K-Book Trends -

Search word : "Korean Society", Search result : 103

[TREND / EXPORT CASE]

How Korean Books Are Conquering Russia: The Experience of MIF

Export Case How Korean Books Are Conquering Russia: The Experience of MIF 2025.06.02 In recent years, Korean literature has been steadily capturing the hearts of Russian readers. One of the advocates of K-literature in Russia is MIF Publishing House. In this article, we explore how MIF made the strategic decision to publish Korean books, the titles that have already resonated with readers, and what the future holds. Who We Are MIF Publishing is one of Russia’s largest independent publishing houses. Since 2005, we have been producing high-quality nonfiction for adults and children, including books on self-development, business, psychology, art, and science, as well as fiction for adults, young adults, and younger readers.Our backlist includes more than 5,000 titles, and we publish around 400 new books each year. Our authors range from bestselling international names to renowned Russian writers. We are active participants in the world’s leadin...

VOL.83 / 2025.06

[TREND / ONE-LINER QUOTES]

Suffering and Romance: Two Things Korea and Taiwan Share

One-Liner Quotes Suffering and Romance: Two Things Korea and Taiwan Share Picks of a foreign journalist living in Korea 2025.06.02 Wu Pei Ju (吳珮如) is a freelance journalist based in Korea, and has written for newspapers and magazines in Taiwan and Hong Kong. She also runs the Korean literature podcast “Jeongyeol Hanbando” and the online Korean bookstore “Echo Islands” for readers in Chinese-speaking countries. She has translated Rest Area (Taiwanese edition). Around the time the Dec. 3 martial law was declared, I was editing and proofreading the Taiwanese edition of Beyond Death, Beyond the Dark Era (Changbi Publishers). It was hard to imagine the scenes in the book becoming reality, but they soon did. History is often distorted if it is not recorded. In this book, Hwang and two other authors recount the greed of the military dictatorship,...

VOL.83 / 2025.06

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

Books Loved Across Generations: Korean Steady Sellers

Knowledge Books Loved Across Generations: Korean Steady Sellers 2025.04.07 Bestseller lists reflect the issues of the times and the interests of readers. You can get a glimpse into readers’ thoughts and interests by looking at why a book gained traction. On the other hand, steady sellers are not only reflective of the times, like bestsellers, but they have the power to transcend time. A steady seller refers to a book that goes beyond just being a trend, and has a long-lasting lifespan through the power of its story. There are many books that become overnight bestsellers simply because they are written by popular authors with a fandom, or because they are endorsed by influencers. However, steady sellers are the ones that stay with readers across time. These books have stood the test of time and are more than just a fad; they resonate with readers and deliver a deeper message about life. They are not just books published a long time ago, but ...

VOL.81 / 2025.04

[TREND / TOPIC]

How New Writers Are Discovered in Korea: Shinchunmunye, Literary Awards, and Newly Emerging Pathways

Topic How New Writers Are Discovered in Korea:Shinchunmunye, Literary Awards, and Newly Emerging Pathways 2025.03.10 At the award ceremony of shinchunmunye (annual spring literary contest), one of Korea’s representative systems for recognizing new writers, there is always a “congratulatory speech” delivered by the judges (mostly novelists, sometimes literary critics) to the winners. As a former literary reporter for a newspaper and then head of the Department of Culture, I have observed that every year, no matter who the judges are, there is always a certain message to the winners. Although you never can tell the future, I’m sure the same will also be true for next year’s shinchunmunye. The specific words vary by judge, but if I were to make it up, it would go something like this (which, of course, doesn’t even come close to the beautiful and moving words of the judges). “Congratulations, you are now a writer. You mu...

VOL.80 / 2025.03

[TREND / EXPORT CASE]

Spreading Its Wings To the World: The Seoul Letter Shop

Export Case Spreading Its Wings To the World: The Seoul Letter Shop 2025.01.06 On October 12, 2023, I received an email from Shinwon Agency, Korea’s first copyright export agency. They wanted to meet me at the Frankfurt Book Fair. I was going to be there, so we agreed to meet on October 19. This was about a month after I had sent them a cold email looking for an export partner. Within that month, I sent them a cover letter for my publishing house, met with them to introduce my publication lineup, and passed on additional materials about the works they were interested in. Among them was a proposal for The Seoul Letter Shop (TXTY), including a synopsis.It felt interesting and fateful that two Korean companies would be meeting in Frankfurt on October 19, 2023, to talk about working together. Shinwon said that there was a lot of interest from Anglo-American partner agencies and offered an exclusive agreement for The Seoul Letter Shop. I was flabbe...

