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Greeting Resilient Trumpet Vines and Summer: May and June New Releases scrap download

끈질긴 능소화와 여름을 맞으며: 5월과 6월의 신간 도서입니다.

#NewReleases #K-Literature #2026

「KLWAVE brings a diverse range of Korean literature to readers worldwide. Our “New Releases” features a selection of new books published in May and June 2026, drawn from Kyobo Book Center’s “Book of the Month” list and Aladin’s “Wizard’s Choice” list.」



Signaling the true arrival of summer, orange Chinese trumpet vines bloom by front gates and along narrow streets. 

Chinese trumpet vines (neungsohwa), whose name means “beyond the heavens,” endure summer rains, typhoons, and sweltering heat that many other plants cannot withstand, and blossom vibrantly, embodying resilience and unyielding spirit. Likewise, the books published in May and June hold an unbreakable spirit and enduring narratives, each in their own way. Just as the Chinese trumpet vines return and bloom in the heat of summer, we bring you new releases that inspire fresh thoughts and feelings in your daily lives.

Eun Heekyung’s novel The Touch of Time tells a story of two sisters, who were born in the same year but are not twins, and the unique bond they share. After decades of living separate lives despite their closeness in childhood, they unexpectedly reunite at a hospital at the age of sixty-five. Following a routine health check-up, Gyeong-seon, the younger sister, discovers she has a tumor, and Anna becomes her caregiver. The threads of time that had separated the two begin to intertwine once again. The Touch of Time explores the way another person’s body and time seep deeply into one’s own life, as the sisters rediscover each other’s presence and gradually open up to one another, leaving a profound resonance with the reader.

Cheon Myeong-kwan’s novel Accordion, set in post-war Seoul during the 1950s, depicts the lives of children who have lost their parents or been abducted, forcing them into a life of begging. Yet, rather than dwelling on the despair of their circumstances, Cheon sheds light on the power of growth and solidarity found in embracing one another amid hardship. Just as an accordion produces a melody through the rough closing and opening movements, he portrays the persistent energy of life blooming within the harsh folds of everyday existence. He hopes that “there is a moment when the reader pauses while reading Accordion, overwhelmed by emotion, puts down the book, and looks out the window.” We also hope readers will encounter a touching moment that allows them to gaze beyond their bookshelf at the scenery outside.

Lee Kyungjin’s Double-Decker Bus in Richmond Hill is a novel that explores maternal love and the grief of loss, set in a small town near Toronto, Canada. A mother boards a mysterious bus that travels freely between the past and the present in an attempt to save her son, who has fallen into a coma after an unexpected accident. On a journey across time, she confronts the lifelong scars she has buried deep in her heart. Tender and deeply moving, the novel offers solace to those who have experienced the loss of a loved one.

As the summer heat sets in, Sung Haena, who captivated 400,000 readers with her short story “Honmono,” returns with a chilling new collection of uncanny tales. In Between Human and Inhuman, she explores the precarious threshold between the human and the inhuman through beings that appear human but are not, as well as those who have abandoned their own humanity. Set across three distinct timelines—yesterday, today, and tomorrow—the collection presents nine stories. Each story is accompanied by a playlist carefully selected by Sung and her own commentary, allowing readers to immerse themselves more deeply in her distinctive world. 

Exorcism Chronicles, regarded as the founding work of K-occult fiction, finally returns with a new story. Lee Woohyeok’s The New Exorcism Chronicles: A New Era is set twenty years after the previous generation of exorcists saved the world from destruction. The twenty-year peace is short-lived as an ominous sign emerges, hinting at the possibility of the demon itself descending upon the human world. The novel portrays the heroic struggles of both the previous and current generations of exorcists amid great turmoil. While continuing the worldbuilding of the original series, it also develops a new narrative of its own, allowing longtime readers to celebrate its return and new readers to discover a world they have never encountered before.

Chung Serang’s I Will Be Your Reader was inspired by the words of an audience member at a lecture: “I would like to read what I heard today in a book.” Writing can sometimes seem like something only a handful of gifted people are capable of doing. However, it comes from those who read deeply, ask questions, and see the world through their own unique perspective. This essay collection offers warmth and reassurance to those who feel hesitant about writing, easing the pressure to write “well.”

There is a novelist who spends every day writing a novel in a library. Beneath the library’s roof, the diverse lives of those around him begin to gather. Cha In-pyo’s My Local Library follows an unnamed narrator who is a novelist as reality, fiction, and these different lives intersect. Its distinctive narrative structure is captivating, as the lives of the people who gather at the library intertwine with the story of Beon Gak, a Goguryeo painter whom the narrator is writing about, and Songi’s prizewinning story, which the narrator discovers through their encounter at the library. Amid the special relationships that blossom in an ordinary space, the novel explores the desires and limitations of creation, as well as the power of stories to connect people, resonating with readers who find joy in books and reflect on life.

The posthumous poetry collection Should You Go Before Me by Heo Su-gyeong, who passed away in 2018, was published on the day she first entered the world. The collection required a long period of mourning before it could finally be released. The manuscripts she had prepared in her lifetime were entrusted to her close friend and fellow poet, Kim Min Jeong, but they remained unpublished for years due to the grief of loss. With the decision to finally bid her farewell, her poetry has at last emerged to meet readers this year. Heo’s final works are poems of comfort that warmly embrace both those who have departed and those who remain. Her voice, which once answered “yes!” when asked whether she would write poetry if she were born again, can still be heard clearly.


Written by Chaeyeong Lee (Korean Literature Outreach Team)


Translated by Lisa Kim 

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