Discover GEEO’s recommended books to read before you travel to South Korea. Our book club is a way for teachers and other participants to learn through literature about the places they will be traveling.
These are some of our favorites about South Korea, so if you’re heading there, take a look (the GEEO book club is not a required element of our programs, just a bit of added fun)! We hope you will enjoy the books we have selected and they will enhance your experience.
You should be able to find most of our selections through the links below and in your local library system as well. Do you have any feedback on our selections or suggestions for additions? Contact us and let us know!
Recommended books to read before traveling to South Korea:
Fiction:
- Human Acts by Han Kang (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- The Court Dancer by Kyung-Sook Shin (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Non-Fiction:
- A History of Korea by Kyung Moon Hwang (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- The New Koreans: The Story of a Nation by Michael Breen (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
For those looking for more suggestions, here are some other books you may want to consider:
- Please Look After Mom: A Novel by Kyung-Sook Shin (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- Korean War by Max Hastings (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- Korea: The Impossible Country: South Korea’s Amazing Rise from the Ashes: The Inside Story of an Economic, Political and Cultural Phenomenon by Daniel Tudor (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- Three Tigers, One Mountain: A Journey Through the Bitter History and Current Conflicts of China, Korea, and Japan by Michael Booth (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- Korean Mythology: Captivating Myths, Legends, and Folktales from Korea by Matt Clayton (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- K-pop Confidential by Stephan Lee (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
GEEO utilizes both Bookshop.org and Amazon Associates links for the above-suggested books. If you purchase a book through one of the links above, you’re supporting us as a nonprofit and helping more teachers travel through GEEO!