Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!

E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!

Discover

Must Reads of South Korea: Bestsellers & Hidden Gems 🇰🇷🌸

46 items

sani ♡

Diversify your reading with a masterlist of mostly contemporary Korean literature, from books you might've heard of already to novels that are criminally underappreciated, there's something for every type of reader here!

Sections

emotional reads

feminist, queer & historical stories

atmospheric reads

heart-warming stories

quirky & unique

poetry

emotional reads

A beautifully written novel that covers many topics: desire, obsession, loneliness, queerness, misogyny, intimacy, love, self-expression, feminism, and more. Some beautiful symbolism, for example, the title refers to a violet as a symbol of a woman.

Violets

A criminally underrated and super emotional story of a man who leaves home with his dog, living in motels for years, meeting people along the way and writing letters for them, in hopes that one of them will write him back one day. Beautiful writing.

No One Writes Back

A story about Claire, a girl living in Switzerland whose family moved to Japan after the war in Korea, and her grandparents now operate a pachinko parlor, the most common job for Koreans in Japan. Claire visits her grandparents with the desire to tak...

The Pachinko Parlor

Criminally underrated but a personal favourite, an extremely emotional story about Sora, Nana, and Naghi. Sora and Nana are sisters, and their mother Aeja is mentioned often, through which we explore neglect and motherhood. Naghi is a way for the aut... children, growing up, and more.

I'll Go On

A beautiful novel about a non-binary character dealing with grief, as their country mourns the Sewol ferry disaster. Absolutely gorgeous writing and great commentary on social issues.

dd's Umbrella

A beautifully written bestseller in Korea that explores the way a family deals with the disappearance of Sonyo when she gets lost in a crowd. Her children all deal with this in different ways, and it's a great exploration of grief.

Please Look After Mom

Somewhat similar to Please Look After Mom in its exploration of family, the bestseller novel focuses on a woman trying to reconnect with her father.

I Went To See My Father

A beautifully written story that follows a young woman called Jung Yoon and the traumatic events she's lived through, plus how they've shaped her as a person.

I'll Be Right There

An autographical story and a work of excellent historical fiction, in which the protagonist comes to Seoul to work to support her family while studying to become a writer. Beautifully written.

The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness

feminist, queer & historical stories

An absolute must-read when it comes to Korean feminist literature, discussing the life and struggles of a typical Korean woman.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

Another essential that will teach you a lot about Korea's history, especially its history with Japan, and the struggles of Korean women at the time. Perfect for those who enjoyed Pachinko, the TV series inspired by this novel.

Pachinko

Han Kang's most influential novel, inspired by the Gwangju Uprising, a series of protests following the declaration of martial law in 1980. The themes remain relevant to this day.

Human Acts

Perfect for those interested in Korean beauty, skincare, fashion, and the effects of Korean beauty standards on the women living in the country. Set in contemporary Korea, the book follows four women who live in the same building. Commentary on topic...

If I Had Your Face

A historically interesting story set in the final years of the Korean empire. The novel is inspired by the true story of Li Chin, an orphaned dancer who became somewhat of a slave to the Joseon Empire.

The Court Dancer

Most of all a story about friendship, inspired by the left-wing movements that started in Jeju and were suppressed by the government, greatly impacting Jeju island as a whole.

We Do Not Part

An underrated novel rich in elements of Korean culture, from the cover to the contents of the book. It tells a story set in the 1900s, inspired by the Korean independence movement.

Beasts of a Little Land

A story of queerness that focuses on a Korean woman who lets her daughter move back in with her at 30, and discovers that she has a girlfriend, which she struggles to accept, but eventually learns to through her own life experiences. Beautiful commen...

Concerning My Daughter

atmospheric reads

A beautifully atmospheric read set in Sokcho, near the North Korean border, that will make you feel like you actually visited this town once you're done reading. It follows the narrator as she meets a tourist while working in Sokcho, and we find out ...

Winter in Sokcho

An dreamlike story that focuses more on the atmosphere than the plot, but it works perfectly. The story follows Ayami, a woman who's unsure of what to do with her life next. Lots of nice references to art and artists.

Untold Night and Day

heart-warming stories

A very comforting and heart-warming read, it even includes some adorable illustrations. It follows Daesu as he returns to Cherry Hill, his childhood home.

Miracle on Cherry Hill

A short novel that reads like a fable, and a metaphor for how people are treated in society. Discusses race, adoption, motherhood, family, belonging, and freedom. Sprout is an especially adorable character.

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly

Written in Hwang Sunmi's signature easy-to-read style, a story about a dog who feels like an outsider, and the struggles she faces.

