[News Terms] The 'Textheap' Reading Certification Craze: Will It Lead to the Hangang Syndrome?

Online Verification of Books or Reading Photos
Publishing Industry, a Rare Blessing Alongside the Han River Nobel Prize
Text Hip Trend Sparks Debate Over 'Intellectual Vanity'

On the 10th (Korean time), news of Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature sparked a strong trend of 'Text Hip.' 'Text Hip' is a neologism combining Text and Hip, referring to the act of taking photos of the book one is reading or oneself reading a book and posting them on social networking services (SNS) as proof. People read books together through reading clubs, share reviews, and post hashtags such as #TextHip, #Bookstagram, #Chaekstagram, and #CompleteReading on SNS platforms including Instagram.

Nobel Prize in Literature winner author Han Kang [Photo by Yonhap News]

The publishing industry is experiencing an unprecedented boom. Books by Han Kang (54) or books mentioned by him are selling like hotcakes. Large bookstores, including Kyobo Bookstore, are making every effort to secure book supplies. Printing and binding companies are also rejoicing. To meet the flood of orders, they are running printing machines day and night. Most employees are giving up their weekend days off to work on printing.

Due to the complete sell-out streak of Han Kang's works, several bookstores have faced shortages where they cannot sell the books. As a result, some people are reselling used books at a premium or even participating in early morning opening runs to purchase Han Kang's books. This 'Han Kang syndrome' has even led to the author's father, Han Seung-won (85), having a book sales stand set up in bookstores. The publishing industry estimates that sales of Han Kang's works have increased about 450 times since winning the Nobel Prize.

Instagram Reading Verification Post [Photo by Instagram]

Until just before the Nobel announcement, the publishing industry was experiencing an unprecedented slump. Due to the spread of digital devices such as smartphones, books have been overshadowed by the internet and video media, creating an atmosphere where people buy and read fewer books.

According to the '2023 National Reading Survey' released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in April, the overall reading rate has plummeted over the past 10 years (2013?2023), hitting a record low of 43% last year. The overall reading rate refers to the percentage of people who have read at least one paper book, e-book, or audiobook in the past year. For paper books, the annual reading volume for adults is 1.7 books, annual book purchases are 1 book, and annual book purchase expenses are 18,000 KRW. Therefore, the Text Hip trend was like a rain shower in a drought for the publishing industry.

On the morning of the 13th, a weekend day, citizens are waiting for the opening of Kyobo Bookstore Gwanghwamun branch.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Some argue that the 'Text Hip' trend is merely a temporary phenomenon. They claim it is just a means of self-display by so-called 'insiders' and stems from 'intellectual vanity.' There is also analysis that the trend spread partly because some celebrities enjoyed an image boost through reading certification. Whether this will actually lead to increased book sales or reading rates remains uncertain.

On the other hand, there is a view that intellectual vanity should not be seen only negatively. Film critic Lee Dong-jin's past interview with the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, where he spoke about intellectual vanity, has recently resonated positively with netizens regarding the Text Hip trend. Lee Dong-jin said, “Without vanity, one cannot culturally leap to the next stage,” and “People without vanity forever close the door to a particular cultural perspective, a new window to see the world.”

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