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Korean publishing sees steady growth in 2024, though translated works continue to decline
South Korea’s publishing industry recorded modest but steady growth in 2024, with 64,306 new titles registered with the Korean Publishers Association — a 2.3 percent increase from the 62,865 titles published in 2023. According to the KPA’s annual report, literature and social sciences remained the most active categories, producing 14,118 and 12,163 titles respectively. The number of active domestic publishing companies registered in the publisher/printer search system reached a record high of 81
May 22, 2025 -
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook to speak at Seoul International Book Fair
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook, renowned for his visually striking and psychologically complex films, will participate in the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair, the annual book fair's organizer announced Wednesday. Park has often drawn inspiration from literature, adapting several novels into screen productions including the HBO series "The Sympathizer" (2024) and the BBC series "The Little Drummer Girl" (2019). During his talk on June 20, titled Park Chan-wook's Literary Anchors, Park will discuss e
May 21, 2025 -
'Silence is dangerous. We must keep talking,' says bilingual novelist Yoko Tawada
Yoko Tawada, a celebrated novelist who writes in both Japanese and German, is skeptical about the use of artificial intelligence in literary translation. “I’ve heard predictions that AI translations will decline in quality year by year,” Tawada said at a press conference in Seoul on Monday. “Since these systems learn from the sentences produced by a wide range of anonymous translators, I believe the proportion of poorly constructed sentences will inevitably increase. In the long term, I don’t th
May 20, 2025 -
Debut picture book on curious cat's adventure wins Italian children's literature prize
Korean author Choi Yeon-ju’s debut picture book "Mo Story," "Gatto Mo e gli amici del bosco" in Italian, has won the Ragazze e Ragazzi at Italy’s Premio Strega, one of the country's most important literary awards. The story follows a curious cat named Mo who sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night and embarks on an unexpected adventure. The jury praised the book as a “sweet, simple and profound fairy tale that takes young readers on a journey of growth and discovery.” The Premio Streg
May 19, 2025 -
‘A village of dust in hindsight was a field of blossoms’
The village I passed, thick with dust, now that I’ve come far, it was a field of peach blossoms These lines, from the poem “Red Dragonfly,” open "All Living Things Are Beautiful," the posthumous poetry collection of Shin Kyung-rim (1936-2024), released to mark the first anniversary of his death. They speak to the realization that a life filled with hardship and dust, once viewed from a distance, was in fact beautiful. At a press conference held Wednesday at Changbi Publishers’ office in Seoul, p
May 15, 2025 -
South Korean sci-fi bestseller inks six-figure film deal with Warner Bros
Cheon Seon-ran’s heartwarming science fiction novel "A Thousand Blues" is headed for the big screen in the US. Hubble, the literary imprint of Seoul-based East-Asia Publishing, said Saturday that it had signed a film adaptation deal with Warner Bros. Pictures, and that the novel is "now on track to meet a global audience on screen." The Hollywood studio behind blockbuster franchises such as Harry Potter and Dune, is said to have been drawn to the novel’s "original and compelling" storytelling. D
May 11, 2025 -
Han Kang's first post-Nobel book tops bestseller list
Nobel literature laureate Han Kang's latest book has topped a local bestseller list upon its release. Major bookstore chain Kyobo Book Center said Friday that the book, titled "Light and Thread," claimed the No. 1 spot on its bestseller list for the last week of April. Han's first publication since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature last year, the book contains a total of 12 writings, including five poems and several new prose pieces. Three of the writings stem from the Nobel Prize in Literat
May 2, 2025 -
Poet Kim Hye-soon elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Acclaimed South Korean poet Kim Hye-soon has been elected as an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Kim was named among eight new members in the Literature section of the Academy's Humanities and Arts division, part of this year's incoming class of 248 new members. The 69-year-old poet is the first Korean writer to be elected to the Academy's literature section. Korean American novelist Lee Chang-rae and poet Choi Don-mee were previously inducted as member
April 28, 2025 -
Kim Young-ha returns with most intimate work yet
Star literary writer Kim Young-ha of “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself,” “Black Flower” and “Diary of a Murderer” has returned with his most “personal” work to date: a memoir-style essay collection titled “One Life Only.” This is Kim's first essay collection in six years, since “Reasons for Travel,” which sold more than 600,000 copies here. Drawn from and heavily revised from his 2024 subscription email newsletter “Young-ha’s Weather” (which can also be interpreted as “Below Freezing”), the co
April 24, 2025 -
Han Kang's latest 'Light and Thread' brings meditative reflections on life while tending small garden
The latest books by Han Kang, last year's Nobel Prize in literature winner, will be released today, her first publication since winning the prize. "Light and Thread" is a collection of meditative essays with five poems that takes its name from her Nobel lecture, delivered Dec. 7 at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. The lecture starts the slim volume. The 172-page collection was available for preorder starting Wednesday and will be released in bookstores beginning Thursday, according to Moonji Pu
April 23, 2025 -
Seoul Outdoor Library opens Wednesday with new programs
Seoul Metropolitan Library will reopen its iconic outdoor reading program, the Seoul Outdoor Library, on Wednesday, marking the start of a new season and celebrating World Book and Copyright Day. The Gwanghwamun Plaza and Cheonggye Stream locations will welcome visitors Wednesday, while the Seoul Plaza library will open May 4. This year, the three outdoor libraries will operate on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The schedule will be split into two phases: the first from April to June and the sec
April 22, 2025 -
Why actor Park Jeong-min became a publisher and put audiobook first
Actor Park Jeong-min has introduced a new initiative as the head of his publishing company Muze, aiming to make literature more accessible to readers with visual impairments. The project, titled the “Listening Novel Project,” launched with the release of Kim Keum-hee’s new full-length novel "First Summer, Wanju" as an audiobook. Departing from the conventional practice of releasing print editions first, the audiobook version was completed and distributed ahead of the print release. On April 4, c
April 18, 2025 -
Han Kang to publish first book since Nobel Prize win
South Korean writer Han Kang is set to release her first new book since receiving the Nobel Prize in literature. The essay collection, titled "Light and Thread," will be published later this month, available in bookstores starting April 24, according to publisher Moonji Publishing. The book takes its title from Han’s Nobel lecture, which she delivered at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm last Dec. 7. Spanning 172 pages, the collection includes around 10 essays and poems, including this Nobel lect
April 17, 2025 -
Han Kang to release first book since Nobel win
South Korean author Han Kang will publish her first book since receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature last December, her publisher said Thursday. The essay collection, titled "Light and Thread," will be released next Thursday by Moonji Publishing Co. It marks the ninth volume in the publisher's ongoing essay series and shares its title with Han's Nobel lecture, delivered in Stockholm, ahead of the award ceremony. The book will feature about 10 pieces, comprising Han's Nobel lecture, previously
April 17, 2025 -
When being solo doesn't mean living alone
More Koreans than ever are living alone — and choosing to stay that way. As this number climbs, so too does the number of books documenting a new way of living — one that doesn’t revolve around marriage, children, or even shared bloodlines. “Aging Solo: How Those Who Chose to Be Alone Grow Older ” by Kim Kyung-hee (Dongasia, 2023) “Two Women Are Living Together: The Birth of an Assembled Family, Neither Alone Nor Married” by Kim Ha-na and Hwang Sun-woo (Storyseller, 2019) “Life as a Two-Woman Ho
April 12, 2025