Gimpo City to Host 'Korea Reading Festival'... Leap Forward as a Hub of Reading Culture

Gimpo City Proclaims Itself as the 'Book City' for the 2025 Korea Reading Festival
Held at Aegibong... Announcing the Start of Korea's Reading Boom
Highly Praised for Distinctive Reading Promotion... Year-Round Events Including Distinguished Lectures
Mayor Gim Byung-su: "With the Reading Festival, Gimpo Will Become the Center of Korea's Reading Culture"

On the 13th at 3 p.m., Gimpo City, the host of the 12th Korea Reading Festival, held the proclamation ceremony of ‘Book City Gimpo’ at the Peace Education Center in Aegibong Peace Ecological Park, officially announcing the start of the ‘2025 Korea Reading Festival’ nationwide.

Gimpo City held the proclamation ceremony for the "City of Books Gimpo" at the Peace Education Center in Aegibong Peace Ecological Park on the 13th, officially announcing the start of the "2025 Korea Reading Festival" nationwide. From left: Im Seonghwan, Director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Kim Byungsoo, Mayor; Yang Hee-eun, Ambassador; Kim Ilhee, Secretary General of the Korea Publication Culture Industry Promotion Agency. Photo by Gimpo City

According to Gimpo City on the 14th, the Korea Reading Festival is a reading culture festival hosted annually by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, selecting basic local governments that lead the promotion of reading culture. Gimpo City achieved the great success of being selected as the host city last August after a close competition with other cities.

As a dynamic young city and the chair city of the National Multicultural City Council connected to the world, Gimpo City was highly evaluated for overcoming poor cultural tourism infrastructure and leading differentiated reading promotion programs.

Gimpo City, with the philosophy that ‘no one should be excluded from reading culture,’ does not limit its library platform to paper books but presents programs that ‘connect through books and expand to the world’ with differentiated reading policies. Through this reading festival, the city is determined to share the experience of social integration and cultural prosperity through books, like Gimpo, with all cities nationwide.

The proclamation ceremony announcing this year’s reading festival was attended by many, including Gim Byung-su, Mayor of Gimpo City, the Director of Media Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Secretary-General of the Korea Publishing Culture Industry Promotion Agency, reading festival officials, ambassador Yang Hee-eun, general visitors, and many Gimpo citizens, brightening the event.

Mayor Gim Byung-su said at the proclamation ceremony, “With pride and responsibility, I proclaim Gimpo City as the Book City of 2025. Gimpo City is starting a new challenge to lead Korea’s reading culture and pledges to create a community where all generations communicate and empathize.” He added, “Gimpo will strive to become a book city that shares the richness of knowledge and wisdom so that all Korean citizens can be reborn as reading citizens.”

He continued, “Through the 2025 Korea Reading Festival, we will do our best to establish Gimpo as the center of Korea’s reading culture.”

Mayor Kim Byung-su is declaring the city of books. Photo by Gimpo City

Im Seong-hwan, Director of the Media Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, “Gimpo City has built a solid foundation for reading culture. The city’s policy efforts and citizens’ passion for reading were the groundwork for Gimpo being selected as the Book City.” He added, “Over the next year, Gimpo will conduct various reading culture programs with diverse institutions, organizations, and citizens to create value as a book city.” He also stated, “We expect Gimpo to transform and leap forward vibrantly, and for citizens to enjoy a rich and happy culture. The government will also do its best to support the successful hosting of this year’s reading festival held in Gimpo.”

On this day, Gimpo received great acclaim by presenting the ‘Refresh’ performance embodying the values and vision of the 2025 Korea Reading Festival Gimpo, introducing the four key values of ‘Newly Know,’ ‘Newly Connect,’ ‘Newly Plant,’ and ‘Newly Spread’ to citizens for the first time. Based on these four key values, the city plans to hold various reading culture events and book festivals to become the center of the nationwide reading boom.

At the proclamation ceremony, Yang Hee-eun, a renowned figure in the Korean entertainment industry and author of four books, was appointed as the ambassador of the Korea Reading Festival, tasked with promoting the importance of reading and spreading the culture of book reading.

Ambassador Yang Hee-eun expressed her thoughts, saying, “I am pleased to be able to convey the cultural depth of Gimpo City and the joy of reading to many people through books,” and added, “I will continue meaningful activities together with the Korea Reading Festival Gimpo.”

Taking this proclamation ceremony as an opportunity, Gimpo City plans to actively promote various reading culture events throughout the year under the theme ‘Refresh through Books,’ including ‘Evening with Books’ for the whole family at Taesan Family Park and ‘Refresh Distinguished Lectures’ held throughout Gimpo City.

Furthermore, from September 19 to 21, the city plans to hold the main event of the ‘2025 Korea Reading Festival,’ the largest reading culture festival nationwide. The main event will provide citizens with opportunities to get closer to books and will feature various exhibitions, experiences, and lecture programs.