Person & Idea

Person & Idea (Korean: 인물과 사상, literally 'Figures and Thoughts') is a South Korean monthly magazine and independent publishing brand. It was launched in May 1998 under the slogan 'challenging sacred cows and taboos' (성역과 금기에 도전한다), positioning itself as a critical, progressive voice in Korean intellectual and media culture. Beyond the monthly magazine, the brand publishes single-volume books (단행본) across the humanities, society, history, journalism and related fields. The magazine is closely associated with Kang Jun-man (강준만), a prolific Korean academic and public commentator whose column room ('강준만의 칼럼방') is a recurring feature on the brand's website. The site also hosts recurring columns and series such as 'Seomin's Cheerful Reading' (서민의 명랑 독서), 'Jeong Gil-hwa's Latin America Travelogue' (정길화의 라틴아메리카 기행), and 'Person FOCUS' (인물 FOCUS), alongside a community board, a list of Korean media articles, and a free discussion forum. Commercially, Person & Idea operates as a direct-to-reader publisher and subscription business. Its online store sells individual books and offers regular subscription sign-up (정기구독신청) for the monthly magazine, with customer service handled by phone. The catalogue shown on the homepage includes titles on psychology and parenting, fake news and misinformation, the history of the Korean aerospace industry, writing craft, Taiwan, diaspora studies, and social commentary — reflecting the brand's broad humanities-and-current-affairs remit. The monthly magazine ceased regular publication with a 'hiatus issue' (휴간호) dated September 2019, which included a special feature in which a founding reader recalled the magazine's history. The brand nonetheless continues to operate its website, book sales and column content, and describes itself as being reborn as a new medium suited to a new era rather than ending permanently. Person & Idea remains a recognizable name in Korean independent publishing and critical intellectual journalism.

Person & Idea (인물과 사상) was founded in May 1998 as a South Korean monthly magazine. It adopted the slogan 'challenging sacred cows and taboos' (성역과 금기에 도전한다), signalling an editorial stance of critical inquiry into established authority, media and social convention. From its early years the magazine built a readership around in-depth essays, media criticism and humanities commentary, and it expanded into book publishing, issuing single-volume titles (단행본) in the humanities, society, history and journalism. The brand became closely identified with Kang Jun-man (강준만), a prolific academic and public commentator whose writing and column content feature prominently on the brand's website under the heading 'Kang Jun-man's Column Room' (강준만의 칼럼방). The website also developed a broader content ecosystem, including recurring columns such as 'Seomin's Cheerful Reading' (서민의 명랑 독서), 'Jeong Gil-hwa's Latin America Travelogue' (정길화의 라틴아메리카 기행) and 'Person FOCUS' (인물 FOCUS), plus a community board, a list of Korean media articles and a free discussion forum. Commercially, Person & Idea ran a direct sales and subscription model. Its online store sold individual books and offered regular subscription sign-up (정기구독신청) for the monthly magazine, with telephone customer service. The catalogue visible on the homepage spans psychology and parenting, fake news and misinformation, the history of the Korean aerospace industry, writing craft, Taiwan, diaspora studies and social commentary. The monthly magazine's regular run concluded with a 'hiatus issue' (휴간호) dated September 2019. That issue carried a special feature in which a founding reader, in a piece titled 'A Certain Devoted Reader's Memory: Beautiful Recollections of Wolinsa and Insamo,' looked back on the time spent with the magazine. The brand framed the pause not as a permanent farewell but as a transition, stating that it would be reborn as a new medium suited to a new era rather than ending for good. The website, book sales and column content continued to operate after the hiatus issue.

• 2019

  The magazine published a 'hiatus issue' (휴간호) dated September 2019, ending its regular monthly run.

• 1998

  Monthly magazine Person & Idea launched in May under the slogan 'challenging sacred cows and taboos.'

Critical, progressive independent magazine and publisher challenging sacred cows and taboos in Korean intellectual and media culture.

• Monthly Person & Idea (월간 인물과 사상)

• Psychology and parenting titles (e.g. 'If You Know Psychology, Your Child's Education Becomes Visible')

• 'The Trap of Desire, Misreporting and Fake News'

• 'History of the Korean Aerospace Industry'

• '50 Secrets to Successful Book Writing'

• 'Republic of Good Students, Taiwan'

• 'People the State Did Not See'

• 'California Diaspora'

1. 1인물과 사상 official websiteinmul.co.kr
2. 2Person & Idea on Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3인물과 사상 on Korean Wikipediako.wikipedia.org