The Dog Who Dared to Dream

A heart-warming bestseller in Korea, about a woman who felt bored of her life so she decided to start over by moving to a small town and opening a bookstore. The writing is super sweet and emotional.

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

A super sweet and comforting story with wonderful worldbuilding, about a store that sells dreams. Super magical, feels like a fairytale.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store

quirky & unique

Another underrated gem of magical realism, inspired by the 2009 Yongsan protest. Set in an electronics market in Seoul, following two employees, this novel discusses the struggles of the Korean working class in contrast with the shiny backdrop that i...

One Hundred Shadows

Perfect for those who love a quirky and weird story. We find out about a cabinet full of information on humans with bizarre traits and experiences that are so strange they become hilarious at times.

The Cabinet

A novel with a super intriguing premise that is two estranged sisters switching places and committing insurance fraud to save lives. The sisters were really interesting as characters and so was their dynamic.

Yolk

A story in which the narrator is unhealthily obsessed with a K-pop idol called Moon, and she spirals when he suddenly disappears. The writing style is pretty unique and so is the concept, plus it includes good commentary on fan culture and parasocial...

Y/N

poetry

An underrated yet gorgeous poetry collection about Korean culture, war, survival, family, the immigrant experience, trauma, food as an expression of culture, and much more. An extremely emotional reading experience.

Some Are Always Hungry

A wonderful collection that explores gender, queerness, and identity in general through the theme of technology.

Soft Science

A collection of writing as pretty as the cover of the book, focuses a lot on themes such as the apocalypse, survival, and a dystopian world.

The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On

Some of the author's earliest work, but still very good. A collection that focuses on identity issues and anxiety, with a unique writing style to it.

Floating, Brilliant, Gone

fantasy & historical fantasy

A fantasy book by one of the most prolific authors of fantasy inspired by Korean history. Set in the 1700s, it focuses on court politics and the main character's struggles as she fights injustice, but also gets involved in a romance.

The Red Palace

Perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli movies, the novel is based on elements of Korean mythology, and it features a spirit world. We follow Mina as she seeks for the Sea God, with the help of a boy called Shin.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

An emotional story set on Jeju island in the 1400s, about a forest in which ten girls went missing, and the investigation of this case. Good commentary on women's rights.

The Forest of Stolen Girls

A beautiful and exciting story, much like the cover that represents it. Set in Joseon in the 1500s, focuses on the tyranny of King Yeonsan, especially when it comes to his treatment of women.

A Crane Among Wolves

short story collections

A truly diverse collection mostly concerning the lives of Korean women, references various historical events such as the 2014 Sewol Ferry tragedy, and Korea's role in the Vietnam War. Also includes themes of feminism, queerness, family, and faith.

Shoko's Smile

A super underrated collection of post-war short stories full of political commentary, such as the title story, in which the protagonist turns to religion in an attempt to cope with her son's death due to the horrible healthcare system in post-war Kor...

The Age of Doubt

A collection of stories about Korean Americans connecting with each other and their culture. The title is the Konglish word for bonding and intimacy through physical touch, platonic, romantic, and between family members.

Skinship

A short story collection of various genres, from magical realism to horror, from science fiction to contemporary stories. The common theme is commentary on capitalism and the patriarchy. The stories are super universal, they could apply to anybody in...

Cursed Bunny

A great collection of psychologically intriguing short stories. The title story follows the narrator, who used to be a serial killer, but now has Alzheimer's. Many super unique topics.

Diary Of A Murderer

memoirs

An intensely emotional memoir written by the half Korean vocalist of the band Japanese Breakfast, in which she talks about the death of her Korean mother. Lots of insight into grief, family, motherhood, Korean culture, and Michelle's identity issues ...

Crying in H Mart

intriguing mystery novels

A murder mystery novel that mostly focuses on the emotional effects of such a tragedy. This is explored through Daon, who copes with her grief in ways that might seem ridiculous. Great commentary on the justice system.

Lemon

An intriguing novel about Hornclaw, who's having some complicated thoughts and feelings on her experiences as a professional assassin. This, combined with the author's straightforward writing style, makes the book very comedic at times.

The Old Woman with the Knife

An intriguing story about the Yoos, a family of Korean immigrants, running a controversial therapy centre in Virginia, when a fire breaks out in it. The novel mainly discusses morality and parenting.

Miracle Creek

A story set in Seoul, it follows Reseng, who works as an assassin for an organisation called the Library, where they call the clients the Plotters. We find out about Reseng's thrilling life events as a professional killer.

The Plotters