[AKyung 'Editors Book List'] 'AI Mind' Containing Philosophy of 23 People... K-Web Novel 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint'

More than 170 Books Published Daily in Korea
Vast Volume... Difficult to Select Good Books
Editorial Strategy Meeting Recommends Books Quarterly

'Planet Aqua' Addressing Climate Severity
'Elon Musk' Essential for Innovation
'Trapped Korean Economy' on Economic Crisis Measures
'Taekriji', a Human Geography Book Written in 1751
'Dangerous Japanese Books' Examining Our Hostility

Although it is often said that there are no readers, judging by the volume of new books published daily, Korea can truly be called a ‘nation of books.’ Last year, the number of published titles reached 62,865 (Korea Publishing Yearbook 2023, Korea Publishers Association). On average, more than 170 new books are released each day. It is not easy to distinguish which books are good among the flood of publications. As the reading population declines, the coverage of books in media such as newspapers and broadcasts has also significantly decreased compared to the past.

Asia Economy aims to ease readers’ concerns about selecting quality books by introducing recommended books in a new format. Asia Economy holds an editorial strategy meeting once a week, where the CEO, editors, and department heads gather. At this meeting, five editors take turns recommending one book they have read. About 50 books are recommended annually, roughly 10 per quarter. These books will be introduced in print. First, we present the books recommended up to the third quarter of this year. Going forward, at the beginning of each quarter, we will introduce the books editors recommended in the previous quarter. We hope that the choices of editors, who have long made writing and reading their profession, will provide even a small help in resolving readers’ reading dilemmas.

The Era’s Key Topics: ‘Artificial Intelligence, Cryptocurrency, Tesla, Nvidia, Climate Change’

As it is the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), books with AI in their titles such as ‘AI Mind’ and ‘AI and News’ attracted attention. ‘AI Mind’ is a book containing interviews with 23 AI experts. Interviewees include Demis Hassabis, the developer of AlphaGo, and Geoffrey Hinton, the ‘father of modern AI’ and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, Canada, who predicted that autonomous robot weapons capable of killing humans would appear within ten years. The book explores the problems humanity will face as AI advances and possible solutions.

Editor Im Hoon-gu, who recommended ‘AI and News,’ predicted that the category of news could collapse with the advent of AI. Editor Im explained, "AI searches for related news across various media, learns the content on its own, and then organizes it into a single document. In this process, the titles of news media become buried, and readers no longer consciously distinguish what is news and what is not."

‘The Apple Nvidia Shockwave’ mainly deals with Nvidia, which has seized the lead in the growing AI semiconductor market, so it can also be seen as a book about AI. Tesla Motors, ranked first in market capitalization worldwide, and Elon Musk, who leads Tesla, are also unavoidable topics. Tesla, leading the electric vehicle era, is also grappling with how to respond in the AI era.

‘Elon Musk’ is a book written by Walter Isaacson, famous for biographies of celebrities such as Steve Jobs. It is a 760-page so-called ‘brick book.’ Editor Shin Beom-su, who recommended the book, said it is interesting and can be read without fatigue. He also introduced it as "a book that makes readers ponder various issues, such as whether dictatorship is inevitable for innovation and whether an innovative figure like Musk can emerge in Korea."

‘The Fiat Standard’ contains optimistic views on the future of Bitcoin. Editor Kim Pil-su said, "Nowadays, institutional experts such as private bankers and securities analysts recommend including about 10% of virtual assets in portfolios," and introduced the book as written by Saifedin Amos, an economics professor at the Lebanese American University and economic advisor to El Salvador, the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender.

‘Planet Aqua’ is a book on the climate crisis by Jeremy Rifkin, a world-renowned American scholar. Rifkin argues that the development model based on controlling and exploiting water has reached its limits and emphasizes the need for a change in values that re-recognizes the value of watersheds.

