[This Week's Books] 'Ingan Chabyeol' and Others

Human Discrimination

This discusses discrimination that corrodes our society. The author, who has met global scholars and written about the future and survival of humanity, unravels the theme of 'discrimination' that they have been deeply engaged with for the past three years. With 20 years of experience living as an immigrant, the author covers stories of 'people hidden on the margins' such as migrants, adoptees, transgender individuals, children, and women. Notably, in 2022, 3,000 Koryoin refugees living in Ukraine attempted to enter Korea to escape Russian airstrikes but faced entry restrictions. (Written by An Hee-gyeong | Gimm-Young Publishers)

Skewed Literacy

The author, who has studied literacy (the ability to acquire and understand knowledge and information from written records) for over 20 years, warns that declining literacy gradually undermines daily life. In an era of micro-propaganda rife with lies, lacking literacy means being unable to distinguish between the lies of those in power and the 'optical illusions' they create. The author cautions that when literacy is skewed, everything skewed appears as a 'correct' conformist or a mistaken 'opponent.' The book introduces why literacy is important and how to cultivate it with solid logic. (Written by Jo Byung-young | 21st Century Books)

There’s a Reason We Speak This Way

The author teaches linguistics at a university. They study the influence of social factors such as gender, generation, class, and race on human spoken language, beyond internal linguistic elements. Based on extensive research from ancient and medieval literature and classics to recent materials, the author analyzes social, cultural, and historical clues hidden behind language habits. Emphasizing that good language is both a functional tool and a design and fashion that reveals the user, the author advises finding language that well expresses social identity and enables smooth communication with others. (Written by Val?rie Fridland | Translated by Yeom Ji-seon | Gimm-Young Publishers)

The End of K-Democracy’s Martial Law

This contains historian Jeon Woo-yong’s diagnosis of Korean democracy centered on the martial law that occurred on December 3, 2024. The author reviews the history of democracy and explains why democracy has been difficult to take root in Korea and the characteristics of forces rejecting democracy. The pro-Japanese faction, seeking to protect vested interests, became royalists who supported dictatorship, and their greed carries the risk of martial law, a "dirty war" that annihilates the human rights of opponents, the author warns. (Written by Jeon Woo-yong & Choi Ji-eun | Myth of Books)

How Civil Wars Occur

The author, who studies civil wars, political violence, and terrorism in international relations, points out that democracy, which had held system superiority, is losing its solidity. They argue that many countries, including the United States, are falling into an intermediate state that is neither dictatorship nor democracy. The author highlights global political turmoil and social division and analyzes factors deepening factionalism and extremism. They identify the acceleration of conflicts through social media as a cause of the sharp increase in civil wars worldwide over the past 20 years. Redefining civil war, the author warns that even democratic countries are no longer safe. (Written by Barbara F. Walter | Translated by Yoo Kang-eun | Open Books)

The Era of Supply Chain Collapse

During the period when international trade was restricted due to COVID-19, the United States suffered a major blow as logistics supply from Asian countries was cut off. Supply chain crises were experienced across all sectors, from food to daily necessities and industrial raw materials. The author, a New York Times journalist, surveys this global supply chain. They warn of the risk of collapse at any time due to the existing global collaboration system’s extreme pursuit of just-in-time (JIT) efficiency, loss of market transparency, and poor treatment of workers within the supply chain. (Written by Peter S. Goodman | Translated by Jang Yong-won | Sejong Books)