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Recommended Reading List

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Reading

There is no necessity to read anything before you arrive in South Korea but you may wish to get a feel for Korean life and history before you arrive and if so we would recommend the following books:

  • The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History – by Don Oberdorfer
  • The Dawn of Modern Korea – by A.N Lankov
  • CultureShock! Korea: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette – by Sonia Vegdahl
  • The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Country is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture – Euny Hong
  • The Korean War – Max Hastings
  • Korea’s Place in the Sun: A Modern History – Bruce Cumings
  • The Vegetarian – Han Kang

Books on North Korea

  • Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea - Barbara Demick
  • Without You There is No Us – Suki Kim
  • The Aquariums of Pyongyang - Kang Chol-hwan and Pierre Rigoulot