We are happy to introduce Korean Literature Works recommended by BTS

<Human Acts by Han Kang>

Korean Novel (Recommended by BTS-RM)

From the internationally bestselling author of The Vegetarian, a rare and astonishing (The Observer) portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice.

In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.

The story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial, and the echoing agony of the massacre. From Dong-ho's best friend who meets his own fateful end; to an editor struggling against censorship; to a prisoner and a factory worker, each suffering from traumatic memories; and to Dong-ho's own grief-stricken mother; and through their collective heartbreak and acts of hope is the tale of a brutalized people in search of a voice.

An award-winning, controversial bestseller, Human Acts is a timeless, pointillist portrait of an historic event with reverberations still being felt today, by turns tracing the harsh reality of oppression and the resounding, extraordinary poetry of humanity.

Hardcover, 218 pages
(first published May 19th 2014)

<Love Like You've Never Been Hurt by Ryu Si-hwa>

Korean Poems (Recommended by BTS-RM)

Poet Ryu Si-hwa, the author of the poetry collection <Even if you are by my side, I miss you> <Love of a one-eyed fish> and opened a new horizon of 'weaving poetry' by introducing a collection of proverbs <If I had known then what I know now>, this time, Healing Poem (Healing Poem, Healing Poem) as the theme of a book of poetry weaved and published. Healing Poem is a genre that has emerged in the 21st century with the use of a tool called 'poetry' as a way to heal the mind in many Western meditation centers.

It contains poems by famous and unknown poets spanning 41 centuries, from ancient Egyptian papyri scribes to Nobel Prize winners in literature. Modern poets such as Mary Oliver, Vislava Szymborska, Jean Ruslo, Octavio Pas, Ishikawa Dakuboku, Arab and Indian medieval poets such as Jalaludin Rumi, Kabir, Omar Khayyam, and Inuit Indians , 77 poems by a Japanese clog maker, and a Tibetan sage.

<I want to go home even though I’m at home by Gwon Rabin>

Korean Essay (Recommended by BTS-V)

Articles that “looked into me secretly and seemed to be written only for me”

What is this feeling of wanting to go home even though you are at home? I give you this book, which is perfect to take out and read when your empty heart is full of emptiness. Even when crouching, a clear mind finds a small piece of happiness in the softness of a freshly washed duvet. A hopeful heart that can dream of eternal love after a bitter breakup. These very rare and precious hearts come from what I consider to be my happiness more than anyone else. Let's read quietly the writings of writer Kwon Rabin, who say that it's okay to run away when the hard reality is overwhelming, that it's okay to feel like you want to disappear from time to time, and not to compare your hardships with other people's. As one reader put it, these writings, ‘as if they secretly looked into me and wrote only for me’, will be your warm refuge. You can stay here and take a break.

<I decided to live with me by Kim Su-Hyun>

Korean Essay (Recommended by BTS-Jungkook)

A representative work of Korean essays loved all over the world.
Revised edition to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the publication of 『I decided to live as myself』
“The bestseller with a reason to come back stronger and deeper”

Longest long-seller number one. A book that created the spirit of the times by leading the 'living as me' craze, which is also proven by big data. Since its publication in 2016, over 1 million copies have been sold in Korea alone, and the book has been on the bestseller list for 260 consecutive weeks in bookstores nationwide. The best-selling Korean book in Japan and the representative work of K-Essay loved all over the world. A book that many readers say they were deeply comforted and moved by, and that they read the Nth book and choose it as a book for life. 『I Decided to Live as Me』 is the pride of a Korean essay that has been overwhelmingly loved for a long time, unparalleled in publication history.

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BTS Recommended Books