Han River Fever Reaches Here... 'Poetagram' Surpasses 1 Million Posts [Youth Report]

Concise and Sensory Poetry Lines
Popular Among Young People Familiar with 'Short-Form'
Sales Increase as Young People Love Poetry Collections

Following Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature win, interest in reading has increased, and poetry collections are gaining popularity among young people. For the 10-20 generation accustomed to 'short-form' videos lasting about a minute, the concise and sensory language of poetry resonates with a unique emotional appeal. As young people easily enjoy and share poetry, which was once considered difficult, sales of poetry collections have also risen accordingly.

1.04 million posts related to 'Sistagram'... Some even write their own poems

A citizen is browsing books at Kyobo Bookstore Gwanghwamun Branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Recently, social networking services (SNS) have seen a surge in posts certifying reading. Especially on Instagram, searching the hashtag 'Sistagram' (#) yields over 1.04 million posts. Netizens upload memorable lines of poetry or poems they have written themselves on Instagram along with this hashtag. In the past, people were satisfied simply finishing a poetry collection, but now they actively enjoy poetry by introducing the collections they have read to acquaintances and composing poems in their own words.

Kim, a 29-year-old office worker who revealed that he purchased a poetry collection by poet Yun Dong-ju, said, "I used to just look at my smartphone during my commute, but suddenly I felt that time was being wasted, so I bought a poetry book." He added, "The content is short, so I can read it quickly, and I like that one poem can be interpreted and imagined in various ways." He also said, "You can open any page regardless of order and find good sentences that resonate with you."

The affection of young readers for poetry collections is also evident from sales rate statistics at major bookstores. According to Kyobo Bookstore, among all poetry collection buyers up to June this year, those in their 20s accounted for 26.5%, and those in their 30s accounted for 20.2%, showing a high proportion. Yes24 also reported that sales of poetry collections to teenage readers increased by 124.1% compared to last year. This breaks the stereotype that poetry is mainly consumed by middle-aged and older generations.

Han Kang's Nobel Prize sparks reading craze... Poetry collection popularity expected to continue

Poetry Collection by Poet Yun Dong-ju, 'Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry'. Instagram

Among these trends, the active activities of young poets have also contributed to attracting 10-20 generation readers. Poetic lines by poets with young linguistic sensibilities, such as Park Jun and Geulbae-u, have become a hot topic on SNS, arousing curiosity among young people. As a result, Park Jun's book Nothing Changes by Crying, But... has become a steady seller, and Geulbae-u's Instagram followers have reached 270,000.

As sharing poetry with others through SNS has become popular, it is also evaluated that young people's accessibility to poetry itself has improved. Poetry, once considered difficult, has become easier for young people to enjoy and share, lowering the entry barrier to poetry.

Meanwhile, the love of young people for poetry collections is expected to continue. This is because a reading craze began after Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature win.

In fact, according to Yes24's data, from October 10 to 16 last month, overall domestic book sales excluding Han Kang's works increased by 7% compared to the same period last year. Sales in the 'novel, poetry, and drama' category surged by 49.3% compared to the same period last year. CJ Logistics also reported that the volume of books shipped last month increased by 27.3% in box units compared to October last year. A CJ Logistics official stated, "October is traditionally a low season for book logistics, but after Han Kang's Nobel Prize win, interest in books has concentrated, increasing the volume."