Seongbuk District Library Receives Praise for Non-Face-to-Face Customized 'Online Live Meeting with Authors'

July 30 'Simple Sincerity' Author Jo Hae-jin Live Broadcast on YouTube... Upcoming Meetings with Authors Kim Bora (August 6), Lee Geum-i (August 13), Kim Cho-yeop (September 12)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Seungro Lee) and Seongbuk-gu Public Library's non-face-to-face customized meetings with authors are receiving positive reviews from residents.

Due to COVID-19 making face-to-face meetings with authors difficult, the use of non-face-to-face real-time live broadcasts is quenching residents' thirst for interaction.

The first YouTube Live meeting with author Haejin Jo on July 30th was attended in real-time by about 400 viewers, reflecting residents' strong interest.

To comply with social distancing, only a small number of residents attended on-site, and all proceedings were conducted through online broadcasts.

The meeting with author Haejin Jo was held in a dialogue format between author Jo and Hansobeom Han, a culture reporter from Hankook Ilbo, lasting about 1 hour and 10 minutes. During the session, real-time reader questions and immediate answers from the author sparked enthusiastic reactions from both online and offline participants.

YouTube online participants encouraged the event by posting comments in real-time chat such as “The author's voice is so warm. It feels like she is speaking right beside me (ID ‘Ti*’)” and “After meeting the author, rereading the book feels like a whole new story (ID ‘Jeon**’)”. Additionally, one participant expressed satisfaction with the online live meeting, saying, “Contrary to expectations of feeling unfamiliar and isolated, the conversation transcended space, easing the regret of not meeting face-to-face and allowing a deeper understanding of the author (ID C****).”

‘2020 Meetings with Authors at Home,’ planned as dialogues between authors of the final candidate books for Seongbuk-gu’s One Book and experts, will continue with author Bora Kim (moderated by novelist Hyunji Cha) at 7 PM on August 6, and author Geumi Lee (moderated by critic Youngjin Yoo) at 7 PM on August 13. On September 12 at 2 PM, a meeting with author Choyeop Kim will be held, hosted by popular book YouTuber Winter Kim (operator of the Winter Bookstore channel).

Seungro Lee, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, stated, “We are preparing various COVID-19 customized cultural programs for Seongbuk residents who are faithfully participating in social distancing for their own and neighbors’ health and safety. We will also strive to provide administration that residents can trust, including psychological quarantine.”

‘2020 Meetings with Authors at Home’ can be accessed through the official YouTube account of the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation, allowing direct communication via real-time comments.

Previously held meetings with authors are also available for replay on the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation’s official YouTube account.

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