Rhee Kun-hoo, author of bestseller “If You Live To 100, You Might As Well Be Happy” / Courtesy of Family Academia Rhee Kun-hoo's book published in 16 countries By Park Jin-hai Cover of the U.K. edition of "If You Live To 100, You Might As Well Be Happy" by Rhee Kun-hoo / Courtesy of Penguin Random House Korea Rhee Kun-hoo is a renowned psychiatrist and best-selling author of “If You Live To 100, You Might As Well Be Happy.
” At 89, he is making waves internationally as his essays are translated into different languages in 16 countries this year thanks to the surge in popularity of Korean literature . Rhee said his book's global popularity stems from readers' curiosity about Korea. "Like travelers wanting to explore different corners of the world, international readers want to meet people from different cultures through books.
My book gives a little journey into Korea, enabling them to see how Koreans live," the author said during an interview with The Korea Times at Family Academia, an organization that Rhee founded in 1995 to promote healthy family life in Jongno District, May 29. His book reflects on how to live well in one's latter half of life. "A Korean saying goes 'life is two-crop farming,’ drawing a metaphor from the agricultural practice of cultivating two different crops on the same land in one year.
The first half of life is lived in a rush. You don't even know how to live well. The second half of life is when you can live well because you have the experie.
