[Chungmuro Book Cafe] Answering Beginner Investors' Questions and Bringing Laughter to Homebodies

"Top 77 Most Asked Questions by Stock Market Beginners"
Rapidly Gaining Popularity as a Stock Investment Beginner's Guide
Novels, Comics, and Essays Also Popular During the Short Holiday

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Amid the unrelenting enthusiasm for stock investment, books related to stocks continue to dominate the top ranks of bestsellers in domestic bookstores. However, with the Lunar New Year and the March 1st holiday period, the popularity of novels, essays, and comics has increased, and books related to the ‘post-COVID’ era are also gaining attention due to the impact of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Asia Economy Newspaper selected the bestsellers based on book sales from the 24th of last month to the 3rd of this month. The rankings were compiled by referencing sales rankings from major online and offline bookstores such as Kyobo Bookstore, Interpark, and Yes24, combined with ratings from Asia Economy reporters for a comprehensive ranking.

The hottest book was “The Top 77 Most Asked Questions by Stock Beginners,” which ranked first in two bookstores. This book also held the top spot in the bestseller list compiled by this newspaper at the end of January. It is a beginner’s guide to stock investment delivered by Seunghwan Yeom, head of eBest Investment & Securities.

Another stock investment-related book, “My First Investment Lessons 1 & 2,” newly entered the rankings and quickly took third place. Jeonghwan Kim, a famous domestic super individual investor and CEO of K-Gonggan, compiled the investment secrets he has shared with his only daughter into these two books. Although not included in this top 10, investment and asset management books such as “Stock Investment Follow-Along” and “The Scenario of Money” remain popular. Notably, the popularity of literature such as novels and essays has increased. This seems to be due to the government’s extension of social distancing measures, which increased demand as more people stayed home during the extended holiday period.

The novel “Dollar Gut Dream Department Store,” which ranked second, has sold over 300,000 copies since its publication in July last year and remains popular. The author, Imiye Lee, who graduated from Pusan National University’s Department of Materials Engineering, worked as a semiconductor engineer at Samsung Electronics before resigning and writing “Dollar Gut Dream Department Store.” She has no formal writing education but collected ideas that came to her during her commute. She carefully considered why certain dramas or novels succeeded. The novel “Pachinko 1 & 2” by Korean-American author Min Jin Lee ranked tenth.

The essay collection “Even if It’s a Grain of Sand Truth,” published this year to mark the 10th anniversary of author Wan-seo Park’s passing, ranked ninth. It compiles 35 selected essays out of over 660 essays Park wrote during her lifetime. Readers can encounter Park Wan-seo as a child, mother, grandmother, and writer.

Comics and illustrations also ranked high. “Common Siblings 7,” ranked sixth, is currently enjoying the highest popularity in the children’s and elementary school book market. “Common Siblings” is a YouTube content featuring episodes between siblings Han Eutteum and Jang Daun, comedians from SBS’s “Gag Concert.” It has 2.14 million subscribers.

“Dungeon & Fighter 15th Anniversary Artbook,” ranked seventh, sold out its initial 5,000 copies within a day of pre-order on the 26th of last month. This is the fourth official artbook covering sketches, pixel art, and illustrations from the early development to the present of Nexon’s popular online game “Dungeon & Fighter.”

Ranked fourth was “The Great Reset 2030,” written by world-renowned management scholar Mauro Guillen of the Wharton School. The book looks at eight major waves that will create new wealth and power by 2030 amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Interest in the post-COVID era is growing domestically as COVID-19 vaccinations began on the 26th of last month.

“The Tyranny of Merit,” written by Michael Sandel, ranked eighth. It criticizes the widespread “meritocracy” in modern society and how it exacerbates social inequality. The author points out that wealthy and prestigious people often fall into the illusion that their success is moral and fair, while it may actually be due to family background, environment, or even luck.

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