'Achieving North Curator Training, Revitalization of Local Bookstores, and Expansion of IP Exports'... Five-Year Plan for Publishing Culture Industry Promotion

On the 6th, as the heatwave rages, citizens are cooling off at Kyobo Bookstore Gwanghwamun Branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] ‘Revitalization of local bookstores, training of book curators, support for expanding IP utilization’

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced a plan to promote the publishing culture industry (2022~2026) based on the above contents. The slogan is ‘K-Culture made through books, a culturally attractive country growing through publishing.’

The five-year plan focuses on ▲expanding domestic and international demand for the growth of publishing as an industry and the publishing market ▲revitalization of regional publishing and local bookstores ▲highlighting the value of books as original content ▲expansion and utilization of publishing intellectual property rights (IP).

First, efforts will be concentrated on revitalizing bookstores. In areas where bookstores are disappearing, ‘small bookstores’ in the form of pop-up stores will be operated on a pilot basis. In addition, regional publishing will be promoted by expanding the ‘Book Culture Center’ (a hub for production, distribution, and consumption of regional publications and a cooperative platform for local publishers and bookstores), which was established starting in 2019 in Gangneung, to other regions.

Support for overseas exports will also be strengthened. A ‘Special Publishing Exchange Exhibition’ for mutual growth among Korea, China, and Japan will be held, and an ‘International Children’s Book Fair’ or ‘Picture Book Award System’ utilizing children’s books and picture books with high export competitiveness will be prepared. Domestically, a counseling program for small and medium-sized publishers will be established, and an integrated export support system will be built by activating the representative platform ‘K-Book.’

A new training program for ‘book curators’ who support book selection and customized cultural activities considering the characteristics of each local bookstore will also be launched. In particular, customized book recommendations and distribution will be promoted for the elderly and multicultural families who are culturally vulnerable.

Support will also be provided to expand the utilization of publishing intellectual property rights (IP). Considering the expansion of the web novel market and the possibility of extending to other fields, a customized curriculum for web novels and publishing IP will be prepared. In addition, the startup incubation center, which provides education, counseling, and infrastructure needed by companies in the early stages of publishing startups, will be strengthened.

A policy official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, “‘Books’ are core content that have been with humanity for a long time,” and added, “We will thoroughly implement this publishing culture industry promotion plan, which covers demand, distribution, startups, and policies, and provide multifaceted support so that the publishing industry can become a core industry that is the source of the cultural industry and leads a culturally prosperous nation.”

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