“Hogwarts Express”... Korea's First ‘Harry Potter’ Audiobook Released

On the 30th, voice actor Jo Kyung-ah is reading the audiobook at the 'Storytel Harry Potter Korean Edition Audiobook Launch Press Conference' held at Orpheo Hannam in Hannam-dong. Storytel released the Korean edition audiobook of the 'Harry Potter' series, in collaboration with the UK-based Pottermore Publishing, on the 30th. Photo by Storytel

“A crimson steam locomotive was waiting at the platform crowded with people. The sign hanging overhead read Hogwarts Express 11 o'clock.”

The Hannam Orpheus Small Theater was filled with the gentle voice of a narrator conveying the story of Harry Potter. It was the moment of unveiling the Harry Potter series audiobook, already widely known to the public through books and movies. In the darkened room, closing one’s eyes and immersing in the Harry Potter story evoked a sensation different from the visual appeal.

The Harry Potter audiobook was released domestically for the first time on the 30th. The global audiobook streaming company Storytel collaborated with Pottermore, the UK-based digital publisher founded by J.K. Rowling, the original author of Harry Potter, for about a year starting from November last year. Until May next year, they plan to release one installment each month covering the entire Harry Potter series, including The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows.

Harry Potter audiobooks have already been released in many countries worldwide and enjoyed great popularity. They were mainly launched in English-speaking countries such as the UK and the US, with the US audiobook being listed in the Guinness World Records for the most listens. This is why the domestic release of the Harry Potter audiobook is drawing attention.

The audiobook was narrated by a single reader. Voice actor Jo Kyung-ah, who participated in dubbing for the British TV drama series Sherlock and the Japanese film Your Name, took on the narration. A self-proclaimed fan of the Harry Potter series, she said, “It wasn’t easy because of the many different characters, but it was equally fresh and enjoyable.”

Park Se-ryeong, head of Storytel Korea, said, “We have previously serviced series of works by author Park Wan-seo and soprano Jo Sumi’s autobiography. However, despite the rise of audiobooks, they hadn’t received much attention because there was no killer content. I thought that to make the content itself interesting, we needed to bring in a familiar IP. We hope Harry Potter will fulfill that role.”

Storytel is a Swedish global audiobook service provider operating in 25 countries and offering services in over 40 languages. It opened its doors in Korea in 2019 as the third Asian market after India and Singapore. As a global company, it strives to discover world-class works and differentiate itself. Domestically, it provides over 50,000 Korean and English audiobooks.

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