'First Summer, Wanju' Author Kim Geumhee Hosts Book Talk for Readers with Disabilities

National Library for the Disabled to Hold 'My Bookstore Concert' on April 17
Applications Accepted Until April 6
For People with Disabilities and Their Personal Assistants

The National Library for the Disabled announced on the 28th that it will hold the 'My Bookstore Concert' on April 17th at 2 PM in the International Conference Hall of the National Library of Korea, featuring a book talk, musical performances, and events.

During the book talk, there will be a discussion about Kim Geum-hee's work, "First Summer, Wanju." This content will be first unveiled at the National Library for the Disabled and later distributed as an audiobook and book through commercial platforms. At the suggestion of Muje Publishing, represented by actor Park Jeong-min, the content will be presented in reverse order of the usual publishing process. Traditionally, people with disabilities accessed content like audiobooks or braille after the commercial book was published and underwent secondary processing, but "First Summer, Wanju" is designed so that people with disabilities can access it first, followed by non-disabled users.

"First Summer, Wanju" tells the story of the protagonist Yeolmae visiting the hometown of her close older sister, Wanju, where she meets various people and experiences changes. A dialogue session will also take place. Baek Eun-ha, director of the Actor Research Institute, will moderate a conversation with author Kim Geum-hee and publisher Park Jeong-min. There will also be a Q&A session with the author, as well as musical performances by producer Gureum and singer Yoon Machi.

The book talk is intended for people with disabilities and their personal assistants, and applications can be submitted through the National Library for the Disabled’s website until April 6th. Participants will be selected by lottery and announced on the library’s website on the 10th of next month.

Hwang Geum-sook, director of the National Library for the Disabled, stated, “We hope this event will be a time for people with and without disabilities to enjoy reading together and communicate,” adding, “We will continue to promote diverse reading activities to expand the diversity of reading culture.”