Supporting the Global Expansion of K-Books: Culture Ministry Launches Full-Scale International Support Project

72 Publishers and Agencies Participate
278 Books Proposed; 20 Project Plans Selected

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will officially launch the "K-Book Global 100" project, a systematic initiative to support the overseas expansion of Korean books. As the first step, 20 project proposals have been selected to receive support for entering international markets, with comprehensive assistance provided at each stage, from translation and copyright consultation to overseas publication and local marketing.

On April 15, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it had finalized 20 project proposals as recipients of support in the "K-Book Global 100 Project," which is being promoted in partnership with the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea.

This project was established to broaden the export markets and genres of Korean books in line with the global spread of K-content. The ministry plans to invest an annual budget of 1 billion won over five years to identify and support 100 representative books.

This call for proposals attracted participation from 72 publishers and agencies, who submitted a total of 278 books. The Ministry conducted a comprehensive evaluation based on the completeness of planning, marketability, content competitiveness, and international collaboration capabilities, ultimately selecting 20 proposals encompassing a total of 90 books.

The selected proposals span a wide variety of genres, including literature, children’s and youth books, history, genre fiction, educational content, and graphic novels. Notable selections include Literature & Books' "K-Literature Expanding to the Screen: Five Book-to-Film Picks," Safe House's "Korean Fantasy Literature Expansion Project," Ahn Graphics' "Korean Natural Aesthetics Planning," and White Rabbit Press's "Traditional Story Reinterpretation Project."

The selected projects will sign agreements by May and move into full-scale support. Tailored consulting, opportunities to participate in international book fairs, and export consultations will be provided. A dedicated promotional booth will also be operated at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany. After the books are translated and published, local promotional activities targeting readers in each market will continue.

Kim Jaehyun, Director General of the Cultural Media Industry Office at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "Through this integrated support project, we hope to expand export markets and genres and achieve tangible results. We will continue to support competitive books so they can establish a stable presence abroad and help Korean publishing create a new trend in the global market."

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