[Thinking of Seoul While Walking] The Intellectual Salon of the Community, Seoul Neighborhood Bookstore

Golden Era of Publishing and Bookstores After 1987 Democratization
Bookstores Hit by Smartphone Spread
Urban Landscape Consumption via SNS Expansion
Bookstore Book Clubs and Book Talks Attract Customers
Central Display Areas Set as Event Spaces
Intellectual Networks for Readers
88 Bookstores in Mapo and Jongno Districts

In the early 1980s, the area in front of Jongno Bookstore in Jongno 2-ga was always bustling with people. It was a convenient meeting place, but many also came to buy books. Besides Jongno Bookstore, Kyobo Bookstore opened nearby in Gwanghwamun, and there were naturally many long-established bookstores around university districts. No matter which residential area you went to, there were always a few bookstores. People mainly read paper books, and visiting bookstores was part of daily life. Despite political repression in Seoul at the time, bookstores thrived, making it a rare city where bookstores prospered. After the rapid democratization following 1987, freedom of expression was also guaranteed, ushering in a golden age for publishing and bookstores.

With the rapid spread of the internet, people quickly adapted to online shopping. The decline in the school-age population reduced the consumer base for academic books. By 2014, the number of university students had already peaked and continued to decline. The spread of smartphones greatly increased the number of people looking at their phones. There was a much wider variety of texts to read beyond books. The changes brought about by the emergence and spread of social media go without saying. Today, it is rare to see people reading books on the Seoul subway.

As a result, neighborhood bookstores suffered significant damage and many closed down one after another. Large bookstores also gradually increased the proportion of non-book items to boost sales. However, paper books did not disappear. Large bookstores still hold their ground in Seoul, and since the late 2010s, new types of ‘neighborhood bookstores’ have appeared here and there. How can this phenomenon be explained in the face of the whirlwind of change brought by the internet and smartphones?

A hanok in a residential area of Gyo-nam-dong, Seoul, is the beautiful neighborhood bookstore 'Drawing the Time of Seoul' Photo by Jojongjun

The phrase ‘almost no one reads books’ is nothing new. Recent statistics show that Koreans read an average of 5.69 books per year. This is lower than the 10 books read by Americans or the 17 books read by the French, but similar to the 6.2 books read by the Japanese. During the so-called golden age, students and university graduates, the so-called intellectual class, mainly read books diligently. But nowadays, the readership has broadened considerably, and although not many, there are quite a few who read steadily. The reason large bookstores in Seoul can survive is that the book market is still relatively healthy. However, a different picture is detected in the neighborhood bookstores that have started to appear in each district. It seems more accurate to say that they reflect the lifestyle and consumption patterns of urban residents rather than changes surrounding books.

Since the 2000s, many developed countries have gradually changed their views on cities. Korea, although a bit late, has sensed this change since 2010. The core of this change is that the unique scenery of cities has become an object of consumption. In the 1980s, young people visiting Jongno 2-ga or Sinchon met friends there and ate and drank together. Consuming something when meeting was natural. Although the customer base differed in other bustling areas, whenever people met and gathered, it naturally led to consumption. So much so that the term ‘consumption city’ was coined to describe cities with thriving commercial districts.

Now, it is somewhat different. Of course, people open their wallets while consuming the city’s scenery, but the main purpose of going there is to walk around the area, consume the scenery and atmosphere, and capture and share the moment with photos. The first example of consuming city scenery was Samcheong-dong in the 2000s. Bukchon followed a little later. At the same time, Hongdae gained popularity more for its atmosphere than its scenery. Since the 2010s, areas like Ikseon-dong with many hanoks, Seongsu-dong with red brick warehouses, and Seochon with many alleys have risen one after another, and over time, this sensibility has spread to lesser-known neighborhoods and urban areas.

The spread of social media accelerated the consumption of city scenery. To rent and wear hanbok and take selfies, the background scenery needs to be distinctive. Rather than famous places like palaces, hanoks, red bricks, and alleys are much preferred as photo backdrops. Shops actively create photo-friendly atmospheres to match customers’ tastes.

In this trend, what role do neighborhood bookstores play? Fundamentally, bookstores must sell books to survive. Most neighborhood bookstores cannot expect sufficient sales from books alone. Many neighborhood bookstores continuously hold book clubs and book talks as a means of survival. When recalling old neighborhood bookstores, one imagines shelves filled with study guides and reference books. Today, books in neighborhood bookstores are mainly placed on wall shelves, and the central display tables are mostly movable to accommodate event spaces. In other words, today’s neighborhood bookstores are spaces where people can enjoy an atmosphere with books and serve as intellectual salons for those who actually want to read. Some customers consume only the atmosphere here, while some readers buy and read books.

In this reality, business does not seem easy. Many places close a few years after opening. But surprisingly, not all are like that. Increasingly, places that build and maintain strong customer networks are growing, and new bookstores continue to emerge. According to ‘Neighborhood Bookstores,’ which provides information and maps of neighborhood bookstores nationwide, there are currently 266 neighborhood bookstores in Seoul. Mapo-gu has 55, and Jongno-gu has 33. This area, which can be called a representative place for consuming city scenery, accounts for about 33% of the bookstores. They contribute to the community as intellectual salons in neighborhoods here and there.

What about the future? As the 2020s move toward the latter half, urban consumption patterns are changing again. The enthusiasm for consuming city scenery shows signs of cooling. Meanwhile, internet shopping and e-books are taking deeper root. The number of people seeking paper books is expected to continue declining. Paradoxically, this moment might be the golden age for neighborhood bookstores. Those who preferred only scenery have started turning their eyes to books themselves. Although the number of book seekers will decrease significantly, those who love books will continue to read steadily. For such an era, today’s neighborhood bookstores will create new meanings and roles for themselves. It will be tough, but I hope they do not lose heart. I wish all of them the best of luck.

Robert Fauzer, Former Professor at Seoul National University