Korean (Lonely Planet Phrasebook)

Although this book is a handy size it is more use for reading than speaking Korean as the Romanisation is the older more complicated form not the modern simpler version

This phrasebook obviously aims at survival language. As the other books of the series, the Korean phrasebook is good value for money. However, it misses to introduce the Korean script (Hangeul) properly, which means that if people cannot understand what you read from the guide, you are lost. This is so, because Koreans cannot read the romanized version of their own language. Some of the examples are unnecessary complicated or use an unnecessary humble/polite form. This makes it more suitable for business purposes. Saying this, the people will appreciate your efforts to speak the language; so getting the wrong form is not a problem.

The section on culture is accurate and an interesting read for those who did not have the time to prepare the trip to Korea. I would recommend this book as an emergency, but do familiarize yourself with the Korean script before travelling to the country.