The Imjin War and Yi Sun-sin: a Reader’s List on the Most Calamitous Invasion of Joseon Korea

The recent historical films about the Imjin War and the exploits of Korea’s greatest war hero Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598), were blockbuster hits in South Korea. Now both these films, Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022), and The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014 – original Korean title Myeongnyang) are available to stream in the US on most of the major platforms. The legendary…

marie lee evening star

‘The Evening Hero’: First Day of Work

  FIRST DAY OF WORK is an excerpt from The Evening Hero, by Marie Myung-Ok Lee. Published in May 2022, The Evening Hero was chosen for “Best of 2022” by both Oprah and Real Simple Magazines, among others. Her young adult novel, Finding My Voice, is considered to be the first contemporary-set YA with an Asian protagonist.…

when we fell apart seoul

When We Fell Apart

Min-Jun Ford always felt out of place, but that changed with a late-night encounter at a crowded karaoke bar when he met Yu-jin, a smart, beautiful student who accepted him without question and made him feel seen for the first time. Yu-jin had her eyes trained on a high-profile career after graduation and she kept…

The Partition

“The Partition” is a short story from acclaimed Korean American author Don Lee, recipient of the American Book Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction. Mainly, she wanted to be left alone. She didn’t want a husband or a wife or a partner or a lover, she…

michael kim offerings korean proverbs

12 Fascinating Korean Proverbs From Billionaire Financier Michael Kim’s First Novel

Interspersed in Michael ByungJu Kim’s captivating first novel Offerings are delightful Korean proverbs called sajaseong-eo. In the old days, these wise words written in Chinese characters were recited by scholars and noblemen, and eventually many of these sayings were adopted into the everyday vernacular of the common folk. Sajaseong-eo literally means four character proverb, and…