K-Book Trends -

Search word : "Humanities", Search result : 269

[TREND / TOPIC]

The Era of High Exchange Rates and the Korean Publishing Market

Topic The Era of High Exchange Rates and the Korean Publishing Market Readers ultimately respond to good content 2025.04.07 The structure of the Korean publishing market and translation-oriented publishing in the 1990s I vividly remember the days when the Asian Financial Crisis hit Korea. The value of foreign currencies jumped one day. I waited for it to fall, but things didn’t go as expected. The value of foreign currencies continued to skyrocket, and the value of the Korean won plummeted. This was the situation in 1997. Until then, the Korean publishing market had been heavily dependent on importing translation rights to titles that could compete in Korea from overseas markets, mainly Japan and the English-speaking countries. In this climate, Korea was hit by the era of high exchange rates. By the time we had to pay the advance for a title contracted at 800 won per dollar, the exchange rate had nearly doubled to 1,600 won per ...

VOL.81 / 2025.04

[TREND / SPECIAL PROJECT]

A Utopia for Travelers Who Love Romance and Art: Paris

Special Project [New Ways of Walking Through Cities ④] A Utopia for TravelersWho Love Romance and Art: Paris 2025.04.07 From the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, Montmartre Hill, and Notre Dame Cathedral, to the Etoile Arc de Triomphe, Luxembourg Park, the Seine and Pont Neuf bridge, and the Palace of Versailles, Paris is an incredible landmark in itself. It is a romantic city full of travelers from all over the world and a place where you can breathe in the scent of art. It is also a city of revolutions, with the French Revolution and the Paris Commune demonstrating the power of popular uprisings, and today, it is a charming place where Parisians live their lives in peace and freedom.Paris, the world’s cultural and artistic epicenter, is a city that has enriched and stimulated artists’ sensibilities from the Middle Ages to the present day, and is a mecca for those who wish to appre...

VOL.81 / 2025.04

[TREND / EXPORT CASE]

A New Chapter in Korea-China Literary Exchange

Export Case A New Chapter in Korea-China Literary Exchange Folio Culture’s Korean Book Localization Strategy 2025.03.10 Folio Culture (Beijing) has consistently focused on introducing and localizing Korean books in the fields of humanities, social sciences, and literature. In recent years, we have successfully brought several Korean works to the Chinese market through precise topic selection, cultural adaptation, and innovative promotion strategies, sparking widespread discussions on the social media platform Xiaohongshu. Below, we share our experiences in four key areas: topic selection strategy, localization practices, promotion strategy, and future plans. Balancing Social Issues with Literary Value, Grounded in Shared East Asian Emotions, to Create a Dialogue Space for Chinese and Korean Youth Capturing Social Resonance Points in Korean Literature In recent years, Korean literature has shifted from grand narrati...

VOL.80 / 2025.03

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

Write the Story You Want to Read

Knowledge Write the Story You Want to Read Self-publishing platforms in Korea: The reasons for growth and the current state 2024.11.04 “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” - Toni Morrison, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 While there is no established academic definition, “self-publishing” refers to authors planning, editing, publishing, and distributing their own manuscripts without working through a publishing company. As opposed to “vanity publishing,” which involves paying an upfront fee to a publisher to produce and distribute a book, it is used almost interchangeably with “independent publishing” in Korea (some researchers and book critics use the two terms separately). The desire to document ...

VOL.76 / 2024.11

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

A Chance to Introduce Korean Publishing Content to Global Readers!

Knowledge A Chance to Introduce Korean PublishingContent to Global Readers! Translation and Publication Grant Programs in Korea 2024.10.07 With an aim to boost the global advancement of Korean publishing content, various organizations in Korea have been running translation and publication grant programs for international publishers to help them publish excellent Korean books! (The following information is based on announcements made in 2024.) Establishing a foundation for the publishing of Korean Wave books by supporting the overseas publication of Korean publishing content!Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA) 〈2024 Overseas Publication Grants〉 Qualification Overseas publishers who have imported Korean publication copyrights Supported Areas A part of the publish...

