Editors Jang and Oh, both American-trained sociologists, bring together 15 articles that originally appeared in English in a number of journals published in Korea—seven are from Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. With just a couple of exceptions, the contributing authors come from institutions of higher education or government institutes in Korea. Aimed at readers outside Korea who are interested in health disparities, the essays in this collection explore access to health care as well as the health conditions of populations such as shift workers, night workers, on-call workers, the elderly, female marriage immigrants, and minority youth. Each chapter's careful account of the data bases and methods of analysis used may allow experts on health and public policy to integrate information on Korea into their understandings of health disparities. Recommended.

Choice Reviews

The prolonged coronavirus crisis has heightened the global awareness of the significance of healthcare industry in each country. This heightened awareness calls for more active research on medical industry and healthcare system not only by medical scientists, but also by social scientists. Given this newly emerging phenomenon, this edited book is very timely. The book examines healthcare disparities in South Korea based on social class, occupation, ethnicity, gender, and age. I believe the book will be of great help to social scientists who conduct research on healthcare disparities in South Korea.

Pyong Gap Min, Queens College and the Graduate Center, CUNY

Health consequences of dramatic social and economic changes that Korea has undergone over the past decades are not well understood for non-Korean readers. Health Disparities in Contemporary Korean Society: Issues and Subpopulations, edited by Sou Hyun Jang and Joong-Hwan Oh, successfully compiles 15 essential studies to provide comprehensive understandings of healthcare and healthcare utilization, as well as health differentials across various subgroups in Korea. While most chapters are empirical studies for an academic audience, this book should also be of great interest for a broad audience interested in health and well-being in Korea – a rapidly aging society with growing inequality.

Hyeyoung Woo, Portland State University