VOL.82/2025.05

Spring Blooms With Books: The Beginning of a New Semester

Best seller Trends in the Three Biggest Online Bookstores
in Korea for the 2nd week of March, 2025

2025.04.07

Though climate change is causing more extreme weather events, the season is coming to spring. In Korea, where winter and spring cross paths, it seems like everyone is busy preparing for the new semester after the winter vacation.
As if to prove the staying power of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Han Kang’s Human Acts has reclaimed the top spot. It wasn’t the only novel that made a comeback. Yang Gui-Ja’s Contradictions, ranked No. 5 in the overall ranking, has been on the best seller list for months, creating a new boom. The novel, which has gone through 132 printings since its first publication in 1998, delicately depicts the life of Ahn Jinjin, a 25-year-old single woman whose life is full of contradictions. Another best seller, Adult Happiness is Quiet, which has been a consistent pick for readers, is an enlightening read for those waiting for the vibrant season of spring.
Young adult best sellers were generally dominated by literary titles, a sign of what’s on the minds of teenagers as they head back to school. The No. 1 title in the young adult category was The Kid I Want to Kill, an unconventional account of a high school girl’s death that raises questions about truth and belief through an unpredictable plot. Coming in at No. 2 was Grit, which applies the theory of internal communication to child education. It offers teenagers a mindfulness training program that encourages them to study “for themselves, with fun, and all the way to the end.” The book, The Last Day of My Life, is a full-length novel that explores the issue of teen suicide in Korea from the perspective of a middle school student, capturing the reality of teenagers that adults may not realize. Another book, A Few Words of Encouragement for You, is a philosophical essay for teenagers enduring a time of uncertainty, and has been a consistent favorite.

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

Top 10 best sellers for the 2nd week of March
1		Human Acts Author│Han Kang Publisher│Changbi Publishers Genre│Fiction
2		Sakamoto Days 20: Belonging Author│Yuto Suzuki Publisher│Daewon C.I. Genre│Comics
3		Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI Author│Ethan Mollick Publisher│Sangsang Square Genre│Self-help
3		Stoner Author│John Williams Publisher│RH Korea Genre│Fiction
5		Contradictions Author│Yang Gwi-Ja Publisher│Write Publishing Co. Genre│Fiction
6		The Buddha’s Voice Reinterpreted in Modern Words Author│Ryunosuke Koike Publisher│Forest Books Genre│Humanities
7		Kuiju No. 8: B-Side (Vol. 2) Author│Kentaro Hidano and others Publisher│Seoul Media Comics Genre│Comics
8		Hackers TOEIC Vocabulary: TOEIC VOCA Author│David Cho Publisher│Hackers Education Group Genre│Foreign Language
8		Shirley Author│Charlotte Brontë Publisher│EunHaeng NaMu Publishing Genre│Fiction
10		Adult Happiness is Quiet Author│Taesoo Publisher│Page 2 Books Genre│Non-fiction

 

Top 5 young adult books for the 2nd week of March
1		The Kid I Want to Kill Author│Lee Kkochnim Publisher│Woori School
2		A Window to Literature Author│Kim Yoo-Jeong and others Publisher│Spoon Book
2		Grit Author│Kim Ju-Han Publisher│Influential
4		The Last Day of My Life Author│Baek Eun-Byeol Publisher│Barun Books
4		A Few Words of Encouragement for You Author│Kim Jong-Won Publisher│First Penguin