K-Book Trends -

Search word : "Seoul", Search result : 362

[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 / ONE-LINER QUOTES]

The New Waves of Hallyu: K-Design and K-Architecture

One-Liner Quotes The New Waves of Hallyu: K-Design and K-Architecture Korean architect’s pick 2025.03.10 Kim In-Cheurl is the chief architect of Archium, which was founded in 1986. He has served as a professor at Chung-Ang University, a member of the Presidential Commission on Architecture Policy, and the General Architect of Busan Metropolitan City, and has received the Korean Institute of Architects Award (KIA), Seoul Architecture Award, Korean Architecture Award, and Kim Swoogeun Cultural Award. His books include Kim Okgill Memorial Hall (Seoul Forum), Shall We Talk About Architecture? (Dongnyok Publishers), Recording Space (Dongnyok Publishers), Himalesque (Jip Publishing), Bauzium (Oori Book), and Retro Modernism: Open (Jip Publishing). A new trend that emerged from Korea, a country at the eastern tip of Asia, which seems to be hanging on to the continent, is called Hallyu (Korean Wave), or Korean Wave. Korea is a unique...

VOL.80 / 2025.03

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

Export Support Projects of KPIPA in the First Half of 2025

Knowledge Export Support Projects of KPIPA in the First Half of 2025 K-Books Go Global! 2025.03.10 To promote the excellence of K-publishing content and various cultural exchanges, the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA) has been actively supporting Korean books’ advancement into the global market. The biggest international book fair in the English-speaking world: the London Book Fair (participant)Objective: Organize the “Korea Rights Centre” to support Korean books’ advancement into the English-speaking markets, as well as copyright export consultations and promotionDate: March 11 (Tue.) – March 13 (Thu.), 2025Venue: Olympia London, UK See you in Bologna in spring: the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (participant)Objective: Support Korean picture books to reach global children and organize an “Autho...

VOL.80 / 2025.03

[TREND / SPECIAL PROJECT]

A City Where the Past and Future Meet: Tokyo

Special Project [New Ways of Walking Through Cities ②] A City Where the Past and Future Meet: Tokyo 2025.02.17 Korea and Japan are countries that are both close and far away at the same time. They are located in East Asia and have similar climates, four seasons, and no time difference. Even the cityscapes look similar at first glance. Seoul and Tokyo both feature a mix of skyscrapers and traditional architecture. However, if you look a little deeper, you start to see the subtle differences between them. Whereas tradition and modernity blend together naturally in Korea, the two seem to be more starkly separated in Japan. For example, Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul seems to blend into the modern cafes and shops surrounding it, but in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood, the shrines and temples are quiet reminders of a time gone by.When you first step foot in Tokyo, you feel like you have just walked in...

VOL.79 / 2025.02

[TREND / EXPORT CASE]

Crafting Connections Through Korean Literature: Books Curated and Translated by BACA Publishing House

Export Case Crafting Connections Through Korean Literature:Books Curated and Translated by BACA Publishing House 2025.02.17 In 2016, Han Kang became the first Korean author to win the International Booker Prize for her novel The Vegetarian (Changbi Publishers). This triumph also marked a milestone for BACA, a young but feisty publishing house from Indonesia. In February 2017, just a month before celebrating its first birthday, BACA took a bold step by publishing The Vegetarian, followed by Human Acts (Changbi Publishers), another brilliant novel by Han Kang. Human Acts and The Vegetarian From that point on, BACA began to consistently publish K-books, initially focusing on literary fiction, including The Hole (Moonji Publishing) by Pyun Hye-young, The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly (SAKYEJUL PUBLISHING) and The Dog Who Dared to Dream (imazubooks) by Hwang Sun-mi, among others...

VOL.79 / 2025.02

[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 / TOPIC]

Poetry Collections: The Trend of the Era and the Compass of the Heart

Topic Poetry Collections: The Trend of the Era andthe Compass of the Heart 2024.12.02 The rise of Korean poetry and its global takeoff There have been a number of “unusual” scenes in Korean literature in recent years. If I told you that Korean poetry is at the center of it, would international readers believe me? The proportion of readers in their 20s and 30s buying poetry books is increasing. The share of teenagers is also increasing, not to mention the number of poetry books being published. It is no longer strange or unfamiliar to see people transcribing poems. There are even bookstores in Korea that sell only poetry books. It’s a curious thing. Haven’t we all moved on to YouTube, TikTok, and Netflix? The thing that’s being “unlocked” should be smartphones, not poetry books, isn’t it?The year 2024 is poised to be a monumental year in Korean literary history. It is 100 years since the publication of Chu Yo-Han’ first poetry collection Beau...

VOL.77 / 2024.12

[TREND / ONE-LINER QUOTES]

How To Enrich Your Life

One-Liner Quotes How To Enrich Your Life Financial Planner’s Pick 2024.12.02 Jung Won-Jun is a freelance financial planner specializing in financial counseling and education. He advises young adults and middle-aged people in Seoul through public institutions and gives lectures to middle-aged people on finance at Seoul Open City University. When I counsel clients on their finances, I often meet people who are not satisfied with what they have and are constantly chasing something that doesn’t exist. We expect greater wealth to bring greater satisfaction, but it doesn’t unless you are absolutely destitute. Money cannot be the ultimate solution because it is just one of many means. Then, how can we increase our satisfaction? I would like to introduce you to two books that will help you find the answer. Author Seo Eun-Kuk, a professor of psy...

VOL.77 / 2024.12

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

Korean Publishing Market’s Trends in 2024 and Outlook for 2025

Knowledge Korean Publishing Market’s Trends in 2024 and Outlook for 2025 2024.12.02 Trends in 2024: Questioning life, fandoms, and Nobel Prize in Literature Philosophy and psychology books have dominated the Korean publishing market, with Reading Schopenhauer at Forty (Uknowbooks) topping the overall bestseller list through August. Also, 11 of the 30 bestselling fiction titles in the first half of the year were “rebound” titles, meaning they were published more than 10 years ago. In addition, the nonfiction category returned to growth after 4 years of decline, and the cases of books becoming bestsellers after being recommended by celebrities increased.Reading Schopenhauer at Forty has continued to grow in popularity this year after being featured on a TV entertainment series last year. The autho...

VOL.77 / 2024.12

[TREND / TOPIC]

The Art of Selling Books: Innovative Strategies by Korean Booksellers

Topic The Art of Selling Books:Innovative Strategies by Korean Booksellers 2024.11.04 You will be able to find the figures for “reading preferences” in the results of the National Reading Survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in Korea last year. It gives a hint to the “actual” reading population based on the ratio of people liking books. The overall reading rate covering paper books, e-books, and audio books was 95.8% for elementary, middle, and high school students and 43.0% for adults; the actual reading preferences turned out to be 39.6% for students and 18.3% for adults. The actual reading rate, which means readings done autonomously, is cut in half from the overall reading rate as the overall figure includes cases in which people have to read books for necessary reasons, such as for work or educational purposes. Why do people read books, but have very few “enjoyable” experiences reading them? Well, consi...

VOL.76 / 2024.11

VOL.80/2025.03

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