Publishing Association to Hold Rally on 17th Next Month... "Publishing, the Root of Culture, Driven to the Brink"

A publishing industry rally will be held in front of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Seoul Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 17th of next month.

The Korea Publishers Association pointed out in a press release that the government is reducing various publishing industry supports amid declining sales of basic academic books, stating, "We are preparing a desperate yet lively rally to revive publishing, the root of culture, and prepare for the future with books."

Photo by Yonhap News

The association said, "Publishing is on the brink, but the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is trying to completely cut the budget supporting authors and publishing, such as Sejong Books (general and academic) and Literature Sharing Books (literature)," adding, "The contributions of authors who express themselves through books are being ignored, and plans and budgets supporting authors' activities are also expected to face massive cuts."

They distanced themselves from conflicts with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which is currently conducting an audit over allegations of financial misconduct related to the Seoul International Book Fair. The association stated, "This rally is unrelated to the Ministry's audit of the Seoul International Book Fair or the sharp attacks against the association," and added, "The rally was already reported on June 29."

Earlier, Minister Park Bo-gyun of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced at a meeting on the 24th that the association is under audit for possible financial misconduct, citing omissions in the profit details of the 'Seoul International Book Fair' over the past five years.

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