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New Writing from South Korea

December 2012

In this collection, originally featured in the December 2012 issue of Words Without Borders, writer Kim Young-ha selects and introduces two dazzling works from South Korea. Sim Sangdae observes fatal beauty, and Yun Ko-eun follows a woman whose work drives her crazy. We thank the Korea Literature Translation Institute for their generous support of this special section on new Korean writing. 

Marilyn Monroe and Lady Gaga’s Korea, and Korean Literature
By Young-ha Kim
About half a century after Monroe visited Korea, Lady Gaga came to call.
Translated from Korean by Sora Kim-Russell
Beauty
By Sim Sangdae
Ever since I was much younger, my mom had often dragged men into her bedroom.
Translated from Korean by Amber Hyun Jung Kim
The Chef’s Nail
By Yun Ko-eun
In order to grab their attention, she needed to catch their eyes from the moment she got on the subway.
Translated from Korean by Charles La Shure