Seoul Review of Books
5 years of reading the world through reviews!
24 books writing the world through books!
Begin your reading journey of our era from just 40,000 KRW!
From the pre-launch issue to the 5th anniversary
◾…… 2020 868 social Funding supporters (Funding achieved 971%)
◾…… December 2020, publication of Seoul Review of Books Issue 0 (pre-launch issue)
◾…… March 2021, publication of Issue 1 (launch issue)
◾…… May 2021, started Ridiselect content subscription service
◾…… July 2021, started Naver Premium Content subscription service
◾…… September 2021, publication of Issue 3. Experimental planning of new sections <New Book Shelf> <Return of the Hot Topic>
◾…… March 2023, transformed to current format and cover design
◾…… March 2023, new section: Independent bookstore manager's book review <Currently Reading>
◾…… March 2024, 3rd anniversary project 'The Frontline of Reading' social Funding support (Funding achieved 252%)
◾…… March 2024, Editor-in-Chief Kim Du-eol appointed
◾…… 2024, 10 million KRW prize book review contest 'Ujureview Award' held, over 500 applicants
◾…… July 2024 Seribook offline lecture <Seribook Class>
◾…… May 2025 Publication of the Ujureview Award Winners Collection 『An Incident of a Book』
◾…… July 2025 Successful completion of the 2nd Ujureview Award Book Review Contest
◾…… March 2026 Publication of 『Seoul Review of Books』 Issue 21 (5th Anniversary Special Issue)
◾…… July 2026 Publication of 『2nd Ujureview Award Winners Collection』
◾…… March 2026 Start of the 3rd Ujureview Award Contest
The inaugural issue of 《Seoul Review of Books》
was a declaration to become a leading book review magazine representing the nation, like 《New York Review of Books》 and 《London Review of Books》.
It was a declaration to become a leading book review magazine representing the nation.
We aimed to properly address the importance of books,
to criticize widely known but actually lacking books,
and to discover and introduce good books that have not received attention.
A book review is not a summary, but an 'expansion.'
Through reviews, 《Seoul Review of Books》 has observed the trends of society and culture,
and documented the scenes of diverse reading cultures.
Within that, we have explored new roles for book reviews.
We are not just a magazine that introduces books,
but wish to become a unique laboratory that senses the spirit of the times.
Five years since its launch, "Seoul Review of Books" has
aimed to create a structure where society, readers, and reviews are interconnected.
We review books that deserve to be widely read,
and through reviews, books are reconnected with society,
creating a virtuous cycle where discourse expands through encounters with readers.
To overturn and expand this structure, in the anniversary issue,
we filled the pages with special reviews by the editorial board members.
The reviews written by editorial board members such as Kang Yerin, Kwon Seokjun, Kim Hongjoong, Park Jinho, Sun Woohoon, Song Jiwoo, Shin Hyungchul, Yoo Junghoon, Jeon Eunji, Jung Woohyun, Jung Jaewan, Cho Moonyoung, and Hyun Siwon, who are striving in their respective fields—sociology, anthropology, economics, natural sciences, history, literature, comics, history of science and technology, aerospace, philosophy, architecture, and art—
will hand readers a shovel. A shovel in the form of reviews that will dig even deeper into the depths of reading.
First step on Wadiz!
First reveal on Wadiz!
To celebrate the opening of the exclusive "Seoribook" hall on the Bookio e-book platform, first release on Wadiz
40,000 KRW per year, 1,600 KRW per issue
A chance to own books, writings, and reflections on life for just 40,000 KRW a year!
- We have opened an exclusive "Seoul Review of Books" hall on Bookio for the e-book subscription service.
- We present the Bookio exclusive hall 1-year access pass as a special package to commemorate its first launch on Wadiz.
- You can access the entire e-book collection for one year, or subscribe to the print magazine as well.
"Seoul Review of Books" was a magazine created together with its readers.
At every moment of Funding, reviews expanded beyond the boundaries of books.
Now, what does 'reading' mean in this new era, and how should we define it?
We would like to talk with you again.
This Funding is a celebration of the journey we have shared over the past five years,
and the first step toward creating the next five years together.
Redefining the identity of 《Seoul Review of Books》 once again.
-Depth Curator: The uniquely human thought that AI cannot summarize.
-Lounge of Resonance: A community that connects people through text.
-Zeitgeist Archive: The value of collection and record, not just information delivery.
