11,172. That is the number of distinct syllable blocks modern Korean writing can produce: 19 possible initial consonants, times 21 vowels, times 28 final options (including "no final consonant"). If you have ever wondered why the Unicode …
"Is our company really short of talent, or have we simply not looked at half of it?" That question sits near the end of the publisher's notes for The Hour to Wake the Other Half (절반을 깨우는 시간), and it is the cleanest summary of the book…
Here is the whole argument of this book compressed into one table. Kim Dae-soo (김대수), a KAIST neuroscientist who says openly that he has ADHD, thinks the question "How good is your concentration?" is the wrong one. He wants you to ask four…
Say "four-two-nine" to most Koreans under forty and there is a decent chance they will hear "four-one-nine," the April 19 Revolution of 1960. The author of this book noticed exactly that confusion, and it is one of the reasons he…
Cover of Who Owns K-Pop? (누가 K-POP을 소유하는가) by Chris Kwon (크리스 권). Image source: YES24. In one paragraph: Who Owns K-Pop? (누가 K-POP을 소유하는가) by Chris Kwon (크리스 권), published by Hyejiwon (혜지원), is a Korean business book about the part of K-pop fan…
Near the end of this book there is a set of funeral instructions. No funeral, no announcement, no condolence money. Cremation, then ashes scattered at sea. After that, the family should stand in the sea wind for a while and go and eat something hot …
Every spring and autumn, Korean publishers release a book written by whoever scored highest on the previous year's college entrance exam. Most of them are forgettable. The Study That Is Most Like Me (가장 나다운 공부) , out from Woongjin Knowledge Hous…