VOL.99/2026.10

 

The Meaning Behind Korea’s “Copybook” Craze

The Analog Comeback in a Digital Age

 

2025.05.07

 

The Return of Analog Sensibility with “Text-Hip” Culture

 

Professor Kim Nan-Do, author of the book Trend Korea 2025 (Mirae Books), picked the “appeal of materiality” as one of the consumer trends in Korea this year. It is the power to make people not only appreciate content with their eyes, but also want to touch it physically. This is manifested in the “materialization of content” phenomenon. Kim explains that in the age of immateriality, where everything is digitized, people still crave something they can experience with their hands. This explains the recent craze for “transcription books” in the Korean book and publishing market. It is an era where all information is reduced to images and videos. People exposed to all kinds of digital content are now seeking the pleasure of holding a pen, touching paper, and seeing the contents of a book in handwritten words.
According to YES 24, a large Korean online bookstore, a total of 113 transcription-related titles were published in 2023. In 2024, a total of 181 titles were published, 68 more than the previous year. This is an over 163% increase in sales. This year alone, 126 transcription titles were published from January to April. With less than half of the year having passed, we can see that there have been quite a few transcription books published compared to the past. By age, young readers in their 20s and 40s accounted for 67.7% of all purchases. The reason why young people are buying so many transcription books is related to the so-called “Text-Hip” boom, where writing and reading books are considered “hiphada” (the English word “hip” plus the Korean word “to do (hada),” meaning something fresh and distinctive).
In Korea and globally, short video content such as TikTok, reels, and YouTube shorts are all the rage. People can’t stand a moment of boredom and want to feel intense fun and stimulation in a short time of around 10 seconds. Younger generations who are tired of such content are creating a text-hip culture. For example, users of text-centered platforms such as Naver Blog and Kakao Brunch express their thoughts through long-form, reflective writing. The satisfaction of writing and reading long pieces in the midst of a flood of instant, short-lived content is leading to the purchase of transcription books. In other words, readers who think of reading as a hip culture, consuming print text in their own unique way, are buying transcription books.

 

Transcription books go beyond genres

 

There are many different types of transcription books that are currently popular in Korea. In the past, they were mainly focused on literary books such as novels, poetry, and essays, but now they have expanded to include music, religion, foreign languages, movies, dramas, and other genres. Genres across the culture are being brought back into the print world. Last year, the top-selling transcription book in Korea was One Page a Day: A Transcribing Note for Your Vocabulary (Wisdom House). It has sold more than 200,000 copies to date. The book not only suggests classics from the East and West, but also shows how transcription can effectively improve vocabulary, literacy, and concentration. This is not just a simple transcription book - it is a systematic explanation of the benefits of transcription.

 

* K-Book Trends Vol. 81 ? Go to the article about One Page a Day: A Transcribing Note for Your Vocabulary

 

In second and third place were English transcription books. Successful Leaders’ English Transcription: 100-Day Miracle (NEXUS) and English Transcription: 100-Day Miracle (NEXUS) are both books that help readers find peace of mind and improve their writing skills by transcribing English texts. The book has been highly popular among readers for its practical tutorials.

 

 

Meanwhile, as the political situation in Korea has been turbulent with the imposition of martial law by former President Yoon Seok-Yul, books on law, politics, and society have attracted a lot of attention. One example is the book Constitution Transcribing Note (The Human), published in October last year. The Constitution represents the most fundamental promise of society. Transcribing the main contents of the Constitution, which enshrines basic human rights, makes us realize that we are subjects of a democratic society. It is a process of cultivating a sense of sovereignty and slowly reflecting on the meaning of the world we live in together. The book has been highly popular as it provides a resounding message that true democracy is realized when each citizen feels close to the Constitution. The book President Yoon Seok-Yul’s Impeachment Decision: Transcription Notes (Black Coffee) was also published after the impeachment was declared. Immediately after the impeachment was confirmed, many Korean media outlets commented that the Constitutional Court’s decision was a rare masterpiece written based on the minimum common sense of the Constitution. This book was designed to transcribe the full text of the Constitutional Court’s impeachment decision.
Aside from these books, books such as A Transcription Book For Those Who Want to Write Better Sentences (Big Fish), Transcription Note for Parents Who Want to Say Encouraging Words to Their Child (Sangsang Academy), and Just Write Along, And Your Writing Will Get Better (Build Good Habits Research Institute) were chosen by many readers last year in Korea.

