Gijang-gun Selects This Year’s Book: <i>Taegu-neun Iutdeuri Gunggeumhada</i>

Voting for Residents, Various Reading Culture Events Prepared

Busan Gijang-gun (Governor Jeong Jong-bok) announced on the 13th that it has selected "Taegu is Curious About Neighbors" (written by Lee Seon-ju) as Gijang-gun's Book of the Year for 2024.

Now in its 7th year, the "Gijang-gun Book of the Year" is a representative reading culture promotion campaign by the Gijang-gun Public Library. It was launched to create a consensus and foster a reading atmosphere by having residents directly select the book.

In April, the county conducted an online and offline vote involving residents on three candidate books for this year's selection, ultimately choosing Lee Seon-ju's "Taegu is Curious About Neighbors."

This book is a fairy tale that depicts the story of our neighbors through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy named "Taegu," illustrating his growth and journey of self-discovery. It has been praised for vividly addressing social issues arising from the breakdown of relationships by harnessing the power of a child's perspective.

The county plans to organize various reading culture events related to the selected book, including ▲meetings with the author ▲reading reflection contests ▲collaborative projects with related organizations ▲special lectures linked to the Book of the Year, to engage local residents.

Upon hearing the news of the selection, author Lee Seon-ju expressed, "I am honored as a writer to have my book chosen as Gijang-gun's Book of the Year," adding, "I hope children take time to think about 'Who lives in my neighborhood? What kind of neighbor am I?' and that this book becomes a friend to lonely children."

A Gijang-gun official said, "We thank the residents who actively participated in selecting Gijang-gun's Book of the Year," and added, "We will strive to implement 'Gijang, a city of reading culture' by preparing diverse reading culture events that residents can participate in."