1. E-Seoul Review of Books is
composed of a one-year Seoul Review of Books e-book access pass (Issues 0–23, 24–27) + Review Note.
When the Funding ends, an <E-book Book Ticket> will be issued, allowing you to access all magazines for one year.
The Review Note will be shipped around September 20.
2. Seoul Review of Books Full Package is
composed of a one-year Seoul Review of Books print subscription (4 issues) + one-year e-book access pass + Review Note.
Print magazine Issue 23 and the Review Note will be shipped around September 20, and the e-book will be sent electronically.
Issues 24, 25, and 26 will be sent in each respective publication season.
3. Seoul Review of Books Paper Magazine is
Composed of a one-year subscription to the Seoul Review of Books paper edition (4 issues) + a review notebook.
Issue 23 of the paper magazine and the review notebook will be shipped around September 20.
Issues 24, 25, and 26 will be sent in each respective publication season.
Table of Contents for Seoul Review of Books Issue 23
[From the Editorial Office] _ Sunwoo Hoon
[Special Review]
"Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation" (Munhakgwa Jiseongsa, 2019)
Testifying to the Dreams of the Svoi _ Son Seonggyu
'Land' Series
Using Anthropology on My Land _ Park Dongsoo
"We Are Human, Dear Customer" (Changbi, 2022)
Reading the Simultaneity of Non-Simultaneity in Call Center Labor _ Lee Seungyoon
"The Boss of Chungking Mansions Knows: The Uncertainty That Shakes the Existing Theories of Reciprocity, Gift, and Distribution"
Anthropology (Galapagos, 2025)
How to Live Together in a World of Uncertainty _ Jeong Heonmok
"Debt: The First 5,000 Years: An Anthropologist's Rewriting of Economic History" (Bookle Books, 2011)
Why Must We Repay Debt: From Obligation to Opportunity _ Lee Yoonsu
"People, Place, Hospitality" (Munhakgwa Jiseongsa, 2015)
"You Are Human" _ Park Eun-a
[Imago Mundi]
About David Hockney _ Hyun Si-won
[Design Review]
The Graphic World of the Paper Dictionary _ Jeon Ga-kyung
[Book & Maker]
The Heart Connecting Each Panel _ Lee Yul-ri
[Review]
"1938 Taiwan Travelogue" (Matisse Blue, 2025) _ Shin Ji-young
"Beings That Eat Light: The Astonishing World of Plant Intelligence That Experiences and Penetrates the World with the Whole Body"
(Power of Thought, 2025)
This Is Not Pseudoscience: The World of Plants That Feel, Remember, and Act _ Kim Sang-wook
"Concrete Utopia" (Workroom Press, 2026)
The Grand and Fascinating Device That Created the Middle Class _ Ahn Eun-byeol
"Hangeul, The Uncomfortable Truth" (Blue History, 2026)
Is "Hangeul, The Uncomfortable Truth" Really True? _ Hwang Sun-yeop
"Apple, The Beginning of Disruptive Innovation: The Unexpected Moments of the Personal Computer and Software Revolution That Changed the World
" (Chaekman, 2026)
The Economic History of Personal Computer Capitalism: How PCs Became Personalized and Commercialized _ Jeon Seong-min
"Allowance for the Subscription Husband: The Poor Life of a Monthly 21,000 Yen Allowance" (Haksan Publishing, 2025)
Imagining a Loose Community of Enjoyment _ Park Geun-hyung
[Essay]
Observing the Neighborhood at an Unmanned Cafe _ Cho Moon-young
Answering the Question About Looking for Readers' Reactions _ Kim Ki-tae
[Cartoon Essay]
2026 Independent Publishing Comic Exhibition KANSAE Behind the Scenes _ Doi·Uya
[New Book Shelf]
[Currently Reading]
『Seoul Review of Books』Who publishes this magazine??
『Seoul Review of Books』 is a magazine created by a group of 13 editorial board members. The editorial team consists of 13 members and 5 advisory board members who are actively engaged in fields such as sociology, anthropology, economics, natural sciences, history, literature, comics, history of science and technology, aerospace, philosophy, architecture, and art, bringing together both expertise and public appeal.
[Editor-in-Chief]
Kim Doo-eol researches and lectures on economic history, institutional economics, and economics at Myongji University. His books include "Economic Growth and Judicial Policy," "A Reinterpretation of Korean Economic History," "What Disappears Leaves Regret," and "Studying Economics at Least Once in Life."
