VOL.77/2024.12

1st Week, September 2024

Best seller Trends in the Three Biggest Online Bookstores in Korea

2024.10.07

It’s the first week of September in Korea, where the fall has technically arrived, yet the summer heat hasn’t entirely left. With Korean fiction dominating the top of the best seller lists, it seems that readers are eager to spend the fall with books. The book If We Look at the Same Star One Day, which topped the best seller lists of all three major online bookstores, was written by actor and author Cha In-Pyo. Featuring the story of women forced into sexual slavery, it was also invited to the 1st Oxford Korean Literature Festival. Having been selected as a must-read book at Oxford University, it has become known in Korea as a work that first became known overseas. Korean readers have recently been immersed in the book's story, which reads like a movie.
Following behind were Kim Ae-Ran’s full-length novel One of Them is a Lie and Jeong Yoo-Jeong’s full-length novel Eternal Heaven, which tied for second place, further reaffirming the fact that both authors are favorites in the Korean literary scene. One of Them is a Lie, which is the story of 3 high school sophomores who become conscious of each other through a series of coincidences and gradually grow closer as they go through an unforgettable period of their lives, and Eternal Heaven, the latest in a series by Jeong Yoo-Jeong that explores human desires that reach beyond reality, are both a pleasure to read thanks to the authors’ masterful wordsmithing. Also, To Where Light Leads by Hee-Sung Baek ranked seventh on the best seller list, further supporting the popularity of Korean fiction.
Best selling authors continued to shine in the first week of September in the top 5 non-fiction best sellers. Wasted Days by Kim Hoon, considered a maestro of Korean literature, took the first place. Featuring a total of 45 pieces, Wasted Days is Kim Hoon’s aesthetic approach to prose that delves into the emotions of life. Coming in at second place was It is All My Life, an essay exploring the lives of Nonna, born in 1952, and Kyung-Sin, born in 1982, discussing who they are today and who they want to be tomorrow. The book Joyful Grown-ups, ranked third, is a highly relatable story about grandmothers who live their lives with vigor, humor, and determination.

* The rank of best sellers below was organized after integrating domestic best sellers in the first week of September from the three biggest online bookstores in Korea – Kyobo Bookstore, Aladdin, and Yes 24.

Top 10 best sellers for the 1st week of September
1		If We Look at the Same Star One Day Author│Cha In-Pyo Publisher│Answer Key Genre│Fiction
2		One of Them is a Lie Author│Kim Ae-Ran Publisher│Munhakdongne Genre│Fiction
2		Eternal Heaven Author│Jeong Yoo-Jeong Publisher│EunHaengNaMu Genre│Fiction
4		Common Siblings 17 Author│Baek Nan-Do Publisher│Mirae N (I-Seum) Genre│Children
5		The Classics Become a Weapon of Life Author│Ko Myung-Hwan Publisher│Lagom Books Genre│Self-help
6		Trend Korea 2025 Author│Kim Nan-Do Publisher│Mirae Books Genre│Business
7		To Where Light Leads Author│Baek Hee-Sung Publisher│Book Romance Genre│Fiction
8		One Page a Day: A Transcribing Note for Your Vocabulary Author│Yoo Sun-Kyong Publisher│Wisdom House Genre│Self-help
9		Aouri Fudo Author│Miyuki Miyabe Publisher│Book Sphere Genre│Fiction
10		A Few Words of Encouragement for You Author│Kim Jong-Won Publisher│First Penguin Genre│Young Adult

 

Top 5 non-fiction for the 1st week of September
1		Wasted Days Author│Kim Hoon Publisher│Nanam Publishing House
2		It is All My Life Author│Jang Myeong-Sook, Lee Myeong-Jin Publisher│Gimm-Young Publishers
3		All the Beauty in the World Author│Patrick Bringley Publisher│Woongjin Thinkbig
3		Joyful Grown-ups Author│Lee Ok-Sun Publisher│Storyseller
5		How to Endure Blurry Me Author│Ssuk Publisher│Big Fish