YES24's "Honmono" Tops the Chart for Five Consecutive Weeks
Kyobo's Number One: Keigo Higashino's "Kakouhan"
In the YES24 overall bestseller rankings for the fifth week of July, "Honmono" by Seong Haena has claimed the number one spot for five consecutive weeks. "Kakouhan," a new full-length novel by Keigo Higashino celebrating the 40th anniversary of his debut, entered the chart at number two. "Ryu Sooyoung's Lifetime Recipes," published by home-cooked meal master Ryu Sooyoung, ranked third, while "The Comfort Crisis," which has been an Amazon category bestseller for 200 consecutive weeks, was released in Korea in June and took fourth place. In fifth place was "Jamong Salgu Club," a novel of the same name connected to singer-songwriter Han Roro's third EP music album.
"Kakouhan," which rose to second place, received enthusiastic support from literature fans who had been eagerly awaiting Keigo Higashino's new work, resulting in a 1.5-fold (54.8%) increase in sales this week compared to the previous week. In addition, five novels made it into the top 20: "Honmono," "Kakouhan," and "Jamong Salgu Club" in the top five, as well as Kim Aeran's new release "Annyeongira Geuraesseo" at 14th place and Yang Gui-ja's long-selling novel "Mosun" at 17th. This demonstrates the continued popularity of novels.
This week, not only novels but also books from various genres were loved by readers. The humanities book "The Comfort Crisis" received recommendations from KAIST professor Jeong Jaeseung and Yonsei University professor John Frankl, ranking fourth. The bestselling children's book "Blue Lion Wanini 8," which has surpassed one million cumulative sales in the series, ranked 15th, and "Dark Psychology," the first domestic psychology skills book based on "dark psychology," ranked 16th. This book attracted the interest of readers in their 20s and 30s (43.3%) who are curious about "dark psychology," which explores the darker side of human nature and the manipulation of others' emotions.
"The Comfort Crisis" was recommended as the Best Book of the Month on July 25th on critic Lee Dongjin's YouTube channel "Lee Dongjin's Piachia," reaching fourth place overall and first in the humanities category. It was particularly popular among readers in their 40s and 50s (67.1%), with sales surging 4.5 times (354.9%) compared to the previous week.
Published in 13 countries worldwide and a bestseller in each, "The Comfort Crisis" discusses what the age of convenience, efficiency, sterilization, and abundance has taken from us. The author questions whether living in a world where food is plentiful, life expectancy is increasing, and there are no real threats to survival has truly brought us health and happiness.
At Kyobo Bookstore, "Kakouhan" by Keigo Higashino topped the overall chart immediately upon release. It garnered instant attention, fueled by strong pre-order demand. With the author celebrating his 40th anniversary and having published over 100 books, he has built a loyal readership. Readers in their 40s accounted for the highest sales share at 34.0%, and the book was also well received by those in their 50s and above. "Honmono" by Seong Haena, which had held the top spot for five consecutive weeks, followed in second place, while "Mosun" by Yang Gui-ja, still popular among readers in their 20s, climbed to third overall. Notably, eight out of the top ten books were novels. Although literature has always been popular, this year saw the highest number of novels in the top rankings, once again highlighting the genre's strong appeal.
In foreign fiction, "Orbital" by Samantha Harvey, which won the 2024 Booker Prize, jumped 15 places to reach ninth overall, drawing significant reader interest. In Korean fiction, singer-songwriter Han Roro's first short novel "Jamong Salgu Club" entered the chart at 21st place, quickly gaining popularity and even experiencing temporary shortages.
The script book for the popular drama "Unknown Seoul" entered the overall chart at fifth place. Purchases by female readers accounted for an overwhelming 90.1%. Readers in their 20s made up the highest proportion at 36.7%, closely followed by those in their 30s at 36.5%. The drama, which captured viewers' hearts, has inspired strong fan demand for the script book, as fans wish to revisit memorable lines and keep the book as a collectible, leading to continued publication of script books.
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