[Korean Literature Club] 'To the Moon', authored by Jang Ryujin

Dear Members and Friends,

For the February meeting, we will read and discuss ‘To the Moon’, authored by Jang Ryujin and translated by Sean Lin Halbert.
The meeting will be led by Jeremy Seligson and held IN-PERSON only.

WHEN_ Thursday. February 12, 2026. 7:30PM (Seoul)

WHERE_B1, North Terrace Cafe (near Anguk Station or Jongno-3 ga Station (Subway Line 1, 3, or 5))

LEADER_Jeremy Seligson

READ_ ‘To the Moon’, authored by Jang Ryujin (translated by Sean Lin Halbert)

BOOK PURCHASE: Kyobo https://product.kyobobook.co.kr/detail/S000218147399

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The bestselling South Korean phenomenon, To the Moon is a bittersweet tale of wealth and class, female friendship, and the promise of the future when good fortune seems to be just around the corner.

In Seoul, three young women meet while working mundane desk jobs at a confectionary manufacturer. They become fast friends, taking their conversations out of the group chat as they bond over their ‘average’ employee report cards, the incompetence of their male team leader and a mutual longing for financial freedom amid mediocre raises.
Eun-sang, the eldest of the group, is always looking for ways to earn extra money, but faces trouble at work after she opens a mini mart at her desk. Jisong, the youngest, dreams of a perfect romance with her Taiwanese boyfriend and spends her low salary on trips to Taipei.
Meanwhile, Dahae searches endlessly for a better apartment – albeit one she can actually afford. One day over lunch, Eun-sang announces a plan to make enough money to quit her job, by investing her life’s savings in cryptocurrency. What’s more, she thinks the others should join her. All they need to do, she says, is hold on tight and wait for the price to skyrocket . . . to the moon. But as the market begins to fluctuate and spiral out of their control, the fate of their friendships – and their futures – soon hangs in the balance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jang Ryujin has a BA in Sociology from Yonsei University and later studied Korean Literature at Dongguk University. She worked in the IT industry for eight years before writing full-time. In 2018, she won the prestigious Changbi Prize for new Figures in Literature with her acclaimed short story The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, and her 2019 debut collection went on to sell over 140,000 copies in Korea. To the Moon is her first novel.

ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR:

Sean Lin Halbert holds an MA in Korean literature from Seoul National University. He is the recipient of the LTI Korea Translation Award for Aspiring Translators, the Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Award, and the GKL Translation Award. Artificial Truth is his seventh book in translation. Sean lives in Seoul with his wife and daughter and teaches at LTI Korea Translation Academy.

VENUE:

The ‘North Terrace Cafe (Basement)’ is located at 12 Yulgok-ro 10-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Go to Anguk Station on the Orange #3 Line. Go out Exit 4 and do an immediate U-turn on the sidewalk. Then take a right in front of the Japanese Cultural Center and walk towards Changdeok-gung, but on the opposite side of the main street (Yulgok-ro) from the palace.