By Honorary Reporter Eftychia Dovletoglou from Greece
Photos = Eftychia Dovletoglou

I was inspired to write the novel "To Seoul" thanks to K-dramas and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

My love for literature started early in my school life and led me to write 15 stories. After I started watching K-dramas from 2010, I got an idea. My first book "Joseon's Rose" was inspired by the K-drama "Diary of a Night Watchman," and I subsequently wrote "Joseon's Pearl" and "The Angel of South Korea." 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when I was stuck at home looking for alternative forms of entertainment, my readership started to grow. Many readers through social media asked me when my next book would come out.

Their messages inspired me to write another story set in contemporary Korea: "To Seoul." The story takes the reader from London to Seoul and Bukhansan Mountain to Thessaloniki, Greece. This book was released in December 2021 by Fylatos Publishing of Greece in both paperback and online form.

"To Seoul"  

The protagonist Bahn Min-oh is an award-winning workaholic artist who neglects his family. In London, he meets the Greek woman Anna Panagiotidou, who seeks to cover the opening event at his gallery. Unable to attend the news conference, Anna travels to Seoul to interview him and ends up staying at his house without his knowledge.

Many readers reached out to me via Facebook or Instagram to give their opinions of my book. What I liked most was the conversations about the story, which made me see what readers loved the best. 

But what made me happiest was hearing from people who were not interested in Korea before reading my book. They eventually looked for Korea on a map and what countries it borders, checked out the Korean food I described in my story or watched a K-drama. 

Some readers said they liked Korean culture while others expressed dismay with the dating culture, but they all said they learned something new and found the descriptions of the scenery and food interesting. 

I attended this year's International Book Fair in Thessaloniki, Greece, to promote my books "To Seoul" and "The Lifeguards."  

On May 4, I attended the Thessaloniki International Book Fair to sign copies of my books "To Seoul" and "The Lifeguards." I gave many interviews and got questions on how I came to love Korea. I responded by giving them information like the similarities and differences between Koreans and Greeks. 

The Greek TV emcee Petros Polychronidis, who hosts Greece's successful version of the American game show "Wheel of Fortune" and other programs, said he was excited that I mentioned his gameshow in my book, which he read. He uploaded a video, tagged me to watch it and said his daughter also loves Korea and wants to visit. 

"To Seoul" was also recommended as a must-read on the Greek entertainment magazine TV24.

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things.