LTI Korea 
DLKL 
SIWF 
[ENGLISH] Dear Juhee Mun scrap
by Elisa Taillefesse-Barbosa
March 5, 2026
Dear Juhee Mun,
The only appropriate way to write this review is in letter form, addressed to you.
Reading The Healing Power of Korean Letter Writing is akin to a revelation. I speak of the revelation of “the positive nature of human relationships—something we may have long since forgotten about, or perhaps have never had the chance to experience at all .” In an era permeated by social media and online hate, it is refreshing to read about what could positively reconnect us, as human beings, with our loved ones, lost relationships, strangers, and even ourselves. Well-balanced between storytelling and facts, your prose makes the book read like a conversation between friends. Each chapter provides us with step-by-step guidelines for letter writing . To some readers, all this insight might sound trivial, but I think it makes us wonder, “When was the last time I wrote a letter to someone?” That’s how much we have lost emotional touch with people and with letter writing.
Consumerism and fast-paced life in big cities like Seoul make people feel disconnected from time. Nowadays, we are cogs in the machine, alienated from the idea of pausing the world and returning to slow life. Yet gifting time to ourselves or others is a form of love. As you mentioned in the book, not many people are willing to undertake the process of dedicating time to set the desk, choosing a specific pen, ink, and sheet of paper to match the recipient’s energy, and considering with precision the words that gush forth from the nib. Letter writing requires us to face ourselves. It involves digging deep into our memories, remembering the joyful moments shared with others and our deepest cuts. Dearest writer, while you critique our alienation from letter writing, you also remind us of our humanity by telling stories about letters.
I enjoyed reading about the love and passion you poured into creating your stationery shop Geulwoll —a space for breathing that expands on the page, where strangers meet through pen pal letters. Thus, your book recounts your introspective experience of letter writing and it becomes an anthology of the experiences of other writers—famous writers like Park Wanseo and Franz Kafka, or random customers. It tells us about their motivations to write and the choices they made for their letter writing. There are many treasures in the unique letters and books sprinkled throughout your book. You leave room for significant details such as stamps, thereby transforming letter writing into a moment of authenticity that can appeal to today’s young generations.
Juhee, your words make me feel seen and aligned with the person I am and want to be. Every year, I write a personal letter for my future self, jotting down my aspirations, my regrets, and the things I wish to remember on difficult days. This letter remains unopened for more than a year, until I feel the urge to read it. Intuitively, I search for the reassurance, the love, the care I put in it. Like yours, my words must be thought ahead, because chances are that these will save my future self. You write,
Whenever I feel unsure of who I am as a person, I open up my box of letters. [ . . . ] Letters can’t help but hold a mirror up to ourselves. The person writing, the person reading and the person within the letter: all of them are ‘me.’
It is therefore impossible to finish reading your book, The Healing Power of Korean Letter Writing, and not want to write to someone we love. I may write to Clare Richards, the amazing translator behind the English version of your book. She introduced me to your work through an online letter, soon followed by an actual card and her beautiful English translation. Reading this book—that is, not only your words, Juhee, but also Clare’s translated words—was a gift of kindness I much needed this Christmas season.
So I wish you to find in yourself the same kindness you showed us by writing this beautiful little book. When days feel gloomy, I hope this letter will find its way to you and give you the healing power you seek.
Your faithful reader,
Elisa
Writer 필자 소개
Elisa Taillefesse-Barbosa
Elisa Taillefesse-Barbosa is an alumna of SOAS, University of London (Class of 2025, MA in Comparative Literature). She is a writer and an online literary critic of fiction and nonfiction.
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