The Culture Ministry plans to push ahead with a policy to support the export of books for young readers to build momentum for a Korean wave in publishing, its minister said Friday.

In a meeting with local publishers of children’s books, Minister Choe Kwang-shik asked the publishers to play a role as the main driver of hallyu in the publishing field and promised the government would seek positive ways to support the export of children’s books.

According to the ministry, children’s books have the most competitive edge for export among all South Korean book genres.

Local picture books for children won prestigious BolognaRagazzi Awards for the first time in 2004 and have won categories or honorable mention for four consecutive years since 2009.

Of the 5,713 Korean book titles sold overseas in the three years since 2009, 2,518, or 48.7 percent, were children’s books.

Last month South Korea opened a Korean Pavilion at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, from March 19 through 22.

About 700 children’s books submitted by 26 local publishing companies were displayed in the Korean Pavilion at the Bologna Fair Center.

Among the books displayed was “Grimmie’s White Canvas” by Sang Publishing in Seoul, a winner in the Opera Prima section of this year’s BolognaRagazzi Award. The category is devoted to the works of new authors and illustrators, according to the book fair’s website. 

(Yonhap News)