Gyeonggi’s First-in-the-Nation "Reading Points System" Sees Explosive Response: 43,000 Residents Join in One Week

Gyeonggi Province's "Reading Points System with One Thousand Books," the first reading promotion policy of its kind in the country, has attracted an enthusiastic response, surpassing 43,000 subscribers just one week after its launch. In particular, participation rates are rapidly increasing not only among young and middle-aged adults but also among middle and high school students.

According to Gyeonggi Province on July 7, on the first day of membership registration for the "Reading Points System with One Thousand Books" at 9 a.m. on July 1, up to 25,000 users accessed the reading points website (library.kr/bookpoint) simultaneously, causing a temporary outage. In response, Gyeonggi Province carried out emergency restoration and performance improvements, and the service is now operating smoothly.

Alongside the growing number of subscribers, the establishment of reading clubs is also increasing rapidly. The reading points website offers a service called "Cheongwon Club," which allows anyone to easily create a club to read books together and share thoughts. Just four days after the service launched on July 3, a total of 1,827 reading clubs had been created.

Reading clubs are composed of two or more members, and participants can earn points by verifying their participation in online or offline reading gatherings with family, friends, or partners.

The "Reading Points System with One Thousand Books" has also become a trending topic on social networking services (SNS). On the official Instagram account of the Gyeonggi Provincial Library, users left comments such as, "It's great that you can earn points just by reading; I hope this expands nationwide," "I wish I were a resident of Gyeonggi Province," "For the first time since 2016, I feel like going to the library to borrow a book," and "I really didn't read books before, but I'm going to change starting today."

The "Reading Points System with One Thousand Books" rewards points for everyday reading activities such as purchasing books, borrowing books from libraries, and writing reading journals. The program not only promotes a culture of reading but also enables mutual growth with local bookstores by allowing points to be converted into local currency.

Poster for Gyeonggi Province's nationwide first reading promotion policy, the "Reading Points System with One Thousand Books"

Any Gyeonggi Province resident aged 14 or older with a registered address can participate, and up to 60,000 points can be accumulated per year. However, the limit for the second half of this year is 30,000 points.

When purchasing a book, participants can earn 2,000 points (limited to one book per month), and for borrowing books from libraries, 1,000 points are awarded per book (up to two books per month). Additional points are provided for various reading activities such as writing reading journals and posting reviews.

To verify participation, users can upload photos or receipts that prove their reading activities to the website. As part of the launch event, a 3,000-point welcome bonus is also offered. All converted points can be used at 351 local bookstores within the province until December 7, 2025.

Oh Gwangseok, Director of the Future Lifelong Education Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, said, "We are grateful for the enthusiastic support from residents," and added, "We will continue to improve the platform's functions to create a reading ecosystem that anyone can easily participate in."

With its core vision of "Changing Lives through Practical Reading with One Thousand Books," Gyeonggi Province operates a variety of reading culture programs throughout the year, including book busking, lectures by prominent figures, reading camps, and challenges.