Drawing by Karl Stevens for the New York Review of Books What if the finest, funniest, craziest, sanest, most cheerfully depressing Korean-American novel was also one of the first? - Ed Park Join Alexander Chee and Ed Park in their conversation on Younghill Kang, the first Korean-American novelist and a pioneer of Asian American literature. As they discuss the life and career of Kang and his novel East Goes West, the two eminent writers reflect on the emergence of Korean American literature in the 20th century... Read More

Image Credit: Instagram @drawings_for_my_grandchildren In this interview series, we take a dive into contemporary culture in South Korea. Grandpa Chan and Grandma Marina are influencers on Instagram, perhaps unlike anyone else you see on that platform, maybe just because of their age. Their Instagram account Drawings for My Grandchildren started in 2015, for which Grandpa Chan draws and Grandma Marina writes stories of their lives for their grandchildren. After 1100 posts and almost 400,000 followers, Grandpa... Read More

America's leading authority on BTS, K-Pop, and East Asian entertainment, Tamar Herman returns to the Korea Society with her book BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears. BTS has conquered Western music charts and social media on their way to being the biggest band in the world. With record-breaking firsts and three Billboard No. 1 albums within a year, their music and messaging has gone on to transcend the limitations of language, geography, and genre. Going behind-the-scenes of today's biggest pop band and focusing on... Read More

In this series, we take a dive into contemporary culture in South Korea. In this second episode, we explore the world of "manhwa," the world of Korean graphic novels and comic books, with the creators of just-published Banned Book Club: how was "manhwa" consumed by South Koreans in the past and present, how it is influencing and being adopted into different forms of entertainment, and how the new generation of writers and illustrators are using it to tell their own stories. New Narratives in Korea: Manhwa... Read More

First published in Pyongyang in 1988, Friend by Paek Nam-Nyong is one of the few North Korean novels that has reached an international audience. Professor Immanuel Kim, the translator of Friend and a specialist in North Korean literature and cinema, offers a glimpse into contemporary life in North Korea through this novel and other popular culture from Pyongyang. "a beguiling introduction to the everyday, with none of the rockets and military parades that the words “North Korea” often bring to mind" - The New... Read More

VIDEO RELEASE: In this inaugural episode of the new video series Author Talks, Korea’s leading author of psychological thrillers You-Jeong Jeong discusses her career and award-winning novels, including Seven Years of Darkness and The Good Son.   To buy Seven Years of Darkness, please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/604960/seven-years-of-darkness-by-you-jeong-jeong/ To buy The Good Son, please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557620/the-good-son-by-you-jeong-jeong/ Author... Read More

A riveting tale of four women navigating contemporary Korea, If I Had Your Face is a debut novel from Frances Cha, a former travel and culture editor for CNN in Seoul. This utterly compelling novel follows the interconnected lives of four young women balancing on the edge of survival in contemporary Seoul, a world of strict social hierarchies, extreme plastic surgery and K-pop fan mania. Cha will discussed her debut novel and career as a journalist, always having a foot in both Korea and the US and writing about... Read More

South Korean literature in translation has been experiencing a global efflorescence in recent years. There are at least 6 Korean novels being released in the United States in the first half of 2020, with more to follow. Professor Jae Won Chung will discuss the commercial and critical success of Korean novels in the United States, the types of Korean novels that appear to be popular in the international market, and the range of new styles, genres, and voices that soon-to-be published titles will offer... Read More

Dr. Jung H. Pak discusses her new book on the rise of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, in conversation with Society President Tom Byrne. Pak, a Brookings Institution Senior Fellow and former CIA analyst, provides a behind-the-scenes look at Kim’s character and motivations and chronicles his nuclear ambitions and summitry with President Trump. The book is available for purchase at Penguin Random House.      To buy Becoming Kim Jong Un, please... Read More

Hong Gildong, who is sometimes referred to as the Korean Robin Hood, is by far the most famous literary character from classic Korean literature. His story as a maverick outlaw, powerful magician, and a wise king is told in the Joseon dynasty novel The Story of Hong Gildong. Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of miscomprehension about the origin and nature of the famous work, the complexity of which has only recently been explored by scholars. In this lecture, Professor Minsoo Kang offer detailed... Read More