Do Jeongyoon, Son Kuki Heeyeon
Inseparable: How Koreans View Life and Death
€39.90*
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Art.num./ISBN: 9781565915343
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Publisher: Hollym
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number of pages: 216
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binding: Softcover
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Year: 2026
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Language: English
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Media type: Book
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Author: Do Jeongyoon, Son Kuki Heeyeon
This product will be available on 11 May 2026
Product information "Inseparable: How Koreans View Life and Death"
"A moving exploration of how Koreans understand death not as an end, but as a continuation of life."
Death as Continuation, Not an Ending
In 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 Departed
Rather
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 Living
Central
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 Ends
The
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 Dignity
Blending
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 Understanding
Written
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 Real
Each 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 Inseparable
Ultimately,
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 Contents
AUTHORS' NOTE: As with life today, May tomorrow's death be a beautiful blessing - 008
PART 1: AN INVITATION TO ETERNAL TIME
Chohon (Summoning the Deceased's Spirit): Calling the Spirit of the Departed from This World - 014
Jeoseung Saja (Grim Reaper): A Guide Who Leads the Way to the Afterlife - 022
Ssitgimgut (Purification Ritual): Washing the Spirit of the Dead and Leading It to a Good Place - 030
Suui (Shroud): The Last Clothes in This World - 040
Goksori (Wailing Cry): A Lament Expressing Deep Grief - 050
Taemudeom (Placental Chamber): The Cord That Connects Me to My Ancestors - 060
PART 2: JOURNEY TO A PLACE OF NO RETURN
Banham (Placing Rice in the Deceased's Mouth): Seed Money for the Afterlife - 072
Kkotsangyeo (Flower-Adorned Bier): Walking the Flower Path to a Place Beyond the Sky - 080
Pungsujiri & Myotjari (Feng Shui & Grave Sites): Dreaming of Wealth and Honor for Generations to Come - 092
Sasipgujae (49th Day Memorial Service): Seven Seven-Day Rites, Wishing for a Better Rebirth - 104
Hwansaeng (Reincarnation): Endless Journey from Karma to Karma - 114
PART 3: FESTIVAL FOR THE DEPARTED AND THE LIVING
Samiljang (Three-Day Funeral Service): Parting Together, Doing Your Best - 124
Sangyeosori (Funeral Procession Song): Epic of Life and Death - 134
Jangryenori (Funeral Play): Crying and Laughing, Leaving and Sending - 146
Noje (Road Rites): Greetings on the Way Out - 156
PART 4: MEMORIES ENGRAVED IN THE MIND AND HEART
Sinju (Ancestral Tablet): House of the Spirit of the Dead - 166
Samnyeonsang (Three-Year Mourning Period): Returning Grace and Completing Three Years of Mourning - 178
Sabugok (Song of a Widow Missing Her Husband): Tragic Love That Transcends Death - 188
Bujangpoom (Tomb Furnishings): Connecting Past and Present - 198
Gijesa & Charye (Death Anniversary Customs & Ancestral Rites on Holidays): Gathering Every Year to Remember - 206
15, Jongno 12-gil, Jongno-gu
03190 Seoul
Korea (Republic of)
Prinzenweg 10
93047 Regensburg
Germany
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