Kyobo Bookstore announced on the 1st that the conflict with local bookstores that arose after author Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature has been resolved, and the sale of Han Kang's books will return to normal at all Kyobo Bookstore locations.
Kyobo Bookstore and the Korea Federation of Bookstore Associations (Seoryeon) stated that they have agreed to conclude misunderstandings and conflicts that occurred during the supply process of Han Kang's books to local bookstores, and to seek mutual efforts for the development of the bookstore industry, Kyobo Bookstore said on the same day.
Seoryeon issued a press release on the 17th of last month, after the announcement of Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature, claiming that Kyobo Bookstore did not properly supply Han Kang's novels, leading to a conflict with Kyobo Bookstore. In response, Kyobo Bookstore announced that it would completely suspend the sale of Han Kang's books at 26 out of its 34 stores nationwide and prioritize supplying Han Kang's books to local bookstores.
Kyobo Bookstore explained that due to the suspension of book supply and delivery errors, complaints arose from local bookstores, and as a moral responsibility, it implemented a win-win measure by suspending the sale of Han Kang's books at some of its offline stores and expanding wholesale supply to local bookstores.
A Kyobo Bookstore official expressed, "We apologize for the disruption in the supply of Han Kang's books and will seek a path of mutual growth through a more cooperative relationship in the future."
With the resolution of the conflict with Seoryeon, Kyobo Bookstore announced that it has lifted the temporary suspension of Han Kang book sales at its stores, which had been in effect until the 31st of last month, and that Han Kang's books will be sold normally at all Kyobo Bookstore branches starting from the 1st.
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