VOL.64/2023.11

 

[Celeb’s Book Spot ①]

Chosochaekbang

A Book Place for Book-loving Korean Celebrities

 

2023.02.20

 

Unique places for book lovers have been in the limelight recently. Reading books in a quiet environment at home or a library is good for concentrating, but reading in a cozy place where the sound and smell we find familiar in daily life is also a new experience. With more unique places to read books now, famous people in Korea have had special reading experiences. Then, what kind of places are they?
RM from BTS, an idol group promoting K-Pop around the world with their various musical genres, is known as a heavy reader among celebrities. On his Social Media, where he shares moments of his daily life, you can easily find out that he is very much into reading books. Reading a broad range of genres ranging from Korean to foreign books, he is known to be a great lover of books, recommending books that he read to others. There’s another person that has fallen in love with books. It is Fabien, a French actor and model. Although he’s French, his love for Korea is real, as evidenced by his recent acquisition of permanent residency in Korea. He is also known to be greatly interested in Korean history and culture. His passion for reading never cools down as he pursues his studies of Korea, the Korean language and history. Following is an introduction to Chosochaekbang, which is a book cafe visited by the best book-lover celebrities in Korea.

 

 

The beautiful landscape of Inwangsan Mountain caught the hearts of RM and Fabien

 

Chosochaekbang is a book cafe located in Inwangsan Mountain in Jongno-gu, Seoul. There are various paths that lead to the cafe; it is good to walk along the tracking course for a little exercise, and it is also great to take the forest path of the mountain, enjoying the deep forest scent. A little walk through nature, and you will get to Chosochaekbang, sitting quietly on the hill of Inwangsan mountain. Surrounded by nature, Chosochaekbang soothes your heart and lets you relax. It is a perfect place to read books with a cup of tea in nature, away from the city where everything flows so quickly. When you read outside on the terrace, the vivid sounds of nature, such as birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind, will relax your mind and body. Also, Seoul, seen from the outside terrace, is simply unbelievable, with the clear sky adding more beauty.
RM and Fabien have also been on the open-air terrace. RM once said he enjoys reading books, showing a particular love for books. He also said that he goes to places, such as cafes and parks, to read books outside. He once uploaded photos of Chosochaekbang and Inwangsan Mountain on Instagram as well, adding that he searches for special places to read books. Also, Fabien even moved to Seochon, a neighborhood near Inwangsan Mountain, having fallen in love with the scenery that the mountain provides. When he appeared on “I Live Alone,” an entertainment program on MBC, he took a light walk to Chosochaekbang as a resident of Jongno-gu, showing his everyday life of reading books and studying.

 

 

A bookstore that cares about the environment

 

You can meet various types of books on the first floor, full of the just-baked smell of bread. A section with books on environmental issues draws our attention in particular – it was motivated by the movie "Save the Green Planet!" by director Jang Joon-Hwan in 2003. Environmental issues didn’t get a lot of attention when the film was released. However, over time we have come to a point where we can feel the changes happening around the planet. Environmental issues have become critical issues to which any person living on Earth should be concerned. Thus, curations like this organized to deliver a significant message have special meanings. Displaying books about organisms and space, going further than the basics, visitors can have more in-depth thinking and reflection on environmental issues.
On top of the books about the environment, the book cafe has various types of books that help readers have the time to look back at themselves and prepare for future life. Also, as there are popular bestsellers, anyone, even those who have yet to be book-friendly, can easily pick one up and read. Meanwhile, there are picture books on the second-floor stairway. Picture books and the cafe filled with low, calm sounds make good harmony. Even those who never knew the charm of picture books will fall in love with them.

 

 

A cultural complex with books

While Chosochaekbang is a cafe, it is also a bookstore and a place to relax. It also serves as a cultural complex rich in diverse cultural elements. Although small, there is space for art displays on the first floor, which sometimes becomes a small gallery. The second floor can also be converted into a meeting area. Cozier and delicately designed, it is more suitable for reading books as it has both regular and low tables. At some point, the sitting area where you can gather around in small groups and share stories transforms into a place for book meetings. So, how about you take a little time to come sit down with book lovers, read books, and share opinions?

 

 

Chosochaekbang is an amazingly charming place blended with Inwangsan Mountain as well as a variety of books, all sorts of desserts, and breathtaking architectural elements. Boasting different charms, the book cafe’s name “Choso” came from the Korean word choso (guard post), as the spot used to be a lookout point in the past to guard the Blue House. You can still find traces of the old guard post in some areas outside the cafe, reminding us of the origin of the name. You can walk up to the second floor wherever you are outside the building as well. In addition, as the four sides are glass walls, you can have the outdoor landscape in your eyes from anywhere you are inside. Such accessibility to the building conveys that this is an open space that anyone can visit. It would be great to take the time to relax in Chosochaekbang - read books in this open shelter for tired city dwellers to rest.

 

Chosochaekbang
Website: https://chosobooks.com/
Contact: +82-2-735-0206
Address: 172, Inwangsan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

 

 

 

 

---

Written by Kim Jeong-Yeon