Introduction
A brief history of Korea
Part I: Foundations. Shamanism and the spirit world
Buddhism
Confucianism
Christianity
Capitalism with a Korean face
Democracy: beyond Asian values
Part II: Cultural codes. Jeong-the "invisible hug"
Competition
Chemyon, or face
Han and Heung
From clan to nuclear family
Neophilia
Part III: Hyun-shil: cold reality. North Korea: friend, for, or foreigner?
Politics and the media
Onward, industrial soldiers
"More important than the business itself"
Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Perfect
English mania
Part IV: In the hours not spent working. Living space: from Hanok to apartment houses and back again
Four seasons at the dinner table
Cinema: boom, bust, and brilliance
More than K-pop
Work all day, stay out all night
Part V: More of "us", less of "them". Defensive nationalism
Multicultural Korea?
"It's our turn"
"We are not aliens, from another cosmos"
A woman's place is in the office
Epilogue: where is the champagne?