Korean Literature – The Things We Love

When South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol suddenly declared martial law on the evening of December 3, 2024, the country plunged into uncertainty and chaos. Extraordinary images of Korean citizens congregating outside of the National Assembly building filled the news. Six hours later, thanks to the heroic efforts of lawmakers who protected the National Assembly and held a vote in the middle of the night rejecting it, Yoon’s martial law declaration was lifted.

On TikTok, Jinwoo Park started releasing videos explaining the fast-moving situation, adding context and nuance to the news coming through regular media channels. The videos helped convey the shocking and historical nature of Yoon’s actions but also showed the deep connection Park maintains with South Korean politics, history, and culture.

Continue reading ➞ From BookTok to debut novel “Oxford Soju Club,” Jinwoo Park spreads the love of books and Korean literature

When I was an undergrad in university, in one of my art history or philosophy classes, I can’t remember exactly—we were given an assignment to write about depth: How would we represent it? How would we define it? I was extremely intrigued, but ultimately, I chose the alternate topic to write about because I was too intimidated. The one thing I could picture when I thought about depth was a blank page, a blank space, a white void. I pictured the end of things, the final understanding, when all the universe’s secrets are finally revealed. It sounded like death because perhaps that is the only state where we can see the totality of what it means to be alive.

The ending of Anton Hur’s English novel debut, Toward Eternity, reminded me of this assignment. Elegant and economical at 244 pages, this novel asks enormous questions and, sublimely, achieves something that feels like an answer at the end of all things: the arrival at some final understanding.

Continue reading ➞ Anton Hur’s “Toward Eternity”: A universe made of poetry