[This Week's Books] 'Gangnam-ui Tansaeng' and More

The Birth of Gangnam

This introduces the history of Gangnam, which was an undeveloped wasteland south of the Han River, growing into a representative downtown area of South Korea and the capital city Seoul. With the construction of the Gyeongbu Expressway and the completion of the Third Hangang Bridge that allowed crossing the Han River, Gangnam entered a full-scale development era. It fully captures the power and desire that ran through modern Korean history via Gangnam. This is a revised and expanded edition released 8 years after the first edition in 2016. Nearly 100 pages were added compared to the first edition, extensively reflecting the changed information and developments in Gangnam over the past 8 years. (Written by Han Jongsu et al. / Mijibooks)

The Demon King is Alive

This is an interview collection commemorating the 10th anniversary of the passing of the Demon King Shin Hae-chul, containing stories about Shin Hae-chul from people who had connections with him. Music critic Kang Heon, novelist Jung Aeun, Bae Suntak, writer for MBC Radio’s ‘Bae Cheolsu’s Music Camp,’ Jeon Sangil who worked on the design of the Next album, and Han Kyungrok, bassist of the indie band Crying Nut, share their memories and recollections of Shin Hae-chul. Former radio DJ Sung Siwan and KAIST professor Jung Jaeseung wrote congratulatory messages. This is the author’s third interview collection on Shin Hae-chul. Previously, ‘Shin Hae-chul’s Candid Criticism’ and ‘Ah! Shin Hae-chul’ were published. (Written by Ji Seungho / Mokseonjae)

River

This is a full-length novel released after 3 years by Okuda Hideo. It pursues the secret of a serial murder case that occurred at a river in a provincial Japanese city. The nightmare of an unsolved case from 10 years ago repeats itself exactly, plunging the entire city into shock and fear. The story unfolds through a former detective who missed the culprit in the past, a father who chases the culprit himself in grief after losing his daughter, a rookie female reporter, and an eccentric criminal psychologist. The author said, “Crime reveals the weakest and darkest sides of society,” and “I wanted to vividly portray the people involved in the case.” (Written by Okuda Hideo / Translated by Song Taewook / Banknamu)

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