Books that Notables Want To Read On Vacation

--Kang Kum-sil, Justice Minister

The book that I want to read this summer vacation is Carl.G Jung’s “Men and Culture.” It is a collection of his essays and handles various matters such as good and evil, death, marriage and relationships, women, conscience, and personality, all of which I am interested in. Through reading this book, I want to think about unconsciousness or soul, images of men, and society and culture.

--Kim Eoh-joon, head of Ddanzi-Ilbo

I will read Joachim C. Fest’s “Hitler 1, 2.” History is a result made from numerous causes weaved by chance or necessity. People in it are a part of variables and they cannot make history by themselves. However, Hitler is an exception. His influence on the times was more powerful than the one made on him by the times. He is the best example that represents the destructive power made by the improper combination of the times and a man. I have wondered about the details of the combination for a long time.

--Kim Je-dong, host of radio and television shows

I am planning to read Lee Oi-soo’s new essay “Babo-babo” (Babo means a fool in Korean) I am a fan of Lee Oi-soo. I feel friendly towards him because of his difficult childhood, his abnormal appearance and his personality that values inner value above appearances. A while ago I met him in person thanks to singer Yoon Do-hyun’s introduction and he sent me “Babo-babo,” his new book.

--Park Geun-hye, former leader of the Grand National Party

I want to learn about men through Moriya Hiroshi’s “Men’s power: three thousand years of China,” which teaches tactics and the art of war from Chinese classics. I also feel like reading Jeffrey K. Liker’s “The Toyota Way” because I feel attracted to the business mind that “The biggest rival of Toyota is Toyota itself.” I want to know the details about the fourteen principles of management of Toyota, which unceasingly pursues improvement.

--Park Min-gyu, a novelist

Howard Bloom’s “Lucifer Principle” is the book that I am reading now. I chose this book to find the answer to the question of why men are like this. During vacation, I want to reread Daniguchi Jiro’s “Fourteen years old 1, 2,” comic books that a novelist Kim Young-ha had recommended to me. In the story, a normal office worker finds himself returned to a fourteen-year-old boy when he sobers up. It is a story like “a midsummer night’s dream,” but it helps me to think about life once again.

--Park Sung-soo, Chairman of E-land

I think that a book which makes us have doubts is a good book. Peter F. Drucker’s books are such ones. I want to reread his books “The Effective Executive” and “Management Challenges for the 21st century.” The former was published in 1996 and the latter in 1999, but the two are like a set. In particular, chapters five and six of “Management Challenges for the 21st Century” contain useful advice knowledge-based workers need to succeed, so I want to recommend this book to other people.

--Shin Kyoung-sook, Novelist

I usually read whatever catches my eyes rather than reading from a set list, but I want to read once again: “The Private Life of Plants” (Written by Sir David Attenborough, Kachi) and “One Hundred Types of National Trees that We Really Need to Know” (Written by Lee Yu-mi, Hyunam Publishing). If I get to know our one hundred trees, it is as if I’m making one hundred friends. And if I get to know how to communicate with plants, it is as if I get to own a large garden of my own.

--Ahn Kyoung-hwan, Professor of Law at Seoul National University

I plan to read thoroughly Hyecho’s “Wang Oh Chun Chuk Guk Jon,” (Hakgojae) translated by Chung Soo-il. I might be able to compare my own sentiments of the land that I have passed by. It is quite a summer treat to be able to admire the system of knowledge that furthers the details, from 5,000 letters written 1,300 years ago to 500 pages. If I have spare energy, I might try “My Name Is Red” by Orhan Pamuk for a change.

--Ahn Chul-soo, CEO of AhnLap

“Distant Country Neighboring Country,” a series of cartoons by Professor Lee Won–bok are books that throw in materials to think over for elementary students as well as for grown-ups. Also, the volume on Korea is a criticism book on Korean culture from an objective view with our own nation set as a distant country. The author of “The Lexus and the Olive Tree” (Thomas Friedman, ChangHae) is a specialist on both the Middle East and Wall Street, rather contrary areas. He is a 21st century type specialist who discovered and established the concept of the connection between the two which ordinary people cannot see.

--Lee Kyoung-sook, President of Sookmyung Women’s University

The Purpose-Driven Life (Written by Rick Warren, Timothy) and “Wings of Next Generation” (Written by Han Hong, Vision and Leadership) are the books that I want to read again and that I want to recommend to others. “The Purpose-Driven Life” tells us that whether or not we succeed in our life depends on our sense of duty. The author of “Wings of Next Generation” is a reverend and university professor and sends us a hopeful message that education is our dream and that everyone can realize this dream with hope and vision.