Book prices rise for fourth year
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 81,161, increasing 2.7 percent from 79,035 in the previous year.
Original Korean-language publications continue to dominate the market while translated titles saw a decline of 4.2 percent, dropping from 10,711 in 2023 to 10,262 in 2024. Translated books accounted for 16 percent of all new titles, continuing a gradual downward trend observed over the past decade.
Among translated titles, comics (2,652 titles), literature (1,889) and children’s books (1,508) were the most prominent genres. Japanese-language books led the field with 4,492 titles, followed by books translated from the US (2,569), UK (733), China (479), France (418) and Germany (417).
One of the most notable shifts in 2024 came from the philosophy category, which saw the largest year-on-year increase with 485 additional titles — an 18 percent jump. Other areas with significant growth included religion (319 more titles), the arts (254 more titles) and comics (201 more titles). These changes suggest a shift in reader preferences — particularly among younger audiences — toward more reflective, visually rich and culturally diverse content, according to KPA.
In contrast, the technical sciences and study reference categories saw sharp declines, falling by 277 and 192 titles, respectively. The dip reflects a waning demand for traditional academic and exam-focused materials.
The average price of newly released books also rose in 2024, reaching 19,526 won ($14.14), a 4.8 percent increase from the previous year’s 18,633 won. Excluding the comic book category, which had a lower average price of 7,127 won, the average price across other categories climbed to 20,788 won. Book prices have been rising steadily since 2020, when the average price stood at 16,420 won, reflecting an 18.9 percent increase over four years, in line with inflation and rising production costs.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
