"A moving exploration of how Koreans understand death not as an end, but as a continuation of life."Death as Continuation, Not an EndingIn many cultures, death marks a definitive end. In Korean tradition, however, death is understood as a continuation-a passage within a much larger cycle of life. INSEPARABLE explores this distinctive worldview through Korea’s rituals, beliefs, and emotional practices surrounding death, revealing how the living and the departed remain deeply connected.Accompanying the DepartedRather than approaching death with finality or fear, Korean culture treats it as a transition that must be carefully prepared for, guided, and accompanied. This book introduces readers to traditional funeral rites such as chohon (summoning the spirit), ssitgimgut (purification rituals), banham (placing rice in the deceased’s mouth), kkotsangyeo (flower-adorned biers), and sasipgujae (the forty-ninth-day memorial rites). Each ritual reflects a profound desire to ensure that the departed do not walk alone on their final journey.Consoling the Spirit, Healing the LivingCentral to the Korean view of death is the belief that the soul does not vanish abruptly. It lingers, hesitates, and requires comfort and guidance. Funeral rituals therefore serve a dual purpose: they lead the spirit safely to the afterlife while also consoling those left behind. The wailing cry (goksori), for example, is not merely an expression of grief but a sound believed to illuminate the path for the deceased, preventing them from losing their way. In this sense, mourning becomes an act of care, and sorrow becomes a form of companionship.Where Life Begins and EndsThe book also examines Korea’s unique understanding of life’s origins through the tradition of taemudeom, the placental chamber. By honoring the placenta-the very beginning of life-with burial rites as significant as those for the body, Korean culture reveals a worldview in which birth and death are inseparably linked. Life does not begin solely at birth, nor does it end at death; both exist along an unbroken continuum connecting ancestors and descendants.Rituals of Beauty and DignityBlending shamanistic, Buddhist, and Confucian influences, Korean funeral culture does not seek to hide death but to face it with beauty, dignity, and communal presence. Food, clothing, song, and ceremony are offered to the departed as acts of generosity-much like preparing a loved one for a long journey. These rituals express respect not only for the dead but also for the relationships that persist beyond separation.An Invitation to UnderstandingWritten with empathy and clarity, INSEPARABLE avoids technical abstraction in favor of human stories, poetic reflections, and visual documentation. It welcomes readers unfamiliar with Korean culture, encouraging understanding and emotional resonance rather than detached explanation. In doing so, the book speaks to a universal longing-to believe that parting does not mean disappearance, and that love continues beyond death.Images Bridging the Dreamlike and the RealEach chapter of the book is accompanied by works by visual artist Park Chanho, who has long explored Korea’s ritual traditions and the profound question of death. His photographs carry a dreamlike atmosphere rich in mythic and shamanistic symbolism, while remaining deeply grounded in tangible reality. Placed alongside the literary text, Park’s images visually expand the emotional landscape and ritual sensibilities surrounding death in Korean culture, guiding readers toward deeper reflection.Forever InseparableUltimately, INSEPARABLE invites readers to reconsider death not as an ending, but as an invitation: an invitation to remember, to accompany, and to accept the inevitable with tenderness. Through the Korean perspective, death becomes something that binds the living and the departed together-forever inseparable. Table of ContentsAUTHORS' NOTE: As with life today, May tomorrow's death be a beautiful blessing - 008PART 1: AN INVITATION TO ETERNAL TIMEChohon (Summoning the Deceased's Spirit): Calling the Spirit of the Departed from This World - 014Jeoseung Saja (Grim Reaper): A Guide Who Leads the Way to the Afterlife - 022Ssitgimgut (Purification Ritual): Washing the Spirit of the Dead and Leading It to a Good Place - 030Suui (Shroud): The Last Clothes in This World - 040Goksori (Wailing Cry): A Lament Expressing Deep Grief - 050Taemudeom (Placental Chamber): The Cord That Connects Me to My Ancestors - 060PART 2: JOURNEY TO A PLACE OF NO RETURNBanham (Placing Rice in the Deceased's Mouth): Seed Money for the Afterlife - 072Kkotsangyeo (Flower-Adorned Bier): Walking the Flower Path to a Place Beyond the Sky - 080Pungsujiri & Myotjari (Feng Shui & Grave Sites): Dreaming of Wealth and Honor for Generations to Come - 092Sasipgujae (49th Day Memorial Service): Seven Seven-Day Rites, Wishing for a Better Rebirth - 104Hwansaeng (Reincarnation): Endless Journey from Karma to Karma - 114PART 3: FESTIVAL FOR THE DEPARTED AND THE LIVINGSamiljang (Three-Day Funeral Service): Parting Together, Doing Your Best - 124Sangyeosori (Funeral Procession Song): Epic of Life and Death - 134Jangryenori (Funeral Play): Crying and Laughing, Leaving and Sending - 146Noje (Road Rites): Greetings on the Way Out - 156PART 4: MEMORIES ENGRAVED IN THE MIND AND HEARTSinju (Ancestral Tablet): House of the Spirit of the Dead - 166Samnyeonsang (Three-Year Mourning Period): Returning Grace and Completing Three Years of Mourning - 178Sabugok (Song of a Widow Missing Her Husband): Tragic Love That Transcends Death - 188Bujangpoom (Tomb Furnishings): Connecting Past and Present - 198Gijesa & Charye (Death Anniversary Customs & Ancestral Rites on Holidays): Gathering Every Year to Remember - 206

A record of healing, shaping one's true self beyond societal expectations. “While shaping the clay, I learned how to comfort myself.” Instead of striving for the perfection defined by the world,I decided to live in the shape that feels most "true to myself."A record of the most honest and resilient self-discovery by ceramic artist Lee kyunghwan,embracing even my anxiety and wounds as an integral part of who I am. We live every day pretending to be okay. The obsession with living in the "normal person’s mold" that the world has set for us, without a single flaw, slowly wears us down. We feel that only perfection will make us worthy of love, and that if we fall apart, it’ll be irreversible. So, we keep pushing forward, always looking ahead. But at some point, we suddenly realize: When did I become so distant from myself?Shaping Time is a record of life written by Lee kyeonghwan, a ceramic artist, model, and influencer who actively engaged with the world. In this work, he confronts clay, a medium that doesn’t lie. If handled in haste, it twists easily, and anxious hands leave marks. The more he strived for perfection, the more it crumbled. But when he stopped, calmed his mind, and allowed himself to breathe, the clay slowly found its own form.Through pottery, he discovered truths about life: that clay hardens not because it avoids fire, but because it faces it; and that in moments of anxiety and trials we, too, find our own unique texture. This book is a record of his realization. Though the phrase "It's okay to not be perfect" may sound cliché, within his words, it transforms from mere comfort to lived experience. Just as he gazes at a dented cup and says, "This shape is better," here is a way of living where even flaws become part of the process. Like the surface of pottery, it might not shine, but each time you hold it, there’s warmth that touches the heart.Reading this book will not be about peeking into someone else's success story. Instead, it will be a time to quietly examine the anxieties within you. It will be an opportunity to step out of the molds set by society and practice breathing at your own pace. Just as he comforted himself by shaping clay, you, too, will find yourself quietly saying, “Ah, I get it now,” as you follow his words."What shape are you living in right now? Have you become too rigid, with no space for your heart to breathe? Just like clay needs water to come to life, you too can soften again. Enter the time of shaping yourself, just as you would shape clay. Your anxious days will slowly warm up, and you will eventually be shaped firmly into your true self."