On January 24th, the Korean Literature Book Club at KSI Zagreb, Croatia, commemorated its second anniversary. Started in January 2024 from a passion for books and a deep interest in Korean culture, the club is independently operated by KSI Zagreb learners, and has steadily grown into a reading community that seeks to understand Korean society and culture by reading and discussing Korean books.

The book club selects one Korean book every month and holds an online discussion for about an hour once a month, with the meetings conducted in Croatian. Offline meetings are also held twice a year. Currently there are 26 regular members, with an average of around 15 people participating each month. So far, they have read a total of 17 Korean books together, and have also organized five special programs, including online meetings with Korean authors and a book sharing event for members.

At the book club's second anniversary event, club member Lily gave a presentation on author Han Kang's We Do Not Part. The presentation touched upon the work's historical background and narrative structure, as well as issues of the characters' psychology and memories. It served as an opportunity to discuss the novel's historical trauma and collective memory in depth. This was followed by a quiz prepared by Tamara, a psychological counselor, author, and the book club president. Attendees also shared cake and desserts as they celebrated the book club's second anniversary and spent a joyful time bonding.

Thus far, the book club has taken a broad look at Korean literature by reading various works together, such as Cho Nam-joo's Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, Han Kang's The Vegetarian and Human Acts, Shin Kyung-sook's Please Look After Mom, Lee Min-jin's Pachinko, and Sohn Won-pyung's Almond. In addition, by exploring familial sentiments, social issues, and historical events within the works, they have continuously expanded their understanding of the society and culture of Korea by comparing and contrasting it with Croatia.

Book club president Tamara expressed her thoughts on running the club. “Books embrace the soul and enrich life. The book club began from a passion for books and a deep interest in Korean culture. I am always grateful to the club members who have been with us for the past two years. There are times when I’m busy and it feels a bit overwhelming, but since it’s an activity I started out of love, I want to continue leading it with a sense of responsibility.”

Learner Maryann, who attended the second anniversary event, shared her thoughts on participating. “The book club is a precious opportunity to meet new people and share our thoughts on books with one another. I am happy to be able to bond with other book club members.”

Lily, who gave the presentation at the event, also shared her thoughts. “The book club is a time of growth for me. Reading allows me to experience many things indirectly and helps me understand Korean culture more deeply.” On her presentation, she said, “In the presentation on We Do Not Part, I analyzed the work by looking at Korean history from 1919 to 1950 and the Jeju April 3 Incident. Despite its complex structure and heavy theme, it’s a book that makes you think deeply, so I felt it was meaningful.”

Meanwhile, Operational Staff Kwon Seong-hyun shared some words of support. “It is very meaningful that the learners have voluntarily and consistently participated in these activities for two years. It was impressive to see how deeply they came to understand Korean society through Korean literature. I would like to applaud the learners for their efforts and passion.”

Based on their love for books and interest in Korean culture, members of the KSI Zagreb book club plan onto further grow the reading community and continue their intellectual and social growth through the medium of Korean literature.

Article by Lee Hyo-ji, Correspondent at KSI Zagreb