Riding the Wave of Webtoons and Children's Books... Korean Titles Expand Market Reach in Vietnam and Thailand

MCST to Hold 'Visiting Book Fair' in Hanoi and Bangkok
Twenty Korean Publishers to Consult on Copyright and IP Exports with 90 Local Companies

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is launching the 'Visiting Book Fair' in Vietnam and Thailand to target the Southeast Asian export market for K-Books.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 18th that, together with the Korea Publication Industry Promotion Agency, it will hold a "Traveling Book Fair" at the Grand Vista Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam on the 18th and 19th, and at the Amari Bangkok Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on the 21st and 22nd.

The Ministry announced on the 18th that, together with the Korea Publication Culture Industry Promotion Agency, it will hold the 'Visiting Book Fair' at the Grand Vista Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam on the 18th and 19th, and at the Amari Bangkok Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on the 21st and 22nd.

Twenty domestic publishers, including MiraeN, Urihakgyo, Woongjin ThinkBig, and Hansol Soobook, will participate in the fair and conduct one-on-one export consultations with local publishing companies. For 102 titles from domestic publishers unable to attend in person, copyright agencies will conduct consultations on their behalf.

In Vietnam, 51 companies will participate, including the state-owned children's and youth publisher Kim Dong Publishing House and the practical publisher Alpha Books. In Thailand, 39 companies will take part, including the comprehensive media group Amarin Group and Nanmee Books, which has a local bookstore network. These companies will hold copyright export consultations with Korean publishers and discuss ways to expand cooperation on publishing intellectual property (IP).

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism sees growing demand for Korean books in Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, Korean publishing content is strong in the children’s, educational, and practical book sectors. In Thailand, interest in Korean book IP is increasing due to the popularity of dramas and films based on webtoons and web novels.

The 'Visiting Book Fair' has been promoted since 2015 to develop export markets for K-Books. Last year, 1,045 export consultations were held in five countries—Czech Republic, Poland, Taiwan, the United States, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates—with a total consultation amount of 17.66 million dollars, or approximately 26.1 billion won.

After the event, the Ministry plans to donate the books used in the consultations to local Korean Cultural Centers so that local readers can access Korean books. To help participating companies enter new markets, the Ministry will also host expert seminars on publishing market trends in Vietnam and Thailand.

Starting with this Southeast Asian book fair, the Ministry plans to continue the 'Visiting Book Fair' in Taiwan in July, the United States in September, and Italy in November.

Choi Sunghee, Director of the Content Media Industry Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "Vietnam and Thailand are strategic hubs for K-Books to expand globally," adding, "We will go beyond simple book exports and support the integration of our publishing intellectual property with various industries to create high added value."

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