Nowon-gu, Recruiting Participants for Reading Community Book Club

Promoting Social Reading Activities to Create a 'Book-Reading Cultural City'
Activity Funds of 500,000 KRW Each for 30 Reading Communities of Four or More Members...
Applications Accepted Until the 19th...
Meet-the-Author Events, Capacity-Building Education, and Experiential Programs Also Offered

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it is recruiting participants for the 2025 'Chaekmomo (Gathering through Books)' project, a reading community support program for residents.

The aim is to foster a social reading community that expands the foundation of discussion and empathy beyond individual reasons through reading.

If four or more people residing in or living within the Nowon-gu area form a reading community, each of the 30 selected communities will receive 500,000 KRW as activity funds. The entire subsidy can be used for book purchases, and if necessary, up to 10% (50,000 KRW) can be used for office supplies. In addition to the subsidy, the use of library spaces for meetings will be given priority.

However, the district ensures that the Chaekmomo project goes beyond simple cash support for book purchases and promotes various activities to build a sustainable reading ecosystem. During the selection process, clubs with sustainable activity themes, plans reflecting local cultural characteristics, and original activities will be given preference.

Selected clubs are also required to participate in community management education, communication, experiential, and advanced activities hosted by Nowon-gu libraries as mandatory activities.

Last year, as part of club collaboration planning, two meetings with authors and two experiential programs called ‘Chadamchadam’ were held, and six sessions of reading facilitator training (for reading club leaders) were conducted to strengthen the capacity of reading communities.

Applications for Chaekmomo participation are accepted from March 4 to 19 via email with the required documents, including the project plan, posted on the Nowon-gu public library website. After the results are announced on May 9, orientation and community management education will begin for the selected communities, and the project will run until the end of October. After each community’s activities conclude, a ‘Exchange Forum (Review Meeting)’ will be held to share activities and explore directions for continuous development.

Eligibility includes reading communities formed at workplaces or schools, as well as newly formed reading communities based in Nowon. Groups primarily composed of children or adolescents are recognized if an adult resident of Nowon-gu acts as the representative. Even if members from other regions are included, if the majority are Nowon-gu residents, the group can apply with a Nowon-gu resident as the representative. However, groups composed solely of family members or those formed for vocational training, special subjects, or certification purposes are excluded according to the project’s intent.

The district continues efforts to expand the potential of books beyond personal activities into social cultural activities. The ‘Nowon-gu One Book Reading’ campaign, ongoing for over 10 years, is a representative example. Residents select one book to read, discuss, and experience together. Reading communities selected for Chaekmomo are required to include at least one copy of the ‘Nowon-gu One Book’ among their book purchase expenses.

Additionally, starting with the reopening of Wolgye Cultural Library in February, the district is continuously expanding infrastructure to transform libraries into ‘Life-raries (Life + Library),’ the center of living culture. While multiple library infrastructures within a 10-minute walk are being developed simultaneously, a recent memorandum of understanding for library exchange cooperation was signed with Inje-gun at the “Inje Miracle Library.”

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “It is often said that books make people, and I believe that discussions where many people read and share empathy create a healthy society. We will spare no support to make reading a daily habit and culture in Nowon.”

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