A cake begins with thin layers, baked like the pages of a book. Between them are cream and fresh strawberries. On each layer — or page — is the ending of a mystery novel Irae loved but never got to finish. Then comes another unusual ingredient: memory. A cassette tape containing fragments of Irae's life is played through a "cakessette" player that infuses those memories into the cake. When you take a bite, the taste of strawberries, along with the contents of the book, unfolds like an illusion.

Last year, South Korea surpassed 8 million single-person households for the first time. According to data released in December by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, 8.045 million households were made up of just one person, up from 7.166 million in 2021, bringing the share of solo households to 36.1 percent, the highest level on record. The proportion has climbed steadily, crossing 30 percent in 2019 and 35 percent in 2023, with Seoul posting the largest concentration of people living alone. As

When Kim Su-hyun penned the bestsellers “I Decided to Live as Me” in 2016 she was writing from a position of uncertainty. Plans had not panned out and she was unsure what path to take. The book, and its 2020 follow-up and “Being Comfortable without Effort,” were like “a manifesto and a promise” to herself. Nearly a decade later, the 39-year-old writer feels she has largely lived up to that promise and internalized many of their principles. She says she is now psychologically healthier than ever.

Bora Chung, whose “Cursed Bunny” became an international sensation after landing on the International Booker shortlist, is ready to give readers another fright with a new collection of ghost stories. While the 2022 Booker spotlight led to a flurry of renewed interest in her earlier work, Chung’s latest collection, “Midnight Timetable,” offers entirely new stories. Published in Korean shortly after the nomination, the book has now been released in the US, UK and Australia, with rights sold to mor

The first sprinkle came from the cryptocurrency craze of 2017 and 2018, when Bitcoin became a national obsession and the country was swept into a speculative frenzy. Television screens filled with news reports, documentaries and fiery debates over whether the boom promised easy fortune or certain disaster. Whenever Jang Ryu-jin stumbled across those programs while flipping channels, she couldn’t look away. The coins themselves were intriguing, but what captivated her more was the collective exci

At its core, “Hunger” is a love story — visceral, tender and almost unbearably devoted — that dares to push the boundaries of what it means to love someone beyond death. The macabre romance follows Gu and Dam, two lovers who grew up in the same neighborhood and remained obsessive and inseparable into adulthood, until Gu is murdered in the street by loan sharks. In a moment when time seems to stop, Dam cradles his body, carries it home and cleanses him in a ritualistic act. Then, slowly, she cons

Debut novel invites readers into dokkaebi-run magical market open only once a year You Yeong-gwang struggled with his vision for some time. It was painful to look at bright lights after eye surgery. With job options suddenly limited, he worked as a telemarketer at a call center to make ends meet, facing verbal abuse every day. After years of living like that, he couldn't go on. His escape came with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the boom in food delivery jobs it brought. His eyesight having recovere

Yun Jung-eun’s bestselling novel explores emotional healing for readers and author herself When you step into this particular laundromat, they promise to remove all kinds of stains -- yes, even those that linger in the mind. Jieun, an enigmatic yet warm woman, greets visitors and offers them tea from a porcelain teapot. The space, with its hanok-inspired interior, has the quiet charm of a countryside cafe. Moonlight streams through the windows, casting a glow that seems to slow the passing of ti

SINGAPORE -- A wave of “healing” Korean literature has gained momentum this year, with a growing number of titles winning hearts and more to come just over the horizon. At the center of the wave stands Shanna Tan, the Singaporean translator who debuted with runaway bestseller “Welcome to Hyunam-dong

Acclaimed Korean-to-English translator and newly minted novelist, Anton Hur is navigating his busiest year yet. Based in Seoul, Hur was born in Stockholm and raised in Hong Kong, Ethiopia and Thailand, “but mostly in Korea.” So far this year, he has published six translated works, made his debut as