Rhie, Won-bok. (2002). Korean Korea unmasked: In search of the country, the society, the people, Gimm-Young International.

This is a comic book for adults to talk about the modern history of Korea. A number of topics deal with how to understand Korean customs and culture based on historical backgrounds and their life style. For example, how some relatives must be addressed by a specific title (younger brother’s wife, older nephew’s wife) rather than by name, and the reason why Korean food is always highly spiced and served hot temperature.

Tudor, Daniel. (2012). Korea, the Impossible Country, Tuttle Publishing.

Based on the author’s living experience in South Korea for a decade, the book touches on topics as diverse as shamanism, clan-ism, the dilemma posed by North Korea, the myths about doing business in Korea, the Koreans’ renowned hard-partying ethos, and why the infatuation with learning English is now causing various social problems.

Shin, Kyung-sook. (2012). Please look after mom, Vintage Contemporaries.

The novel starts from when sixty-nine-year old mother is lost from the subway station and all the family search for their mom and find their mother’s long-held secrets. This book helps readers understand Korean family conflicts and love among mother and daughters and sons through a realistic picture of contemporary life in Korea and a universal story of family love. 

Kim, Young-ha (2007). I have the right to destroy myself, Harvest Original.

This story reflects urban landscape of Seoul and two brothers living in the city. The story starts from how the brothers fall in love with the same woman and describe how the characters deal with the contemporary love and life. The complication and profound interpretations in the story make the book challenging to read but the readers can learn about the South Korea and its reflection of contemporary life. Young-ha Kim is a one of the young masters, the leading literary voice of his generation in Korean literature.

Demick, Barbara (2010). Nothing to envy: ordinary lives in North Korea, Spiegel & Grau; Reprint edition.

Barbara Demick  is an award-winning journalist. By following the six North Korean citizens over fifteen years when there was a chaotic period with the death of Kim Il-sung with the rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il right right after. This book shows what it means to be living under the most repressive totalitarian regime and how his regime killed one-fifth of the population with a devastating famine. The author takes us deep inside the country, beyond the reach of government censors. This books tells you everything about life in North Korea through meticulous and sensitive reporting we see her subjects falling in love, raising families, nurturing ambitions, and struggling for survival.

Hwang, Kyung Moon. (2010). A history of Korea, Palgrave Essential Histories Series.

Kyung Moon Hwang tells us lively history of Korea from ancient era through to the modern era. One of the rare books cover all the time period and explore the richness of Korean history. Not only have the chapters presented different history chronologically but also thematically with various topics to discuss Korean culture and life in history.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Comings, Bruce (2005). Korea’s Place in the Sun: A Modern History, W.W. Norton Publishing.

Bruce Coming, who wrote The Korean War updates Korean history by focusing on the modern history of South Korea. This book show how Korea has developed as a leading Asian country while enduring a “fractured, shattered twentieth century.” Although there was a great achievement in economy during 1970s and 1980s, in the late 1990s South Korea survived its most severe economic crisis since the Korean War, forcing a successful restructuring of its political economy. Bruce Coming reveals how Korea has been built and how it exists into the new century.

Cha, Victor (2012). The impossible state: North Korea, past and future, Ecco.

Former White House official Victor Cha tells us about North Korea, the world’s most menacing and mysterious nation. In The Impossible State, Cha as a singular expert on the region, exposes North Korea’s veiled past and sheds light on the country’s culture, economy, and foreign policy. Furthermore, this book discusses the possibilities of its uncertain future in the post-Kim Jong-il era (who is a father of Kim Jung Un). With an actively engaging insider’s look, The Impossible State will bring readers into adversarial country and share the inside of stories exclusively.