Translated by Suphil Lee Park
As an old Korean saying goes... ‘You learn to use gums in place of teeth.’
Rhee Kun Hoo was in his seventies and retired from a prestigious career in psychiatry when he took up writing. In his youth Professor Rhee lived an extraordinary life, filled with action and purpose. He served time in prison for opposing his country’s totalitarian government. He led the efforts to fix South Korea’s fledgling mental health system. He built a family and raised four kids.
Now in his twilight years, having, much to his surprise, become a bestselling, beloved writer in South Korea, Rhee turns his pen to the often-overlooked value of ageing. Here he shares his wisdom and philosophy for finding a life well-lived, exploring forgiveness, how to persevere (but also know when to quit), facing your insecurities and opening yourself to the simple joys available to you every day.
This comforting Korean bestseller offers guidance for attaining ordinary happiness at any age and shows us that life is a story worth reading until the very last page.
If You Live to 100, You Might as Well Be Happy by Rhee Kun Hoo (Hardcover)
Rhee Kun Hoo was born in 1935, during imperial Japan's occupation of Korea. Having worked as a psychiatrist and taught at Ewha Womans University his entire career of over fifty years, Rhee made indispensable contributions in the field of mental health care in South Korea and is considered a visionary. He was the first to introduce an open-ward system and psychodrama as a therapy method in psychiatric facilities in the country, and also served as the president of KNPA (Korean Neuropsychiatric Association).
After retirement, Professor Rhee and his wife have dedicated themselves to providing post-war Korean generations with guidance in life such as parenting, counseling, relationship advice, and post-retirement life coaching. Professor Rhee has written over ten books in Korean to date, including his bestselling debut essay collection, I Want to Have Fun Till the Day I Die (Galleon, 2013), which has sold around half a million copies in Korea.Format: Hardback 208 pages
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Imprint: Rider & Co
ISBN: 9781846047794
Published: 16 May 2024
Weight: 310g
Dimensions: 223 x 141 x 21 (mm)