[Chungmuro Book Cafe] Decline in Stock Market Books... New Semester Sees Popularity of 'Children's' and Election Season 'Political Books'

"The Most Wanted Knowledge for Beginner Investors..."
Top Spot Held Since Late January
Yielded to "Dollargut Dream Department Store"
Investment Fever Cools Down

4 of Top 10 Economic Books
Readers Still Interested in Financial Planning

With Seoul and Busan Mayoral By-Elections Approaching
Political Books Like "The Birth of Tragedy" Also Popular

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The popularity of stock-related books, which had firmly held the top spot since the beginning of this year, is gradually waning. On the other hand, novels and children's books are gaining new popularity due to the increase in people staying at home amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the start of the school semester. As the April 7 by-elections approach, the rankings of political books have also surged sharply.

Asia Economy selected bestsellers based on book sales from the 17th to the 24th. The rankings were compiled by referencing sales rankings from major online and offline bookstores such as Kyobo Bookstore, Interpark, and Yes24, combined with ratings from Asia Economy reporters to create a comprehensive ranking.

The first place was taken by "The Dollar Gut Dream Department Store," which has consistently held a top 3 position this year. It ranked first in one bookstore and second in two others. "The Dollar Gut Dream Department Store" also topped the bestseller list compiled by this publication in early January. Despite bookstores being dominated by stock and finance-related books around the year-end and New Year, it remains one of the few non-economic titles maintaining a high rank.

"Top 77 Most Asked Questions by Stock Beginners," which had steadily held first place from late January until recently, dropped to third place. This is presumed to be due to a temporary cooling off of the stock investment craze that had been heating up for a while.

However, interest in finance and management remains strong, with four economic and business books included in the top 10. The world's best-selling economic and business book, "Rich Dad Poor Dad," released a special 20th-anniversary edition this time. It includes 41 new comments and an additional 500 pages reflecting recent economic trends. "The Great Shift of 2030," which predicts paradigm changes in global population, society, economy, and technology by 2030, ranked fifth.

The book on housing taxes, "Housing and Taxes," ranked ninth. The title sounds like something seen only in university economics classes. However, the book was jointly published by the National Tax Service and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. It is gaining popularity as the recent housing tax system has become so complex that even tax accountants are confused. It explains real estate tax calculations and deduction items in an easy-to-understand manner. In particular, it details changes effective from June 1, such as capital gains tax exemptions and reductions, and comprehensive real estate tax exclusions for rental housing. Released on the 4th, it sold over 10,000 copies in just 20 days. Due to its soaring popularity, the National Tax Service is planning additional print runs.

With the new school semester starting, children's books are also gaining attention. "Heunhan Nam-mae 7," which first appeared at sixth place in last month's bestseller list, jumped to second place this time. "Heunhan Nam-mae" is a YouTube content series featuring episodes between siblings created by comedians Han Eutteum and Jang Daun. The YouTube channel has 2.14 million subscribers. The "Heunhan Nam-mae" comic book series has held the top spot in the children's book market since last year. "Seol Minseok's Korean History Adventure 16," by star lecturer Seol Minseok, who halted broadcasting activities amid plagiarism allegations on his master's thesis, newly entered the rankings at eighth place.

As the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-election day approaches, attention to political books has increased. "The Birth of Tragedy," written by OhmyNews reporter Son Byungkwan, ranked fourth and was the most popular among recently published political books. The author, who was a reporter covering Seoul City Hall during the tenure of the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, included voices from current and former officials working in the Seoul Mayor's office from 2015 to 2020. Some critics argue that "The Birth of Tragedy" causes secondary harm related to the sexual harassment case of former Mayor Park. However, the author denies that the book denies Park's sexual harassment, claiming it was written to objectively understand the truth due to the lack of substantial evidence to define the victim as a victim.

Although not included in this publication's comprehensive ranking, "Kim Eo-jun is Worse than Choi Soon-sil" is the only political book, aside from "The Birth of Tragedy," to enter the top 10 in three bookstores. Author Choi In-ho, who has translated major Marxist works, says, "I wrote this book to end Kim Eo-jun fascism." The author points out that since the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in government, a fascist phenomenon has intensified in online spaces where large groups of citizens intimidate and brainwash fellow citizens. He argues that broadcaster Kim Eo-jun exerts considerable influence behind this phenomenon, providing examples to support his claim.

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