To Be Held at COEX from June 18 to 22
The Korea Publishers Association and the Seoul International Book Fair announced on May 21 that the Seoul International Book Fair will be held at COEX in Samseong-dong from June 18 to 22.
This year’s book fair, themed “The Last Resort,” will explore the final refuge each person relies on for hope amid chaos. By posing the question, “When things are tough or you feel lonely, what is your ‘last resort’?” the event aims to create a space where participants can share and encourage each other with their own “last leaf” of hope.
This year’s guest of honor is Taiwan, a country with active publishing exchanges with Korea. More than 30 writers?including well-known Taiwanese authors whose works have already been translated and published in Korea, as well as internationally recognized novelists, picture book authors, and comic artists?will participate, along with 26 publishers and organizations. The guest of honor pavilion will also feature spaces to experience Taiwanese food and lifestyle, as well as a variety of programs such as printmaking experiences and book-making workshops.
A total of 530 domestic and international publishers, publishing-related organizations, and copyright agencies from 17 countries will participate in this year’s Seoul International Book Fair. Over 100 publishers and organizations from 16 countries?including Germany, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and France?will operate booths in the international pavilion and participate in the book fair’s copyright center.
In the domestic pavilion, more than 430 publishers and publishing-related organizations will hold events such as a book market, book exhibitions, lectures, and autograph sessions. In “Book Village,” which features art book and independent publishers, visitors can meet 61 independent publishers from Korea, Taiwan, and Japan in one place.
Korean Authors Kim Geumhee, Kim Choyeop, Jeong Bora; Chinese Authors Cheng Jingbo, Zhou Wen; Japanese Author Takano Kazuaki to Give Lectures
A diverse lineup of lectures is also planned. The “Book Talk Program” will feature novelists Kim Geumhee, Kim Choyeop, Jeong Bora, Cheon Seonran, Han Yooju, Kim Dongsik, and Kim Juhye, who won the Tolstoy Literary Award for Foreign Literature, Russia’s most prestigious literary prize. In addition, poets Sim Boseon, Seo Yunhu, Lee Hwon, writers Lee Seula and Eun Yu, artist Nikki Lee, and Park Jungmin, head of Muze Publishing and actor, will also participate. For the Book Talk lectures, Chinese science fiction writers Cheng Jingbo and Zhou Wen will join, and Japanese novelist Takano Kazuaki will visit the fair. Yoshigo, a photographer and designer based in Barcelona, Spain, will also meet with readers at the fair.
The “Meet the Author” program, which offers in-depth conversations with writers, will feature picture book author Baek Heena, film director Park Chanwook, novelists Kim Aeran, Yoon Sunghui, Son Wonpyung, Choi Jinyoung, Jeong Daegun, Jang Ryujin, Kim Kitae, Kim Hoyoun, Cho Yeeun, poets Do Jonghwan, Ahn Dohyun, Park Seongwoo, Kim Minjeong, Park Jun, Ahn Heeyeon, and architect Yoo Hyunjun, among others from various fields.
In addition, a variety of experts and speakers from different fields will visit the book fair to participate in programs such as “SIBF Books” and seminars. These include chef Choi Kangrok, novelists Kang Hwakyil and Park Seoryeon, poets Hwang Inchan, Kim Bokhee, Park Chamsae, astronomer Ji Woongbae (Ujumunji), Lee Jeongmo, director of Penguin Science Museum, evolutionary biologist Lee Daehan, KBS weather journalist Shin Bangsil, and science and technology scholar Lim Soyeon. Visitors will have the rare opportunity to meet these authors during the book fair.
The “Theme Exhibition,” which explores the concept of the last resort, will display books personally recommended by writers and readers as “the book that embodies their last resort.” Approximately 170 books recommended by about 120 writers and 230 books recommended by readers will be curated for a total of 400 books. Each book will be displayed with the name of the recommender, and there will be a space where visitors can write and share their own “last resort.”
40 Best Books in Korea to Be Announced, Awards Ceremony on June 18
The “Best Books in Korea (BBK)” exhibition will showcase 40 books selected across four categories in this year’s competition. The grand prize winners in each category will be revealed at the “Best Books in Korea Awards Ceremony” on the first day of the fair, June 18.
Books being introduced for the first time will also be available at the fair. “Summer, First Book,” which will be published to coincide with the opening of the fair, will unveil 10 new titles for the first time. In addition, the limited-edition “The Last Resort,” produced annually to commemorate the fair, will feature works by 11 writers?Kim Bokhee (poet), Kim Mella (novelist), Kim Iseol (novelist), Park Jungmin (actor), Park Chamsae (poet), Son Wonpyung (novelist), Oh Eun (poet), Lee Haein (nun and poet), Cho Yeeun (novelist), Cheon Seonran (novelist), and Hwang Inchan (poet)?along with three illustrations by artists selected for the 2024 Seoul International Book Fair “Summer Drawing.” The limited edition “The Last Resort” will be available for purchase in limited quantities at the fair and through online bookstores (Kyobo Book Centre, Aladin, Yes24).
Tickets for the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair can be purchased at a 50% discount via Naver Reservation from May 21 to 27, and at about a 30% discount from May 28 until the day before the fair opens, June 17. The full schedule of lectures and special programs for the Seoul International Book Fair is available on the event’s official website.
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