Gangdong-gu to Spend 950 Million Won This Year Supporting Book Purchases at Local Bookstores

Libraries, Schools, and Public Institutions Join Effort, Spending 3.6 Billion Won Over 5 Years (2015-2019) to Support Local Bookstores

Small library (Jihyeui Saem) established in the 2nd office building of Gangdong-gu Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) is supporting the purchase of books worth approximately 950 million KRW to help local bookstores, which are losing their place due to large and online bookstores.

The win-win relationship between Gangdong-gu and local bookstores has continued for six years. The district has signed a priority book purchase agreement with the "People-Beautiful Local Bookstore Cooperative," established by 11 local bookstores, to open sales channels. The cooperative actively participates in local events to promote a reading culture and practices donations to return profits to society, creating a win-win relay.

Since starting with book purchases worth 240 million KRW in 2015, the year the cooperative was established, the district has supported book purchases totaling about 3.6 billion KRW over the past five years.

Thanks to the steady increase in support funds, the distribution capacity of local bookstores has improved, helping to alleviate management difficulties.

Currently, more than 90% of schools, libraries, and public institutions in the area have signed book purchase contracts with the local bookstore cooperative. Gangdong-gu announced its goal to purchase books worth 950 million KRW this year.

The cooperative contributed to creating a reading culture by participating in events such as the Gangdong Prehistoric Culture Festival last year and donated 10 million KRW to the "Gangdong Scholarship Fund," which supports local high school students, helping to build a "Happier Gangdong Together."

Kim Dong-seok, chairman of the local bookstore cooperative, said, "When we were on the verge of closure, we sought self-sustaining measures with the district office and established the cooperative. We are grateful for the opportunity to pioneer a new path and will continue to work hard to expand the base of the local reading culture."

Lee Jeong-hoon, mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, "Local bookstores are not just places that sell books but serve as a catalyst for regional cultural development. We will strengthen cooperation to revitalize the local economy and culture through win-win relationships with local bookstores."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.