[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The Korea Publishers Association will hold the country’s largest book festival, the ‘2022 Seoul International Book Fair,’ from next month 1st to 5th. Held at COEX in Samseong-dong, this book fair meets readers under the theme ‘Half a Step,’ which means ‘a small effort to move forward even in difficult situations.’ This year’s ambassadors are novelists Kim Young-ha, Eun Hee-kyung, and Colson Whitehead, with Kim Young-ha and Eun Hee-kyung scheduled to meet readers through on-site lectures at the fair.
This year, Colombia, celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Korea, participates as the guest of honor. Under the theme ‘Colombia: A Creative and Diverse Brotherly Nation,’ over 30 Colombian writers will participate. Various programs such as book talks, book exhibitions, and cultural performances will be showcased.
About 180 publishers will participate through market and book exhibitions. The international pavilion will feature 13 booths from 11 countries, and publishing officials from 12 countries are expected to visit Korea through copyright exchange programs.
Novelist Kim Young-ha, who has consistently received love from readers, will talk with readers on the first day of the fair, next month 1st, under the title ‘Books Are Architecture,’ likening paper books to buildings. Novelist Eun Hee-kyung will address issues of human relationships by viewing others and even herself as strangers through her serial novel ‘The Name of the Rose is Rose’ on June 3rd. Lee Su-ji, the first Korean to receive the Andersen Award, and singer-songwriter Jang Ki-ha, who also published an essay collection, will give lectures on the theme ‘Half a Step’ on the 2nd and 5th, respectively. In addition, numerous authors such as Choi Jae-chun, Jung Yoo-jung, Hwang Jeong-eun, Oh Eun, Hwang In-chan, Kang Hwa-gil, Cheon Seon-ran, Kwak Jae-sik, Jung So-yeon, Jung Ji-don, Lim Sol-ah, Kim Mella, Hwang Sun-woo, Kim Gyeo-ul, Jo Seung-yeon, as well as announcers Kim So-young and Lim Hyun-joo, voice actors Kang Soo-jin, Shim Kyu-hyuk, Jeon Hae-ri, and others from various fields will meet readers with diverse programs at the Seoul International Book Fair.
As this is a book fair after the pandemic, overseas writers and speakers from around the world will also visit the Seoul International Book Fair. Herv? Le Tellier, winner of the French Goncourt Literary Prize, will give a lecture on the possibility of novels in the OTT era centered on his million-seller book ‘Anomaly’ on the 5th. Also, representatives from France’s Shakespeare and Company and Portugal’s Lello Bookstore, beloved by travelers worldwide, will visit Korea and hold a ‘World Bookstore Dialogue’ on the 2nd.
Additionally, the global issue conference program, which involves publishers from around the world, includes dialogues with famous book fair representatives such as J?rgen Boos, director of the Frankfurt Book Fair. Furthermore, various authors including Mary Norris, managing editor of the American weekly ‘The New Yorker,’ Colombian novelist Miguel Rocha, and graphic novel artist Oscar Pantoja will visit Korea and give lectures.
In the themed exhibition space embodying the book fair’s theme ‘Half a Step,’ visitors can see 10 brands that have taken courageous ‘half steps’ breaking the world’s stereotypes, along with a book curation of 600 volumes conveying the message of ‘Half a Step.’ The exhibition ‘BBDK (Best Book Design of Korea),’ showcasing 30 beautiful books selected as ‘The Most Beautiful Books in Korea’ from 2020 to 2022, and the archive exhibition ‘Books After Books,’ which surveys domestic digital book culture, are also prepared.
Twenty new books will be unveiled through ‘Summer, First Book’ and the recovered book series ‘Again, This Book,’ published to coincide with the opening of the book fair. The ‘Limited Edition,’ which is compiled every year with various authors’ writings under a new theme as a gift to readers, will be produced as a single book containing five poems and five novels. This year’s ‘Limited Edition’ includes poets Kim Bok-hee, Kim So-yeon, Moon Tae-jun, Oh Eun, Joo Min-hyun, and novelists Kim Yeon-su, Kim Yi-seol, Lee Seung-woo, Jo Kyung-ran, and Pyun Hye-young.
Tickets for the 2022 Seoul International Book Fair can be purchased at a 30% discount through advance reservations until the 31st. During the fair, admission is only possible through on-site purchase. Lecture programs held at the book fair can be checked and reserved on the book fair’s official website.
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