VOL.75 / 2024.10

[TREND / TOPIC]

Korean Readers’ Picks in the First Half of 2024

Topic Korean Readers’ Picks in the First Half of 2024 2024.09.02 According to the “2023 National Reading Survey” announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in Korea, the overall reading rate was observed to be 43.0%, the lowest since the survey was initiated in 1994. This means that 6 out of 10 adults don’t even read a single e-book or audiobook, let alone a paper book. The shrinking of the reading population, which forms the foundation for the publishing market, and the aging population have been issues in Korea for quite a long time. However, it was indeed a shocking figure for the publishing industry as it expected to see a steady increase in the reading population since it enjoyed a boom during the pandemic compared to other industries.In the first half of the year, the reduction in newly published titles, driven by a contracting publishing market, alongside the enduring popularity of long-time bestsellers, played a si...

VOL.74 / 2024.09

[TREND / BOOK TRIP]

The Great Legacies of Two Literary Masters of Modern Times

Book Trip [A Trip to Literary Museums ⑤] The Great Legacies of Two Literary Masters of Modern Times Busan Metropolitan City: Yosan Kim Jung-Han Literary Museumand Hyangpa Lee Juhong Literary Museum 2024.09.02 A writer’s legacy can sometimes become an important cultural asset for a region as it incorporates various stories. In this month’s issue, Book Trip travels to Busan, Korea, where you can feel a rich sense of literature. Busan, with its abundant tourist offerings such as the sea, movies, and modern cultural heritage, has a presence in literature that is second to none. The two pillars of Busan’s literary scene are Kim Jung-Han, who has intensely depicted modern life in his novels related to the region, and Lee Ju-Hong, whose works span a wide range of genres, including children’s literature, poetry, novels, and plays. The scent of their literature is wafting through the city, which has been a source of emotional support for people ...

VOL.74 / 2024.09

[INFORMATION / BEST SELLERS]

Spring 2026 Bestseller List

Best Sellers Spring 2026 Bestseller List 2026.04 Major franchises dominate the majority of South Korea's offline bookstore market. Currently, four major franchises—Kyobo Book Centre, Youngpoong Bookstore, Jongno Books, and Arc N Book—are competing in the offline retail sector. Starting with Kyobo Book Centre, which has the largest number of branches, followed by Youngpoong Bookstore, Jongno Books, and Arc N Book, we will examine the top 10 best-selling books. In the previous issue, we examined the bestsellers of Kyobo Book Centre, Korea's largest bookstore franchise. For this April issue, as the second part of our offline bookstore bestseller analysis, we looked at the bestsellers of Youngpoong Bookstore for the first week of March. The top-ranked book at Youngpoong Bookstore during this period was the picture book Mom Became a Ghost! published by Gilbut Children’s Books. It ...

VOL.93 / 2026.04

[INFORMATION / AGENCY LIST]

Agency List

Agency List Agency List 2026.04 Abba Communication Ltd. Launched as a translation and interpretation agency in 204, Abba Communication (Abba here after) now also acts as a copyright agency. Abba supports young Korean publishers who are aspiring to build experiences in moving on to the international market, providing consultation on the way until they become global. Abba’s special forte is its excellent professional team with expertise in re-writing and/or editing synopses and introductions into texts both competitive and persuasive. Other services Abba provides include translating original materials and creating promotional texts. Focused Subjects LiberalArts : Biography, Management, Negotiation &n...

VOL.93 / 2026.04

[INFORMATION / K-BOOK MAP]

Pohang: The Landmarks That Inspired the Life and Literature of Bora Chung

K-Book Map Pohang: The Landmarks That Inspired the Life and Literature of Bora Chung 2026.03 Pohang, the City Beloved by a Master of Sci-Fi Bora Chung is one of Korea’s most prominent science fiction writers. Her short story collection, Cursed Bunny, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022, and her work Your Utopia reached the finals of the Philip K. Dick Award in 2025. Pohang is the city dearest to Chung’s heart. It provides her with abundant sci-fi imagination and a vibrant energy for life. Originally a lifelong resident of Seoul, the author moved to Pohang five years ago following her marriage. Now, Pohang has become her new sanctuary, a space of both life and art where she continues to craft her brilliant science fiction works. 〈What happens when Pohang and science f...

VOL.92 / 2026.03

VOL.93/2026.04

SEARCH RESULT