[This Week's Books] The Economics of Isolation and More

Perspectives on China's semiconductors and AI have always been overheated. Some claim China will break through U.S. sanctions and seize technological supremacy, while others believe that overinvestment and the limits of self-sufficiency will ultimately prove to be obstacles. "China Semiconductor Rising" by Professor Kwon Seokjun of Sungkyunkwan University steps back from these polarized assessments to dissect the true state of China's industry. The book follows cases such as Huawei, SMIC, CXMT, and DeepSeek, but does not confine its analysis solely to the rise and fall of individual companies. Instead, it places investment competition between central and local governments, domestic-centered expansion, military-industrial integration, supply chain restructuring, and even evasive innovation in response to U.S. sanctions together on a single screen, offering insights into both the drivers and cracks in China's advanced intelligence sector.

What stands out even more is that the book ultimately turns its gaze to Korea. It questions whether Korea can continue to rely on its memory-focused formula for success, and to what extent it must rebuild its capabilities in foundry, advanced packaging, AI semiconductors, industry intelligence, and workforce and energy infrastructure. Without exaggerating or downplaying China, the book provides concrete guidance on what Korea must preserve and what it needs to change. In this sense, it goes beyond merely analyzing Chinese industry. It serves as a realistic strategy guide that not only interprets the landscape after the U.S.-China chip war but also urges a reorganization of Korean manufacturing for the next decade. (Written by Kwon Seokjun | Science Books)

"Regional Revitalization" uses data from Japan's 1,729 municipalities to reveal that population decline is not an abstract crisis but a reality that unfolds at different rates and under different conditions by region. By considering both locked-in populations and migration scenarios, it distinguishes between areas where low birth rates are the main issue and those where youth outflow is the core problem. The analysis of "black hole municipalities," which absorb young people but lose their own reproductive capacity, is chillingly reminiscent of the current situation in Seoul versus the rest of Korea.

The true merit of this book is that it does not dwell on fear-mongering. It acknowledges that reversing population decline is no longer possible, and instead presents two strategies: normalization, to slow the speed of decline, and strengthening, to help society endure with a smaller population. The book clearly argues that subsidies and slogans are not enough; labor, education, industry, and welfare systems must be redesigned to fit local realities. While it is a report recording Japan's trial and error, it raises even larger questions for Korean society. Going beyond how to save regional areas, it asks what kind of national structure we will choose in the future. (Written by Population Strategy Council, translated by Kim Young-hye | Wiseberry)

"Outside the Parentheses, Goodbye" by Lee Juhye is a collection of short stories that starts from the premise that the past can never be completely understood or healed. Here, translation is not merely a matter of language, but an attempt to revisit relationships and wounds that once could not be accepted. Strange forms such as ghosts, journeys, and gestures are all ways in which memories resurface, and the author captures this trembling delicately in her sentences.

What is impressive is that the book deals with pain without relying solely on solemnity. Some stories explore family fractures, others the lingering resonance of a hometown left behind, and still others use the forms of plants and ghost tales to retrieve the subtle recoveries of life. Japan as a setting is not just a simple backdrop but a place that feels familiar yet never fully overlaps, serving as a device that stirs memories. Lee Juhye's writing holds onto the texture of wounds without having to shout them out loud. Thus, what lingers after closing the book is not the magnitude of tragedy, but the quiet, persistent will to rewrite one's own memories. (Written by Lee Juhye | Munhakdongne)

This book juxtaposes the 1929 Wall Street, where everyone was intoxicated by the new world promised by radio and investing on borrowed money, with today's AI-fueled optimism. Andrew Ross Sorkin reconstructs the Great Crash not just as an economic event but as the runaway convergence of technological innovation, herd psychology, credit expansion, and regulatory failure. Thus, the book is less a replay of financial history than a record showing how the conviction that "this time is different" can become a collective illusion.

What is intriguing is that the book prioritizes people over numbers. By following how bankers, speculators, and policymakers fueled disaster amid mutual arrogance and distrust, it becomes clear that the collapse of the market was not just a plummet on the charts but a breakdown of trust. Ultimately, "1929" is both a recounting of a century's worth of financial catastrophe and an uncomfortable question directed at today's AI and tech-fueled optimism. No one can definitively say whether the current enthusiasm is a harbinger of innovation or the start of another bubble, but at the very least, this book provides the cold perspective needed to make that judgment. (Written by Andrew Ross Sorkin, translated by Cho Yongbin | Woongjin Knowledge House)

This book focuses less on "how to think well" and more on "how to see clearly." The author identifies the cause of mistakes not as a lack of information, but as a lack of resolution. Knowing a lot is different from seeing correctly, and seeing and observing are also distinct, the author repeatedly emphasizes. The book proposes training oneself to endure ambiguity and complexity rather than resorting to black-and-white simplification, using four points of view: depth, breadth, structure, and time, to perceive matters more distinctly.

The key strength of this discussion is that it does not remain theoretical. The author insists that information and thinking alone are insufficient; ultimately, raising resolution comes down to action. Drawing on frameworks and examples from supporting entrepreneurs in the field, the book persuasively argues that, even if the future is vague, taking the first step in the right direction is what reveals the next scene. Rather than being a vague self-help book, it serves as a practical thinking tool for those who wish to improve the clarity of their judgments. (Written by Umada Takaaki, translated by Ryu Dujin | Insight)

"The Economics of Isolation" rigorously explores how protectionism and self-sufficiency, which sound like solutions for uncertain times, can easily become illusions. Ben Chu sets the protectionism of the 1930s alongside today's economic nationalism, examining how the belief that "the less you depend on others, the safer you are" has repeatedly gained traction. What is noteworthy is that the book does not stop at critiquing isolationism as a mere slogan. By tracing issues such as food, energy, semiconductors, immigration, steel, and pharmaceuticals, it shows just how complex and interdependent modern prosperity is, and exposes the flaws in equating national security with a single self-sufficiency rate.

Thus, the real target of the book is not globalization itself, but the politics that poorly address the side effects of globalization and blame outsiders. While the author acknowledges vulnerabilities in supply chains, he argues that the solutions lie not in isolation, but in diversification, stockpiling, and precise management. As a result, this book is less a paean to free trade and more a realistic critique warning of what can be missed when fear drives policy. Even as it discusses the fractures of globalization, the book’s greatest strength is its balanced perspective, resisting the easy slide toward building higher borders. (Written by Ben Chu, translated by Ko Hanseok | Medici Media)

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