Ongoing Economic Crisis

As the low-growth phase in major advanced countries becomes entrenched, books addressing the economic crisis continue to be recommended. The reason AI is attracting attention is also due to hopes that innovation might once again revive the declining growth engine. However, there are concerns that rapid changes due to technological advances may only increase uncertainty.

Books such as ‘Investment Strategies in an Era of Stagnant Growth’ and ‘The Trapped Korean Economy’ explore possible responses to the ongoing economic crisis. Books like ‘Problematic Events in Capital Markets’ and ‘Management: Kazuo Inamori Talks About the Starting Point’ seek to find solutions to the current crisis through past cases. Kazuo Inamori is a Japanese entrepreneur known as the ‘God of Management.’ He founded Kyoto Ceramic (Kyocera) and the major telecommunications company KDDI and is credited with rescuing Japan Airlines (JAL) from bankruptcy.

‘8 Billion People, an Uncharted Future’ is written by Jennifer Scuba, a tenured professor of political science at Rose College and an American anthropologist, and discusses future economic prospects from a demographic perspective. It analyzes how aging populations in Korea, China, and Japan, increasing refugees and migrants, the strengthening of Western extremism, and the rapidly growing populations of emerging countries will impact the economy. ‘The 1960s Generation is Coming’ deals with Korea’s demographic issues, comprehensively examining the implications of the retirement of the baby boomer generation born in the 1960s on society. Books such as ‘The State’s Predatory Inheritance Tax,’ ‘A Country Without Shareholder Rights,’ and ‘Elite Succession’ examine controversies born from today’s capitalist system.

Recommendations of Lee Jung-hwan’s ‘Taekriji’ and Web Novels

Editor So Jong-seop attracted attention by recommending ‘Taekriji’ as a must-read book for economic newspaper reporters. ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ was noted as the only web novel recommendation. Taekriji is a human geography book written in 1751 by Lee Jung-hwan (1690?1756), a practical scholar of the late Joseon Dynasty. Editor So recommended the ‘Complete and Annotated Taekriji’ published by Humanist in 2018, introducing it as "an economic book that introduces regional products and transportation, dealing with the existential question of where to live."

‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ is a work by web novel author SingShong, which began serialization on the online web novel platform Munpia. It was also made into a movie starring Lee Min-ho, Ahn Hyo-seop, and Chae Soo-bin, with filming completed in May this year and awaiting release next year. Editor Baek Gang-nyeong noted, "Since May 2020, it has been released overseas through Naver Webtoon in the US, Japan, France, Thailand, Indonesia, and is currently translated into about ten languages," highlighting the potential of web novels. In fact, Naver Webtoon became the largest shareholder by acquiring a majority stake in Munpia in February 2022. Editor Baek explained, "The popularity of web novels reflects changes in the world," and added, "It is worth watching whether global content like ‘The Lord of the Rings’ will emerge from web novels."

Books such as ‘The Power of Description,’ ‘Mapo Jugong Apartments,’ ‘Buildings That Changed Tokyo,’ and ‘Dangerous Japanese Books’ cover unique topics, with their titles arousing curiosity and interest. ‘The Power of Description’ deals with writing, while ‘Buildings That Changed Tokyo’ tells stories about notable buildings in Tokyo, Japan’s capital, such as Shibuya Miyashita Park, Azabudai Hills, and Tokyo Midtown.

Mapo Jugong Apartments was Korea’s first apartment complex, completed in 1964 and demolished in 1991. The book ‘Mapo Jugong Apartments’ is the posthumous work of Professor Park Cheol-soo from the Department of Architecture at Seoul City University. Professor Park analyzed that features of Korean apartment complexes?such as residents bearing infrastructure costs, sales rather than rentals, and redevelopment after 30 years?began with Mapo Jugong Apartments 60 years ago and that this system still persists. ‘Dangerous Japanese Books’ is a book by Professor Park Hoon of Seoul National University’s Department of History, which thoroughly investigates what kind of country Japan was during its colonial rule over Korea and reflects on Korean hatred and hostility toward Japan.