VOL.97/2026.08

2nd Week, May 2023

Best seller Trends in the Four Biggest Online Bookstores in Korea

2023.06.05

Books that deeply observe others’ lives and experiences caught the eyes of readers in May across various genres. First up, in the midst of the self-help book craze, writer Song Hee-Gu, who drew attention with the Story of Department Head Kim, Who Has a House in Seoul and Works at a Large Company (Seosamdok) series, returned with a new title My Rich High School Friend. Featuring a story where the protagonist reunites with a successful friend and gets a glimpse into the secrets of success in his life, the book freshly took the format of a novel while being a self-help book. Meanwhile, the book Lee Ji-Sung’s 10,000 Kilometers is non-fiction that talks about the journey of a North Korean defector, which is not commonly known among the public. This book tells the story of North Korean defectors’ harrowing escapes from their country through the eyes of Lee Ji-sung, who has worked tirelessly for North Korean defectors, and “Superman Pastor,” who has rescued more than 4,000 North Korean defectors over the past 30 years. Meanwhile, the book Each Season is a short-story collection written by Kwon Yeo-Sun over three years; who is a master Korean novelist. The collection includes seven short stories that look at the life of a character through the themes of memory, emotions, and relationships. So, how about taking a moment for self-reflection with these three books that depict different lives?
Meanwhile, in the parenting category, the top five were mainly books about parent-child conversations. For example, the No.3 book, Talk About Humanities for 66 Days, is a new title by a renowned mentor in teaching humanities to children, Kim Jong-Won. It is a guidebook for parents to create a habit of “talking about the humanities” with their children for 66 days. It helps develop children’s sense of the humanities while using everyday language. Also, How to Understand and Guide Your Adolescent Son explores new ways to communicate with adolescent sons, as their relationship with their parents changes dramatically during puberty. As it offers clear answers to questions that parents may have, such as how to talk to their adolescent children without fighting and how to create healthy daily habits, the book will be of extra help if you are having trouble in your relationship with teenage children.

* The rank of best sellers below was organized after integrating domestic best sellers in the second week of May from the four biggest online bookstores in Korea ? Kyobo Bookstore, Aladdin, Yes 24, and Interpark.

Top 10 best sellers for the 2nd week of May
1		Sayno Love Author│Sayno Publisher│Day One Genre│Self-help
2		An Introduction to Business Management Author│Kim Seung-Ho Publisher│Snow Fox Books Genre│Business
3		Petite Philosophy de La Mer Author│Laurence Devillairs Publisher│FIKA Genre│Humanities
4		My Rich High School Friend Author│Song Hee-Gu Publisher│Seosamdok Genre│Self-help
4		Common Siblings 13 Author│Hunhan Nammae (original story), Baek Nan-Do Publisher│Mirae N (I-Seum) Genre│Children
6		Marigold Mind Laundry Author│Yun Jung-Eun Publisher│Book Romance Genre│Fiction
6		Lee Ji-Sung’s 10,000 Kilometers Author│Lee Ji-Sung Publisher│Chaijungwon Genre│Non-fiction
8		Return of the Blossoming Blade 3 Author│Biga (original story), STUDIO LICO Publisher│A:tempo Media Genre│Comics
9		Each Season Author│Kwon Yeo-Sun Publisher│Munhakdongne Genre│Fiction
10		Kim Mikyung’s Life Lesson for Those in Their Forties Author│Kim Mi-Kyung Publisher│Awake Books Genre│Self-help
10		Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention Author│Johann Hari Publisher│Across Genre│Humanities
10		What Mask Are You Wearing? Author│Yang Siyuan (楊思遠) Publisher│Mediasoop Genre│Self-help

 

Top 5 parenting books for the 2nd week of May
1		Daily Vocabulary for Elementary Schoolers Author│Lee Eun-Kyung Publisher│Forest Books
2		Smart and Lazy Childcare Author│Rory (Kim Joon-Hee) Publisher│Book Roast
3		Talk About Humanities for 66 Days Author│Kim Jong-Won Publisher│Cassiopeia
4		The 7:3 Rule of Eating Healthy and Dieting: Vegetables and Fruits Author│Cho Seung-Woo Publisher│Bybooks
5		Nature Parenting, the Easiest in the World Author│Ji Na-Young Publisher│21c Books
5		How to Understand and Guide Your Adolescent Son Author│Lee Eun-Kyung Publisher│Forest Books
5		Taste 100% Guaranteed: Okjubu’s Side Dish Author│Jung Jong-Chul Publisher│Mons Books