Gwangju City to Hold 'Library Culture Square' at City Hall on July 5

City Libraries and Office of Education Host Library Festival
Enriched with Lectures by Renowned Authors and Experience Booths

Poster for the 13th Library Culture Festival. Provided by Gwangju City

The "Library Culture Madang," Gwangju's representative library festival now in its 13th year, will be held this year.

The Gwangju City Libraries (Mudeung, Sajik, Sansu) and the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education will host the "13th Library Culture Madang" at City Hall on the 5th of next month from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. A total of 56 organizations, including local public libraries, small libraries, university libraries, braille libraries, reading groups, local bookstores, and publishers, will participate together.

This year's festival theme is "Literature is Coming." It celebrates the Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to author Han Kang and aims to be a festival enjoyed by all literature lovers.

The event will feature a variety of content, including lectures by bestselling authors, magic performances, a reading lounge where visitors can read Nobel Prize-winning works such as those by Han Kang, a book market selling book-related goods, and reading culture experiences such as making bookmarks.

In the Citizen Hall on the first floor of City Hall, there will be an exhibition of handwritten copies of Han Kang's works by 518 Gwangju citizens, as well as lectures by renowned authors. The handwriting exhibition will be open for viewing from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nearby, there will be a "Literature is Coming" photo zone where an AI robot will take photos.

From 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., there will be a special lecture by Ko Myunghwan, a former comedian and bestselling author of books such as "The Classics Answered: On the Life We Ought to Live." Ko will talk about reading methods for a self-directed life.

This will be followed by a lecture from Lee Jieun, a picture book author beloved by young readers. Lee has published various picture books such as "Chuchuchu" and "Legend of a Friend," and has received the prestigious Bologna Ragazzi Award in children's literature. She will discuss the creative process of her works and the worldview of her characters.

In the outdoor plaza at City Hall, there will be a variety of content offering entertainment, activities, and relaxation. The "Batman Magic and Bubble Show," which captivates children, will be held twice: from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

A reading space featuring Nobel Prize-winning works will also be available. Visitors can enjoy works by Han Kang as well as various other Nobel laureates. Indian tents and beanbags will be provided for comfortable reading and relaxation. From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., there will also be a reading discussion session to share thoughts on Han Kang's "The Boy is Coming."

A reading playground will be set up where visitors can enjoy various traditional and outdoor games. Activities include Tuho (arrow-throwing), ring toss, Jegichagi (Korean shuttlecock game), and traditional games featured in the drama "Squid Game." In addition, there will be a variety of experiential activities such as sports stacking and mini trampolines to attract children. For more details, visit the website of Gwangju's main library.

Song Kyunghee, Director of Gwangju City Libraries, said on the 31st, "Through the Library Culture Madang event, we hope to share the joy of reading with citizens and provide an opportunity for libraries to become even closer to the community. We hope many citizens will visit City Hall to spend a joyful and relaxing day with books."

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