[Editorial Board Member]
Yerin Kang, architect. She teaches at the Department of Architecture at Seoul National University. She has designed spaces such as 'Brickwell', 'Thinking Island', and 'Yoonseul', and has co-authored books including 'The Library Walker' and 'Apartment Letters'.
Seokjun Kwon is a professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering/Polymer Engineering and the Department of Semiconductor Convergence Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University, mainly researching semiconductor devices, materials, and processes based on computational science and physics. His representative book is 'The Three Kingdoms of Semiconductors'.
Hongjoong Kim, sociologist. He majored in social theory and cultural sociology and teaches at the Department of Sociology at Seoul National University. His recent interests are the entanglement and arrangement of materiality, humanity, life, and spirituality. His books include 'The Recluse Machine', 'Sociology of the Mind', and 'Sociological Wave Power'.
Jinho Park, linguist. He teaches at the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Seoul National University. He has co-authored books such as 'Phenomena and Theory of Korean Syntax', 'Modern Korean Verb Construction Dictionary', and 'Computers for the Humanities'.
Hoon Sunwoo, cartoonist. He is also active as a comic critic and contemporary artist. He has drawn comics such as 'Damage Over Time', 'My Hometown Where I Lived', 'Jeongeup: The Story of Saemgol', and 'Songs That Changed the World'. He served as editor-in-chief of the comic criticism webzine 'Your Mana' and hosted the comic criticism podcast 'Weekly Webtoon'.
Jiwoo Song is a professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University. He mainly researches issues at the intersection of political philosophy, legal philosophy, and human rights studies.
Hyungchul Shin, literary critic. He teaches at the Department of English Language and Literature (Comparative Literature Program) at Seoul National University. He began his critical career in 2005 by publishing in the quarterly <Literature Village>. He has published 'The Ethics of Ruin', 'The Community of Feeling', 'The Sorrow That Studies Sorrow', and 'The History of Life'. His interests are the ethical capacity of art, the critical capacity of ethics, and the artistic capacity of criticism.
Junghoon Yoo, lawyer. He contributes a monthly 'Jeongdong Column' to the Kyunghyang Shinmun and mainly writes about American politics and Supreme Court cases for the online media 'Florence's Table'.
Eunji Jeon teaches students at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST and researches rarefied gas dynamics. She is interested in the world of gases moving in space and the physical order within. She seeks to explore through writing the points where science meets human life. She has serialized columns in 'The Hankyoreh' and 'Naeil Newspaper', and continues to write stories about science and humanity.
Woohyun Jung, professor at the Department of Pharmacy at Duksung Women's University and molecular biologist. He studies various mechanisms of life’s response to factors and stresses that cause genomic damage and instability. He believes that biology hides something very important that other disciplines miss. His book is 'Asking About Life'.
Jaewan Jung graduated from the Department of Visual Design at Hongik University and worked as a book designer at Jung Design and Minumsa Publishing Group. He is currently a professor at the Department of Visual Design at Yeungnam University and is in charge of designing photo books for April Eyes. His books include '10 Book Designers of the World' (co-author), 'Apartment Letters' (co-author), and 'Designed Matter' (co-author). The photo book he designed, 'Ways of Working', was selected as 'The Most Beautiful Book in Korea 2022'.
Moonyoung Cho, professor of Cultural Anthropology at Yonsei University. Her books include 'The Process of Poverty', THE SPECTER OF “THE PEOPLE”, and as editor, 'How Have We Turned Away from Poverty', 'Civilian China', 'Youth on the Threshold', 'Dongja-dong, Your Right to Live', and as translator, 'The Age of Distributive Politics'.
Siwon Hyun is a curator who writes about images and runs the exhibition space 'Audiovisual Lab'. She is the artistic director of the 2024 Changwon Sculpture Biennale.
[Staff]
Editor-in-Chief: Doo Eol Kim
Editorial Board: Yerin Kang, Seokjun Kwon, Hongjoong Kim, Jinho Park, Hoon Sunwoo, Jiwoo Song, Hyungchul Shin
Junghoon Yoo, Eunji Jeon, Woohyun Jung, Jaewan Jung, Moonyoung Cho, Siwon Hyun
Advisory Board: Kwon Bodrae, Kim Youngmin, Park Hoon, Lee Seokjae, Hong Sungwook
Design: Jung Jaewan
Publisher: Aleph
Editor: Oh Byunghyun