Korea Participates as Guest of Honor at 2020 Taipei International Book Exhibition

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] South Korea will participate as the guest of honor at the 2020 Taipei International Book Exhibition, held from July 4 to 9 at the Taipei World Trade Center in Taiwan.

The Korea Publishers Association (KPA) will operate South Korea's guest of honor pavilion with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Publication Industry Promotion Agency, and in cooperation with the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.

The Taipei International Book Exhibition, which began as a biennial event in 1987 and has been held annually since 1998, is one of Asia's major international book fairs. Last year, 735 companies from 52 countries participated, attracting approximately 580,000 visitors. The theme for the 2020 exhibition is "New Horizons of Reading."

This year, the South Korean guest of honor pavilion operated by the KPA will cover an area of 414㎡ with 46 stands. The guest of honor program, under the theme "K-Style," will introduce various aspects of Korean culture centered around books. It will showcase cultural exchanges based on shared political and social experiences between the two countries, as well as recent interests such as human rights and feminism, through the medium of books.

The guest of honor program is broadly divided into special book exhibitions, author events and literary lectures, cultural events, and other book fair-hosted activities.

The special book exhibition, consisting of four categories, will display a total of 85 books including "Korean Book Trends K-Style" (25 titles), "Comics and Webtoons" (25 titles), "Picture Books" (25 titles), and "Taiwanese Books in Korea" (10 titles).

Additionally, prominent Korean authors Kim Young-ha, Cho Nam-joo, Choi Eun-young, Son Won-pyung, and Park Jun will participate in literary events to meet Taiwanese readers and engage in dialogues with Taiwanese authors.

A total of 29 Korean publishers and agencies will operate promotional booths, including Gilbut, Darakwon, Dasan Books, Daewon C.I., Magazine B, Munhakdongne, Borim Publishing, Polar Bear, Book21, Bookchat, Social Criticism, Somi Media, Sowonnamu, Sigongsa, Son and Daughter, Espresso Book, Yerimdang, Eunhaengnamu, Jangwon Education, Changbi, Cheonjae Education, Choice Maker Korea, Key Publishers, Hanbit Publishing Network, Eric Yang Agency, Agency Ryang, Yeonah International, Carat Korea, and RH Korea. Additionally, 15 companies' consigned books will also be exhibited.