[Report] Not a Luxury Store, but Hundreds Lined Up 30 Minutes Before Opening... 'Open Run' Frenzy at This Place

Seoul International Book Fair Opens on June 18, Runs Until the 22nd
Hundreds Queue Up 30 Minutes Before Entry
Crowds Flock to Booths Offering Events, Limited Editions, and Fan Favorites
Voices Raised Against the Privatization of the Seoul International Book Fair

"Please line up in an orderly fashion."

Visitors are bustling at the '2025 Seoul International Book Fair' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 18th. 2025.6.18. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

On June 18, the opening day of the Seoul International Book Fair, a long, winding line stretching for hundreds of meters formed in front of Hall A at COEX in Gangnam, Seoul, starting 30 minutes before entry began. Security staff in yellow shirts, stationed throughout the area, loudly directed the continuously arriving crowds to the end of the existing line.

Many visitors had traveled long distances, some pulling suitcases behind them. Among them was a group of university students from Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, who had set out at dawn. The 'Book Leaders' reading club from Daejin University attended the fair with 13 members. Kim Sion (20) said, "This is my second visit, and it seems bigger than last year, so I'm excited. The biggest attraction for me is the opportunity to meet small publishers." Jung Seokhoon (24), a university student attending the book fair for the first time, shared, "I'm looking forward to it because readers and writers can come together and communicate beyond the books themselves."

When the exhibition hall doors opened at 10 a.m., a massive crowd surged into the venue. Booths that attracted the most visitors had certain features in common: interactive events, sophisticated booth designs, or limited-quantity, first-come-first-served sales.

A long line formed waiting to enter the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair held at COEX in Gangnam, Seoul on the morning of the 18th.

At the Munhakdongne booth, a long line formed for the limited sale of the 'Monthly Classic' series, which features new covers for world literature titles released one per month. A representative explained, "We are offering the July issue of the Monthly Classic in a limited quantity of 100 copies per day during the book fair, ahead of the general release, which seems to have drawn many visitors. The 'blind book,' which is wrapped so that the contents are unknown, and the stylishly designed bookmarks are also very popular."

Dasan Books collaborated with Ottogi to present an event corner where visitors create their own bookmark keyrings by combining images of various food ingredients.

Dasan Books collaborated with food company Ottogi to operate a special exhibition called 'Restaurant of the Mind.' The booth, themed around good writing and warm food, attracted many visitors. Among the interactive events, the corner where participants could choose cute ingredients, string them together, laminate them, and create unique bookmark keyrings was especially popular.

On June 18, visitors attending the '2025 Seoul International Book Fair' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, are looking at books. 2025.6.18. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The booth of Pyeongsan Bookstore, operated by the foundation associated with former President Moon Jae-in, drew crowds hoping to purchase souvenirs such as tumblers. One middle-aged woman even asked a staff member, "Which cup does President Moon Jae-in use? I want to buy the same one." Former President Moon and his wife are scheduled to visit the booth in person at 5 p.m. that day.

YES24, an online bookstore that recently suffered a ransomware hacking incident, set up a large-scale interactive event booth. The booth, decorated in a refreshing blue theme, offered gifts through a lottery to visitors who participated in light activities, which generated a lot of interest.

Minumsa and Changbi attracted many visitors purely through the appeal of their content, without any special events.

This year's Seoul International Book Fair, held under the theme of 'A Place to Rely On,' is the largest ever and will run until June 22. A total of 535 publishers are participating, offering 370 programs, and more than 100 publishers from 16 countries are running booths in the international section.

Meanwhile, at 9:30 a.m. in front of the east gate of COEX, where the book fair is being held, the 'Reading Ecosystem Public Solidarity' held a press conference, strongly condemning what they described as the 'corporatization,' 'privatization,' and 'commercialization' of the Seoul International Book Fair.