VOL.74/2024.09

3rd Week, January 2022

Bestseller Trends in the Four Biggest Online Bookstores in Korea

2022.02.14

With the presidential election in March coming up, political and social books have been gaining much attention in Korean society since the first day of the new year. People’s heightened interest and expectations – or perhaps concerns – about the candidates seem to be reflected in the books. For example, Yoon Seok-Youl X File, which topped the bestsellers’ list of four major bookstores’ online markets, is a book that verifies candidate Yoon based on factual grounds. As a result, it has been at the center of readers’ attention, ranking first, even though the book is scheduled to be published in the third week of January. Also, Longing Doesn’t Happen to Anyone, an autobiography of former president Park Geun-Hye, and Goodbye, Lee Jae-Myung, a book about presidential candidate Lee Jae-Myung, joined the top 10 bestsellers.
Meanwhile, the script books of “The Red Sleeve” and “Our Beloved Summer,” TV dramas that ended with massive popularity, also became bestsellers. script books of dramas and movies published in Korea boast a high selling rate among their fans, as they offer goods along with the book such as postcards and posters. Furthermore, the book The Red Sleeve based on a web novel, and Our Beloved Summer, based on a webtoon (web-comics), drew attention since their early episodes. Such transformation of a webnovel and webtoon turning into a drama, which then turned into a script book, shows the potential of Korean publishing content in the intellectual property market.
On the other hand, in the health category, Reset Your Moves Rather Than Exercising, the no.1 bestseller published in January, inspired readers hoping to boost their fitness to purchase it. With detailed explanations and illustrations about how to exercise, it helps readers understand and follow the moves without difficulty. Also, three books – Managing Your Waist for 100 Years 1, 2, and Exercising for 100 Years – written by professor Chung Sun-Gun of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University, all made it into the top 5. Books by professor Chung, who hopes to help people exercise safely, have been steady picks by Korean readers.

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

Top 10 Bestsellers for the 3rd Week of January
1		Yoon Seok-Youl X File Author│Yeollin Gonggam TV Publisher│Yeollin Gonggam TV Genre│Politics / Society
2		Uncanny Convenience Store (Winter edition commemorating 150 thousand copies sold) Author│Kim Ho-Yeon Publisher│Namu Bench Genre│Fiction
3		Longing Doesn’t Happen to Anyone Author│Park Geun-Hye Publisher│Garo Sero Research Institute Genre│Politics / Society
4		Don’t Know Where to Invest? Ask Me Author│Kim Jung-Soo Publisher│Haum Genre│Business
5		Goodbye, Lee Jae-Myung Author│Jang Young-Ha Publisher│Jiwoo Publishing Genre│Politics / Society
6		The Mysterious Candy Store 13 Author│Reiko Hiroshima Publisher│Gilbut School Genre│Children
6		The Red Sleeve 1, 2 script Book Set Author│Jung Hae-Rhee Publisher│Chungeoram Genre│Art / Pop Culture
8		Olje Classics – 41st Set Author│Zhang Juzheng, Adolf Hitler, Johann Gottlieb Fichte Publisher│Olje Classics Genre│Liberal Arts
8		Our Beloved Summer 1 script Book Author│Lee Na-Eun Publisher│Gimmyoung Genre│Art / Pop Culture
8		Tokyo Revengers 19 Author│Ken Wakui Publisher│Haksan Publishing Genre│Comics

 

Top 5 Health Books for the 3rd Week of January
1		Reset Your Moves Rather Than Exercising Author│Hong Jung-Ki Publisher│EBS BOOKS
2		Managing Your Waist for 100 Years 2: Treatment Author│Chung Sun-Geun Publisher│Untangling
2		1 Minute a Day for Your Eyes Author│Yamaguchi Gojo Publisher│Untangling
4		Managing Your Waist for 100 Years 1: Diagnosis Author│Chung Sun-Geun Publisher│Untangling
4		Exercising for 100 Years Author│Chung Sun-Geun Publisher│Artisan