house when she begins seeing a psychiatrist about her - what to call it? - depression? She feels persistently low, anxious, endlessly self-doubting, but also highly judgemental of others. She hides her feeli... continue
18.
I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying : A Memoir by Youngmi Mayer EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
From standup comedian Youngmi Mayer, an unforgettable memoir written with "raw, enviable freedom that simply floors you," interrogating whiteness, gender, and sexuality in America, navigating a tumultuous childhood in Korea and Saipan, and coming to terms with her parents' shortcomings (Michelle Zauner). "Do you know what happens if you laugh while crying? Hair grows out of your butthole." It was a constant truism Youngmi Mayer's mother would say threateningly after she would make her daughter laugh while crying. Her mother used it to cheer her up in moments when she could tell Youngmi was ove... continue
19.
Killing Stalking: Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 by Koogi EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
The Mature-rated Boys' Love horror webtoon from Lezhin that became a global manhwa hit! Get this chilling and thrilling tale in a deluxe, full-color paperback in English for the very first time. Yoon Bum, a scrawny and quiet man, has a crush on one of the most popular and handsome guys in his college: Sangwoo. After the two cross paths again, Yoon Bum’s feelings grow in intensity until they become an obsession–and he breaks into Sangwoo’s home. But what he sees inside is not the Sangwoo of his fantasies; his dreams of this alluring man abruptly turn into a nightmare. This wildly popular BL hor... continue
20.
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
In a small, tidy apartment on the outskirts of the frenzied metropolis of Seoul, Kim Jiyoung--a millennial "everywoman"--spends her days caring for her infant daughter. Her husband, however, worries over a strange symptom that has recently appeared: Jiyoung has begun to impersonate the voices of other women--dead and alive, both known and unknown to her. Truly, flawlessly, completely, she became that very person. As she plunges deeper into this psychosis, Jiyoung's concerned husband sends her to a psychiatrist, who listens to her narrate her own life story--from her birth to a family who expec... continue