Seoul International Book Fair Bustles from Opening Day... Long Lines at 'Slam Dunk' Exclusive Booth

First Book Fair Since Endemic... Programs Sold Out from Day One
530 Companies from 36 Countries... Three Times Larger Than Last Year
Held at COEX Until the 18th

The Seoul International Book Fair, the largest 'book festival' in Korea held for the first time since the endemic phase, opened on the 14th at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The event was bustling with key figures and visitors from the opening day.

Attending the opening ceremony were Park Bo-gyun, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Yoon Cheol-ho, President of the Korea Publishers Association; Karin Fansa, President of the International Publishers Association; Sheikha Badour Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority; author Yann Martel; Kim In-sook; and other domestic and international publishing industry figures. First Lady Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, also attended the ceremony. In her congratulatory speech, Mrs. Kim said, "The power of culture is truly great. Moreover, the power of books forms the foundation of that greatness," adding, "I will also strive to help our books become better known worldwide and lead the global publishing market."

First Lady Kim Keon-hee is delivering a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of the Seoul International Book Fair held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 14th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Held under the theme "Nonhuman, Beyond Human to Human NONHUMAN," this year's event was organized on a large scale as the first event since the endemic phase. The fair featured participation from 530 companies across 36 countries, three times the size of last year's event, which had 195 companies from 15 countries.

The most crowded spot on the first day was the exclusive booth for the Japanese basketball manga "Slam Dunk." Long queues formed even before the opening and later surrounded the booth. According to a representative from Daewon C.I., over 1,000 manga books were sold within an hour of the event opening, generating sales of 6 million KRW. A photo zone featuring life-sized cutouts of the Buk San basketball team from "Slam Dunk" also attracted long lines.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, publisher Gyoyudang brought salt bread from a nearby bakery to offer to visitors, and Munhakdongne held an event to help visitors find their "book of destiny." Gilbut School provided costumes from the bestseller "The Strange Snack Shop Jeoncheon-dang," allowing visitors to wear them and take commemorative photos.

Various themed lectures were also held. The opening lecture was delivered by Professor Choi Jae-chun, Ewha Womans University Chair Professor. In his keynote titled "They Are Watching Us," Professor Choi emphasized, "The landscape of disasters is changing due to climate change and biodiversity loss. The country most affected by COVID-19 was the world's strongest nation, the United States. It is not only developing countries that suffer," adding, "There is no time to hesitate. Disasters could happen as soon as next week, so we must act in any way possible to prevent climate change and protect biodiversity."

In addition, in the afternoon, translators such as Anton Heo held a copyright seminar titled "The Art of Translation Maximizing Language and Emotion," and Yann Martel, Booker Prize winner for "Life of Pi," met visitors under the theme "What Is Human?"

At the Sharjah booth, the guest of honor country, various cultural events introducing Arab culture were held. Marked as the "Spotlight Country" in celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the Canadian booth featured programs from over 30 Canadian publishers.

Until the closing on the 18th, more than 170 programs are scheduled, including events featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen of "The Sympathizer," Korean-American novelist Kim Joo-hye, author of "Beasts of a Little Land," and sociologist Nikolai Schulz.

On the 14th, members of progressive cultural and artistic organizations such as the Korean Writers' Association and Cultural Solidarity protested at the Seoul International Book Fair, which opened at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, against the appointment of novelist Oh Jung-hee, who is involved in the controversy over the creation of a blacklist in the cultural and artistic community, as the 2023 Seoul International Book Fair ambassador.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, before the opening on the same day, a press conference was held criticizing the appointment of novelist Oh Jeong-hee as the book fair's promotional ambassador. Cultural and artistic organizations such as the Korean Writers' Association and Cultural Solidarity strongly criticized Oh for having been a member of the Korea Arts Council linked to the so-called cultural blacklist implemented during the Park Geun-hye administration. Immediately after the press conference, there was a clash with security guards responsible for protecting First Lady Kim Geon-hee while attempting to enter the event venue.

The Korea Publishers Association stated, "The selection of promotional ambassadors has been conducted as an autonomous and independent decision-making process by the Seoul International Book Fair organizing team, gathering diverse opinions, and the association's executives have guaranteed this autonomy and independence to the fullest extent," adding, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had no involvement whatsoever in the selection process of novelist Oh as a promotional ambassador."

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