16 Essential Korean Books to Add to Your Reading List

About the Author

Han Kang is an award-winning South Korean novelist known for her emotionally intense narratives. She won the 2024 Nobel Prize for Literature and the Man Booker International Prize for The Vegetarian.

Guess how many women Nobel Literature Laureates there have been. I’ll give you a clue: it’s not many. See the full list of women winners of the Nobel Literature Prize here, plus their best works.

2. Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin

When an elderly woman goes missing in a crowded Seoul subway station, her family is forced to confront their guilt, regrets, and the quiet sacrifices she made for them.

An international bestseller, Please Look After Mom is a tender meditation on motherhood and family.

I read this book many years ago and was struck by the concept: how well do we really know our mothers? And even, do we think of them as people beyond the role of “mother”?

About the Author

Kyung-Sook Shin is one of South Korea’s most celebrated authors and the first Korean writer to win the Man Asian Literary Prize.

3. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

A sweeping, multigenerational epic about a Korean family living in Japan, Pachinko explores themes of identity, resilience and discrimination across decades of history.

It begins in a small fishing village in Japanese-occupied Korea, where Sunja, the beloved daughter of a boardinghouse owner, becomes pregnant by a wealthy, married man.

Refusing to become his mistress, she instead marries a gentle minister who offers her a new life in Japan.

About the Author

Min Jin Lee is a Korean American writer celebrated for her richly researched historical fiction and poignant storytelling.

4. I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee

Translated by Anton Hur

Part memoir, part therapy transcript, I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki follows a young woman’s conversations with her psychiatrist as she navigates depression, self-doubt, and the small comforts that keep her going.

There’s also a sequel, I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki.

About the Author

Baek Se-hee is a South Korean writer whose honest reflections on mental health resonated widely with young readers.

5. The Story of Hong Gildong by Minsoo Kang (Translator / Adaptor)

Often considered Korea’s first novel, The Story of Hong Gildong follows the titular character, a Robin Hood–like hero born into a world that rejects him due to his illegitimacy.

The story blends adventure, social critique and folklore.

About the Author

Minsoo Kang is a historian, writer, and translator known for bringing Korean historical texts to global audiences.

6. Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo

Translated by Jamie Chang

Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 is a powerful novel that chronicles the everyday sexism faced by an ordinary Korean woman.

The novel opens with Kim Ji-young, a 33-year-old stay-at-home mother, beginning to exhibit strange behaviour: she suddenly speaks in the voices of other women, including her late mother-in-law and a former co-worker.

Widely discussed and sometimes controversial, it became a cultural touchstone in conversations about gender inequality.

About the Author

Cho Nam-Joo is a former TV scriptwriter turned author whose work often spotlights social issues affecting women.

7. The Penguin Book of Korean Short Stories, edited by Bruce Fulton

Translated by Kwon Youngmin

This anthology gathers decades of Korean short fiction, from post-war narratives to modern experimental voices, offering a curated journey through the evolution of Korean literature.

About the Editor

Bruce Fulton is a leading translator of Korean literature and a professor specializing in modern Korean fiction.

8. Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park

Love in the Big City is a witty, sharp, and heartfelt novel about a gay man navigating love, nightlife, and friendship in contemporary Seoul.

It’s vibrant, messy and deeply human.

About the Author

Sang Young Park is a South Korean novelist known for his lively, character-driven writing and queer storytelling.

9. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

This memoir by the lead singer of Japanese Breakfast explores grief, identity and the power of food!

In Crying in H Mart, Zauner recounts losing her mother to cancer and reconnecting with her Korean heritage.

About the Author

Michelle Zauner is a Korean American musician and writer whose work spans music, memoir and culture.

10. Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung

Translated by Anton Hur

Cursed Bunny is a dark, genre-blending collection of horror, speculative fiction and surrealism.

These unsettling stories examine patriarchy, capitalism and the grotesque with razor-sharp imagination.

About the Author

Bora Chung is a South Korean writer and translator known for her boundary-pushing speculative fiction.

11. The Nine Cloud Dream by Kim Man-jung

Translated by Heinz Insu Fenkl

Written in the 17th century, The Nine Cloud Dream follows a monk who dreams of a life filled with worldly pleasures—serving as a spiritual allegory on desire, illusion and enlightenment.

It’s considered one of the best works of Korean literature.

About the Author

Kim Man-jung was a scholar and writer during Korea’s Joseon dynasty, renowned for his philosophical and literary works.

12. The Trunk by Kim Ryeo-ryeong

Now a Netflix TV series, The Trunk marks the English-language debut of bestselling Korean author Kim Ryeo-ryeong.

This edgy, gripping drama plunges readers into the shadowy world of Korea’s elite, centred around a secret marriage service that caters to the ultra-wealthy.

Everything changes when a former client—a mysterious high-profile music producer—requests Inji for another year.

About the Author

Kim Ryeo-ryeong is a South Korean novelist known for her empathetic portrayals of everyday people and societal pressures.

13. Almond by Sohn Won-Pyung

Translated by Sandy Joosun Lee

Yunjae, born with a condition that prevents him from feeling emotions, must learn to navigate life, friendship and trauma after a violent incident shatters his world.

Almond is a tender coming-of-age novel about empathy.

About the Author

Sohn Won-Pyung is a writer and filmmaker whose work often centers on emotional growth and social themes.

14. If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

Set in modern Seoul, If I Had Your Face follows four young women confronting beauty standards, class divides and their own personal battles.

It’s raw, vivid and unflinchingly honest.

About the Author

Frances Cha is a Korean American writer and former CNN travel editor with a sharp eye for cultural nuance.

15. Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

Translated by Shanna Tan

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is a cosy, uplifting novel about a woman who opens a small bookshop after hitting burnout. It’s a warm celebration of community, healing and the restorative power of books.

This book is a great example of the rise in popularity of East Asian “cosy lit” that focuses on homey themes as well as tropes such as bookstores, cats, coffee, convenience stores and more.

About the Author

Hwang Bo-Reum is a South Korean novelist and essayist whose works often explore emotional well-being and introspection.

16. The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim

Translated by Chi-Young Kim and Haemin Sunim (Illustrated by Youngcheol Lee)

This bestselling collection of spiritual reflections encourages mindfulness and balance in an overworked world.

The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down offers gentle wisdom for slowing down, reconnecting, and finding inner calm.