Unveiling the familiar in a strange place

GOOD political fiction lends an intimate human dimension to the major conflicts that dominate the headlines. Kim Young-ha's best-known novel Your Republic Is Calling You does just that for the North and South Korean conflict.

Originally published in Korean in 2006 as Empire of Light, it tells the story of a seemingly average man living in South Korea named Gi-yeong, who works as a foreign film importer and has a wife and daughter.

As the story unfolds, Gi-yeong reveals himself to be a North Korean spy who is pretending to lead a normal life in the South. The plot really takes off when he receives a coded e-mail ordering him to return home immediately.