K-Book Trends -

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[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

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 / SPECIAL PROJECT]

The Global Craze for Korean Language and Culture!

Special Project [English Books in Korea ④] The Global Craze for Korean Language and Culture! King Sejong Institute Foundation’s new textbooks for international Korean language learners 2024.09.02 As the Hallyu (Korean Wave) spreads across the world, the demand for learning Korean has been increasing internationally. In response, a variety of Korean language-related textbooks are being developed for various learning purposes and levels. Among them, the following are representative textbooks provided by the King Sejong Institute Foundation, a representative organization for the promotion of Korean language and culture abroad. A variety of Korean textbooks for all purposes and levels, from beginner to advanced The first is King Sejong Institute Korean, a textbook specifically designed for beginners and advanced learners alike. It can be used together with the King Sejong Institute Foundation’s signature online curriculum, and learners can also...

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

[TREND / TOPIC]

Dreaming of a Different Peace as We Depart from Houyhnhnms

Topic Dreaming of a Different Peace as We Depart from Houyhnhnms 2024.08.05 The 2024 Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF) has concluded with great success. During the peak hours when the crowd surged, I found myself in a state of constant anxiety, hoping that everything would go smoothly. As visitors queued up, stretching so far that the end of the line was out of sight, and the temperature inside rose, making the air conditioning struggle, my heart tightened. Yet, now I breathe a sigh of relief that the event ended without major incidents. Main posters of 2024 SIBF Challenges in preparing for the 2024 Seoul International Book Fair This year’s preparation for the Seoul International Book Fair was fraught with challenges. Traditionally held in Hall A on the first floor of COEX, we were informed last year to reduce the event...

VOL.73 / 2024.08

[TREND / BOOK TRIP]

An Encounter with Poems that Capture the Wistfulness of an Unfulfilled Youth

Book Trip [A Trip to Literary Museums ④] An Encounter with Poems that Capturethe Wistfulness of an Unfulfilled Youth Ki Hyung-Do Literary Museum, Gyeonggi-do, Gwangmyeong-si 2024.08.05 It’s always poignant to see things end with their full potential yet to be realized. This is no exception for poets. A poet who died young, before he had even begun to fully pursue his writing endeavor, leaves a sense of wistfulness and sadness in the hearts of all readers of his poetry.In this month’s Book Trip, a city tour inspired by literature, we travel to Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, where poet Ki Hyung-Do spent his childhood. The Ki Hyung-Do Literary Museum, nestled amongst a dense apartment complex, gives city dwellers a moment to breathe in the scent of poetry. There is also a place in nearby Ki Hyung-Do Literary Museum, where you can feel the ambiance of a traditional Korean house and experience the stunning transformation of an abandoned mine. Gw...

VOL.73 / 2024.08

[INFORMATION / NEW BOOKS]

What Do Life and Death Look Like for Single-Person Households in South Korea?

New Books What Do Life and Death Look Likefor Single-Person Households in South Korea? 2026.06 Kim Su-Young, The Inevitable Loneliness, 2026. In 2021, Professor Kim Su-Young, author of The Inevitable Loneliness, launched the 〈ALONE〉 project, a two-year study documenting the lives of 109 single-person households. This book brings to light the stories of 56 participants from that research. As of August 2025, South Korea officially entered an era where single-person households exceed ten million. Recognizing that living alone is a structural landscape carved out by late-industrial society, the author conceptualizes this phenomenon as a mechanism of self-production and self-reproduction. Under the heavy shadows of an unstable labor market and a rapidly aging society, individuals in single-person households must live as the sole authors of ...

VOL.95 / 2026.06

[INFORMATION / BEST SELLERS]

Bestsellers for the First Week of May: Family Month Special

Best Sellers Bestsellers for the First Week of May:Family Month Special 2026.06 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 our last issue, we explored the bestseller chart at Youngpoong Bookstore. For this June edition, which marks the fourth installment of our offline bookstore bestseller analysis, we conclude our look at the “Big Four” franchises by examining Arc N Book’s top sellers from...

VOL.95 / 2026.06

[INFORMATION / K-BOOK MAP]

A Literary Journey to Gangneung in June: When the Plantain Flowers Bloom

K-Book Map A Literary Journey to Gangneung in June:When the Plantain Flowers Bloom 2026.06 My heart is a lake,Row toward me, love.Your white shadow I’ll take in my arms,I’ll break like jade on your prow. Like the poetic lines of Kim Dong-Myung, Gangneung is a city where quiet resonance and deep lingering emotions reside. His literature no longer stays confined within the pages of a book. Instead, his words have gently dissolved into the sea, the open fields, and the serene, timeless pathways of this beautiful region. Kim Dong-Myung Literary Museum Following the quiet, secluded paths of Sacheon-myeon, where the Kim Dong-Myung Literary Museum is located, the birthplace where the poet was born and raised quietly reveals itself. In the center of the courtyard stands a monument inscribed with his famous poem Pl...

VOL.95 / 2026.06

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

Korean Publishers’ Efforts to Meet New Readers

Knowledge Korean Publishers’ Efforts to Meet New Readers 2024.08.05 Publishers have been putting the utmost effort into connecting readers, works, and authors. One of the examples was booktalks, where readers meet the author. Booktalks helped publishers expand the horizon of readers’ engagement with works and maintain fanship, but it was not easy to secure new readers. As a large number of booktalks turned contactless after the outbreak of COVID-19, the small influx of new readers fell even more.Meanwhile, as the marketing trend in Korea moved onto pop-up stores, many Generation Z started to take shots, do opening rushes, and leave reviews. This trend has made it a must-do event for companies when launching new products (brands). There were even reviewers who left comments on pop-up stores open in Seongsu-dong (the region in Seoul settled as a hot place among Generation Z as it became the hub of pop-up stores). Where both present and future readers...

VOL.73 / 2024.08

[INFORMATION / BEST SELLERS]

April Blooms: Bestsellers of the Month

Best Sellers April Blooms:Bestsellers of the Month 2026.05 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 our previous issue, we examined the bestsellers at Kyobo Book Centre. For our May edition—the third installment of our offline bookstore analysis—we focus on the bestseller list from Jongno Books for the first week of April. Taking the top spot at Jongno Books this week is Project Hail Mary, published by RHK (RH Korea). This surge in popularity is directly linked to the cinematic release of the film adaptat...

VOL.94 / 2026.05

VOL.95/2026.06

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