Best Korean books of 2023

It’s the end of another year, and we’ve rounded up the top 5 Korean books translated into English that came out in 2023 that you’ve got to check out. 

We discuss how and why we chose these books, and some of the key themes, including feminism, generation gaps and LGBT rights. This episode also features special appearances by our books reporter Hwang Dong-hee and literary translator Victoria Caudle (find her on X @nureonjongi).

The Korea Herald’s interview with Dolki Min: https://t.ly/3kA5D

Our listener Serena’s bookstagram: https://t.ly/rR1ZN 

The Digital Library of Korean Literature by LTI Korea: https://t.ly/YKlMi 

We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, or suggestions for other Korean books you’d like us to review or discuss. Send us a post on Twitter/X (Beth @betheunheehong / Naomi @ngnaomi) or leave a message on The Korea Herald’s Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram page. You can also email us at bethhong@heraldcorp.com or ngnaomi@heraldcorp.com. 

Note: the Korean title for “Greek Lessons” is “희랍어 시간,” not “희랍어 수업.” We regret the error!

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/khbookspodcast 

Intro: ♪ Onion (Prod. by Lukrembo)

Outro: ♪ Wine (Prod. by Lukrembo)

00:00 Introduction

00:16 Our top five Korean books of 2023
01:52 Book pick 1

05:26 Book pick 2

11:06 Book pick 3

14:24 Book pick 4

16:14 Book pick 5

18:12 That’s a wrap!

18:43 A Korean book pick from our listener Serena