Hwaseong Selects 18 Books for “2026 Citizens' Book Club”... Kicks Off Reading Relay

Four Themes Selected: AI, Environment, Urban Development, and Culture & Arts
Citizen Voting for Book Review Contest Titles Open Until April 15
Abundant Citizen Participation Events, Including the "One-Line Book Review Relay," Scheduled Through September

Hwaseong Special City in Gyeonggi Province announced on April 1 that it has finalized the selection of 18 books for the “2026 Hwaseong Special City Citizens' Book Club” project and has officially launched a citywide reading campaign.

2026 Hwaseong Special City Citizens’ Book Club Guide Poster. Provided by Hwaseong City

The “Hwaseong Special City Citizens' Book Club” is Hwaseong City’s flagship reading promotion initiative, designed to encourage citizens to read the same books, communicate, and share the future values of the local community.

This year, books were selected through recommendations from external experts and internal reviews by a committee of librarians, focusing on four main themes: artificial intelligence (AI), environment, urban development, and culture & arts. A total of 18 books were chosen, covering three categories: adults (including youth), teenagers, and children.

Meanwhile, from April 1 to September 30, the city will hold a “One-Line Book Review Relay” event. Citizens can read the selected books, leave a one-line review, and share their reading experiences with others. In addition, the city plans to expand citizen participation in reading through various related programs, such as author meet-and-greet events and a book review contest.

In particular, a citizen vote will be held from April 1 to 15 to select the designated books for the 2026 book review contest. Through this vote, six final books (including two for children) will be chosen from the 18 titles of the “Hwaseong Special City Citizens' Book Club.” The book review contest is scheduled to run from May to June 2026.

Yoon Miyoung, Head of Library Policy Division, stated, “The process of citizens participating directly to read together and share their opinions is itself an important foundation for building the future of Hwaseong Special City,” adding, “We hope for the interest and participation of many citizens.”

The books selected for the “2026 Hwaseong Special City Citizens' Book Club” will be available in all sections of the Hwaseong City Library during April.

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