VOL.78 / 2025.01

[TREND / SPECIAL PROJECT]

Korean Literature’s Borderless Literary Appeal

Special Project [Award-winning Korean Books ②] Korean Literature’s Borderless Literary Appeal Korean works nominated or winning international literary awards in 2024 2024.12.02 The flow, trend, and outlook of Korean literature Until 2023, one of the major concerns in the Korean literary world, intellectual circles, and the publishing industry was whether Korean books, including literature, would continue to expand their presence in the global content market. And, this became a “certainty” in only a year. Han Kang’s winning of the Nobel Prize in Literature served as the catalyst. In the four years since 2020, the number of Korean authors winning international literary awards skyrocketed. Among the 45 awards won since 2003, 20 were from 2020 and onward. The following are some of the most prominent wins or nominations for international literary awards in the past four years.In 2020, Kim Young-Ha’s Diary of a Murderer (Bokbok Seoga) won Deutscher K...

VOL.77 / 2024.12

[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 / TOPIC]

What the “Steady Seller Phenomenon” Means for the Book Market

Topic What the “Steady Seller Phenomenon” Means for the Book Market On books that have reached their 100th print 2024.07.01 The implication of books that hit the 100th print Kim Dong-Sik’s The Grey Man (Yoda Books) recently celebrated its 100th printing in the Korean book market. While the writer’s dramatic leap from a foundry worker to a best-selling writer has been spotlighted, what is perhaps most important is the internal narrative of the short stories contained within. This collection of 24 short stories was selected from the hundreds of short stories he posted to the horror forum of an online community, “Today’s Humor.” It is indeed a kaleidoscope of life’s short stories, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking. Readers have responded so enthusiastically to the short story collection, which went into its 100th printing in 2017 - 7 years after it was first published, and there are many factors behind this. The factor include the dra...

VOL.72 / 2024.07

[TREND / BOOK TRIP]

People’s Lives Seen Through the National History of Chaos and Turbulence

Book Trip [A Trip to Literary Museums ③] People’s Lives Seen Through the NationalHistory of Chaos and Turbulence Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do: The Jo Jung-Rae Taebaek Mountain Range Literature Museum 2024.07.01 Literary museums are the most effective place to deepen your understanding of writers and their works, and to fully appreciate them. This is because they exhibit works in a variety of ways and present writers’ biographies, enabling us to walk into the world of literature with a richer perspective. So, sometimes, a trip to a literary museum is enough to make us more mature readers. In this edition of Book Trip, we traveled to Jeollanam-do, Boseong-gun, the hometown of Jo Jung-Rae, a master of Korean literature and the writer of Taebaeksanmaek (meaning Taebaek Mountain Range)(Hainaim Publishing), the ultimate saga novel. Aside from the pleasure of discovering traces of Taebaeksanmaek around every corner, Boseong-gun has much to offer, as it breathes th...

VOL.72 / 2024.07

[TREND / ONE-LINER QUOTES]

A Doctor’s “Health Book” on Diagnosis and Care for What Ails Korean Society Today

One-Liner Quotes A Doctor’s “Health Book” on Diagnosis andCare for What Ails Korean Society Today Healthy Bookstore Manager’s Pick 2024.07.01 Kim Min-Jung is the manager of “11ho1,” a “healthy bookstore” where you can discover and exchange thoughts about health in everyday life. “I see the limitations of modern medicine almost every day as a physician. No matter how advanced medical science gets, it will never be omnipotent.” This is the story of an 80-year-old practicing physician I met in a bookstore a few years ago. It was somewhat surprising to hear a senior doctor with nearly 60 years of clinical and research experience at a medical school comment on the limitations of modern medicine. It was not only that: many of the doctors I met through books in my bookstore were concerned with narratives that extend beyond numbers, towards society outside the small clinic. That is how I came to realize that our health and healthy...

VOL.72 / 2024.07

VOL.83/2025.06

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