Local Bookstores: "We Couldn't Sell Hangang Books Because Kyobo Bookstore Didn't Supply Them"

No Han River Books Supplied Anywhere Until Morning of 17th
Kyobo Bookstore "Small Quantity Supply Started from 15th"

Works by author Han Kang displayed at Kyobo Bookstore Gwanghwamun branch. Photo by Yonhap News

Following novelist Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature win, a 'Han Kang reading' craze has erupted, but allegations have surfaced that Kyobo Book Centre did not supply Han Kang's books to local bookstores for its own profit.

The Korea Federation of Bookstores Associations issued a press release on the 17th, claiming that Kyobo Book Centre did not properly supply Han Kang's novels. Kyobo Book Centre is both a retailer competing with local bookstores and a supplier providing books to bookstores. There are only three to four so-called 'nationwide supply distributors' that supply books nationwide, including Woongjin Booksen, Kyobo Book Centre, and the Korea Publishing Cooperative. However, there are many 'supply distributors' that supply books regionally.

The bookstore association claimed that on the 10th, the day Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature, Kyobo Book Centre blocked orders through its distribution service that bookstores could place.

Photo by Korea Federation of Bookstore Associations

Additionally, on the evening of the 14th, Kyobo Book Centre posted a notice stating that from the 15th, orders for Han Kang's books would be limited to 10 copies per title, but it did not adhere to this policy.

According to the bookstore association, among local bookstores trading with Kyobo Book Centre, not a single one had received Han Kang's books by the morning of the 17th. In contrast, local bookstores that had contracts with other wholesalers besides Kyobo were able to receive supplies normally starting from the 15th.

The bookstore association criticized, "We firmly believed that Kyobo Life Insurance, not only a national education company but also a large corporation ranked third in the industry, would not engage in tyranny or unfair trade practices. However, Kyobo Book Centre, intoxicated by the long-awaited boon in the publishing industry, ultimately ignored local bookstores out of greed."

Kyobo Book Centre reportedly sold 402,000 copies of Han Kang's books (paperbacks) from the night of the 10th, immediately after the Nobel Prize announcement, until 5 p.m. on the day of the report.

In response to the bookstore association's claims, Kyobo Book Centre stated, "Our company has also faced difficulties in supply and demand across both online and offline channels, but like other wholesalers, we have been supplying Han Kang's books to more than 300 local bookstores since the 15th. However, the quantity was likely insufficient from the bookstores' perspective." They added, "Despite the ongoing shortage, from a spirit of coexistence, we plan to adjust and increase the supply of Han Kang's books to local bookstores so they can also share in the joy of Han Kang's Nobel Prize win."

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