Review—Che-3 ui sinario [The Third Scenario] and Sin ui chugum [God's Death] (Novels)
Reviewed by Stephen Mercado
Che-3 ui sinario [The Third Scenario] by Kim Chin-myong (Seoul: Random House JoongAng, 2004), 2 volumes (252 pages, 266 pages).
Sin ui chugum [God’s Death] by Kim Chin-myong (Seoul: Daesan, 2006), 2 volumes (each 254 pages).
Kim Chin-myong is a popular and prolific Korean writer who has found a winning formula in novels that show the United States in a sinister light, ascribe the flow of current events to the hidden hands of plotters, and suggest that the Korean peninsula is ever at risk of invasion. His work both reflects and colors the views of many Koreans regarding Washington’s policy toward East Asia, the role of the Central Intelligence Agency, and their nation’s vulnerability. Sin ui chugum and Che-3 ui sinario, his most recent thrillers, illustrate Kim’s worldview, which he has put forth in numerous media interviews.