VOL.77/2024.12

2nd Week, October 2024

Best seller Trends in the Three Biggest Online Bookstores in Korea

2024.11.04

It is fall in Korea, a time of year that seems to fly by so quickly that it feels even more precious. In this season, perfect for reading, Han Kang’s winning of the Nobel Prize in Literature has caused a huge sensation in the Korean publishing market. As the first Korean and second Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, Han Kang’s literary success immediately translated into her books becoming best sellers. The jubilation, excitement, and compliments were expressed in the form of “Read Han Kang” by readers. With the festive vibe sweeping through the publishing industry, an unprecedented phenomenon happened: a single author’s works began to dominate the best seller lists. Readers’ interest in Han Kang’s works led tomost of her books selling out, and the excitement of winning the Nobel Prize in Literature was so intense that it overwhelmed the chill of the fall.
Human Acts, which was the first book that Han Kang recommended to be read, topped the list at all three major online bookstores in Korea, followed by The Vegetarian, which made headlines when it won the International Booker Prize in 2016, in second place, as well as We Do Not Part, which received a renewed spotlight after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature and was awarded the Prix Médicis étranger in 2023, in third place. Han’s other titles include The White Book, I Put the Evening in the Drawer, Greek Lessons, and Yeosu. This shows that Han Kang’s works are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, as it confirms both her literary prominence and the public’s love for her works.
The only other title to make it to the best seller list amidst this powerful “Han Kang Effect” was Kim Nan-Do’s Trend Korea 2025. The book’s dominance continued in the second week of October, taking the top position in the business category. The book is regarded as one of the most timely and accurate reflections of Korean trends and has been on the best seller list year after year. The second place went to Forecast of the Times: Name-calling Society, a new addition to the Forecast of the Times series by star author Song Gil-Young. He talks about the “name-calling society,” saying, “The way we make a living is to find our own names.” Other books in the top five included Money Trend 2025 and Park Tae-Woong’s AI Lecture 2025, highlighting Korean readers’ continuing interest in business books that help them keep up with the changes of the times.

* K-Book Trends Vol. 72 – Go to the interview with writer Song Gil-Young

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

Top 10 best sellers for the 2nd week of October
1		Human Acts Author│Han Kang Publisher│Changbi Publishers Genre│Fiction
2		The Vegetarian Author│Han Kang Publisher│Changbi Publishers Genre│Fiction
3		We Do Not Part Author│Han Kang Publisher│Munhakdongne Genre│Fiction
4		The White Book Author│Han Kang Publisher│Munhakdongne Genre│Fiction
5		I Put the Evening in the Drawer Author│Han Kang Publisher│Moonji Books Genre│Poetry
6		Greek Lessons Author│Han Kang Publisher│Munhakdongne Genre│Fiction
7		The Essential Author│Han Kang Publisher│Munhakdongne Genre│Fiction
8		The Wind is Blowing Author│Han Kang Publisher│Munhakdongne Genre│Fiction
9		Yeosu Author│Han Kang Publisher│Munhakdongne Genre│Fiction
9		Trend Korea 2025 Author│Kim Nan-Do Publisher│Mirae Books Genre│Business

 

Top 5 business books for the 2nd week of October
1		Trend Korea 2025 Author│Kim Nan-Do Publisher│Mirae Books
2		Forecast of the Times: Name-calling Society Author│Song Gil-Young Publisher│Kyobo Book Centre
3		Money Trend 2025 Author│Jeong Tae-Ik and others Publisher│Book Moment
4		Same as Ever Author│Morgan Housel Publisher│Seosamdok
5		Park Tae-Woong’s AI Lecture 2025 Author│Park Tae-Woong Publisher│Hanbit Biz