To introduce modern Korean culture to overseas readers, a guidebook on Hallyu has been published earlier this month by the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Titled “The Korean Wave,” this book is intended to introduce readers to modern Korean culture, including Korean pop music, TV dramas, and movies, upon the recent spread of K-pop in the world.

The book, the first in a series of books on modern Korean culture, is composed of four chapters -- “Birth of the Korean Wave,” “The Neo-Korean Wave,” “What’s Korean Pop Culture Got?” and “The Korean Wave in Other Fields.”

This book begins with the recent worldwide Hallyu (Korean Wave) boom by mentioning a recent K-pop concert in Paris in May this year which drew the attention of thousands of European K-pop fans.

It also introduces popular idol groups and singers, who have won international popularity, including Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, 2PM, Wonder Girls, KARA, Rain, Big Bang, and Boa.

This book also contains information about popular Korean TV dramas, including “Winter Sonata,” “Jewel in the Palace,” and “Jumong,” which kicked off the Hallyu boom overseas, as well as famous movies like “Old Boy,” “The Host,” and “The King and the Clown” which received favorable responses at well-known international film festivals.

To help readers better understand the current Hallyu boom, it also informs readers of the cultural and historic background of modern Korean culture by explaining modern Korean history and culture in the 1960s and ‘70s with interesting pictures.

KOCIS co-published this book is with Seoul Selection and plans to produce more books on K-pop, Korean dramas, and Korean classical music in near future.

KOCIS Director Seo Kang-soo said in a press release that this book will show the dynamic energy and diversity of modern Korean culture and help its readers better understand Hallyu as a long-lasting phenomenon.

This book can be downloaded in PDF format from the homepage of Korea.net. To download the book, click here.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer

[Source: Korea.net]