[2022 National Audit] "Reading Rates Continue to Decline Despite Increased Government Budget"

Last Year's Government-Related Project Settlement Amount 581.1 Billion KRW, Reading Rate 40.7%
Steady Decline Since 2013 "Effective Policy Measures Needed"

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

Although the government and local governments have increased their budgets for promoting reading, the reading rate among the public continues to decline.

According to the analysis of the "2021 Annual Report on Reading Promotion" released on the 4th by Im Oh-kyung, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Democratic Party), the settlement amount for reading promotion projects executed by the government and local governments in 2020 was 425.8 billion KRW. Last year, it increased by about 36.5% compared to the previous year, reaching 581.1 billion KRW.

The number of reading promotion projects by local governments also steadily increased from 3,728 in 2014, 4,417 in 2016, 4,534 in 2018, to 5,688 in 2020. Last year, it rose by 12.3% from the previous year to 6,388 projects.

However, the adult reading rate in South Korea has not escaped a downward trend. According to the "2021 National Reading Status Survey" and others, the adult reading rate (based on paper books) for those aged 19 and older steadily declined from 71.4% in 2013 to 65.3% in 2015, 59.9% in 2017, and 52.1% in 2019. Especially last year, it was only 40.7%.

This level is far below that of major countries worldwide. In the "International Reading Frequency Survey" conducted by Statista, a German statistical research organization, targeting 22,000 people aged 15 and older in seventeen major countries, South Korea ranked the lowest. Only 13% reported reading "almost daily," and 24% read "at least once a week."

Assembly member Im pointed out, "Government policies are not showing effectiveness," and emphasized, "Considering environmental changes such as the increased use of smartphones, effective and substantial reading policies must be established."

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