〈Korean Reading for Foreigners〉 is a series for foreigners studying Korean. It is a reading book that allows you to build your Korean skills while enjoying the stories. Carefully tailored to Korean reading levels, literary works from various genres have been rewritten to match the abilities of Korean learners. They have been newly written to provide a broad understanding of Korea's history, its people, and diverse aspects of society. The reading levels are divided into three stages. As you read ...
This volume contains three traditional Korean stories:
얼굴을 도둑맞은 젊은이
A young man returns home after several years of studying in the mountains, only to find he has been replaced by a doppelgänger and his parents refuse to believe he's their real son. Who knew toenails could be so magical?
신기한 인연
A young man leaves his impoverished home to earn money, returning several years later to give his father everything he has earned so he can buy a farm. Unfortunately, the old man loses the bag of money pretty much immediately. A heartwarming ending, though.
하늘나라에서 온 소년
A beautiful young woman is mistreated by her stepmother, who sends her into the mountains in the dead of winter to collect wild greens. The girl gets lost and seeks shelter in a cave, where she discovers something unexpected... And wow, does the Evil Stepmother live up to her moniker!
I enjoyed this book more than the previous one, as the stories are more akin to the fairy tale narratives I'm used to. "The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means."
One thing that still niggles at me is the glossary placed at the back of the book, rather than the definitions being on the same page as the first appearance of the new vocabulary, which would be much more convenient. Another is the unnarrated cultural note in the middle of the texts. Other than that, it's an enjoyable read!