 

 

Earlier this year, the DAY6 Lyrics Transcription Book (Samho ETM), which contains all the lyrics to 97 songs by the popular Korean band DAY6 in one book, made waves upon its release. Within a week of going on pre-sale, the book reached No. 1 in the arts category and No. 18 on the overall bestseller list. The buyers of the book were mainly young people. According to YES24’s analysis of purchases by age, people in their 20s and 30s accounted for 72% of all purchases. Being able to experience the meaning of the songs in a deeper way by handwriting the lyrics was a big hit with fans.
When it comes to music transcription books, other books such as When Life Gives You Tangerines Lyrics Transcription Book (So Music) and Kim Kwang-Seok’s Song Transcription Book (Nexen Media) have been published. When Life Gives You Tangerines Lyrics Transcription Book is a transcription book that allows you to relive the story of the Netflix series, “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” The series has become a worldwide hit, ranking as the third most-watched non-English language TV show on Netflix with 3.7 million views to date. The book contains the lyrics to 70 songs, including the show’s official OST and episode-specific interludes. Each song comes with a QR code to listen to the original song, so you can listen to the music while transcribing. The book is of high interest to fans because they can write down the lyrics of famous songs by hand and relive the memories of the drama.
Kim Kwang-Seok’s Song Transcription Book is a transcription of the songs of legendary Korean singer Kim Kwang-Seok. Kim, who tragically passed away in 1996 at the age of 31, is considered a master singer in Korea. He was loved by all generations as a singer-songwriter, not only because of his vocal talent, but also because of his compositional and lyrical skills. His songs capture the hardships of life, the wounds of love, and yet also the inspiration to rise up and start again. This transcription book is designed to be enjoyed slowly and to savor not only the songs but also the man himself, Kim Kwang-Seok.

 

 

The book, Han Kang Special Edition (Munhakdongne), a collection of novelist Han Kang’s best works, has also been chosen by readers amid the transcription frenzy. This special edition of Han Kang, the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, includes three major works: We Do Not Part (Munhakdongne), The White Book (Munhakdongne), and Black Deer (Munhakdongne). The book comes with a transcription note for readers to try their hand at writing the impressive sentences themselves. With Han Kang’s award, Korean readers were excited to read the Nobel Prize-winning author’s works in the original language for the first time. This transcription book fulfilled their expectations in that it enabled them to write and savor Han Kang’s beautiful poetic sentences.
Religion-related transcription books were also popular. Some examples include Words of Buddha, the First Translation Loved for 2,500 Years: Transcription (Forest Books), Transcription of Hymn Lyrics (Samho ETM), Monk Pomnyun’s Notebook of Lectures on the Heart Sutra (Jungto Publishing), and Transcription Notes: Epistle to the Romans and Hebrews (Coommi). People stressed at school or work were naturally drawn to these transcriptions as they could be comforted by religious messages.

 

 

Transcription, a slow consolation in a fast world

 

Transcription is extremely slow reading. It’s the act of using your whole body to read. It is a prime example of “slow culture,” which is the opposite of “snack culture.” Unlike consuming 10-second bursts of stimulating video content with one hand, transcribing focuses on the sensation of writing each letter. The act of transcribing is imbued with a calm, slow temporality that allows you to reflect on the movement of your hand, the texture of the paper, and the meaning of the book at your own pace.
The recent surge in copybook purchases among Korean readers carries significant meaning. It cannot simply be reduced to a formulaic reaction against the flood of “snack culture.” Korea is currently going through a period of unprecedented political and social conflict and turmoil. The president has been impeached twice, and the country is in a situation of extreme confrontation, confusing difference with wrongness, and defining those with different values as enemies. In such a situation, people may want to find ways to be considerate and respectful of others, even if only through books. It’s as if they want to restore the sense of thought lost in this hectic and dizzying world through transcription. It’s no coincidence that transcription books are expanding beyond literature to include music, religion, foreign languages, and cultural content. The skyrocketing sales of transcription books reflect the will to restore the sense of empathy, communication, coexistence, and mutual growth currently missing among Koreans.

 

 

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Written by Song Seok-Ju (Etoday Cultural Team Reporter)