Keigo Higashino's "The Fabricated Criminal" Tops Bestseller List for 5 Consecutive Weeks... Spotlight on Ko Myunghwan's Classics Craze

Kyobo Bookstore's "The Fabricated Criminal" Tops the Charts for Five Weeks
Yes24's "Sakamoto Days 22 Double Special Edition" Claims Number One Spot

Keigo Higashino's "The Fabricated Criminal" has maintained its unyielding popularity, topping the Kyobo Bookstore overall bestseller list for five consecutive weeks. Following closely behind, as in the previous week, were novels such as "Honmono," "Dark Psychology," and "Jamong Salgu Club." Bernard Werber's new release, "Land of Chimera," entered the chart at number five overall. As Werber has long been beloved by Korean readers, the response from readers in their 40s and above was particularly notable. Purchases by women in their 40s accounted for the highest share at 18.1%, but interest from male readers in their 40s and 50s was also prominent.

Broadcaster Ko Myunghwan's book "The Classics Answered: On the Wealth One Ought to Have" climbed 12 spots to reach number 10 overall. His appearances on variety shows, where he shared his journey from entertainer to bestselling author, sparked renewed interest in his book. Additionally, his previous title, "The Classics Answered: On the Life One Ought to Live," which gained attention last year, soared 105 places to rank 52nd overall.

There has been a noticeable trend of consistently popular books drawing renewed attention through the release of recover editions. This week, Bora Chung's "Cursed Bunny" was published as a limited edition with a new illustrated cover to commemorate 100,000 copies sold, debuting at number 41 overall. This special edition stimulated the desire to own among existing readers and also attracted a significant influx of new readers.

In the fourth week of August, the Yes24 overall bestseller list was topped by the manga "Sakamoto Days 22 Double Special Edition," which has gained popularity as a Netflix animation. After its official release on August 27, the book reached number one overall and number one in the comics/light novel category within just one day. Purchases by readers in their teens and twenties accounted for a remarkable 64.2% of total sales. The "Sakamoto Days 22 Double Special Edition" includes a first edition limited "illustration postcard" and a "first meeting illustration card" as a double special bonus for early buyers, fueling fans' desire to collect. Meanwhile, "Sakamoto Days," a Japanese action-comedy manga about a former hitman, has enjoyed steady popularity in Korea since the release of its first volume in January 2021.

The new book by author Ko Myunghwan, who sparked a classical literature reading craze, "The Classics Answered: On the Wealth One Ought to Have," ranked second, while author Sung Haena's second collection of short stories, "Honmono," took third place. "Ryu Sooyoung's Lifetime Recipes," featuring easy and delicious home-cooked meals by "Onam Teacher," ranked fourth, and former Constitutional Court Justice Moon Hyungbae's essay "On Kindness" took fifth. "The Classics Answered: On the Wealth One Ought to Have" saw a dramatic increase in sales this week, up about 4.6 times (368.2%) compared to the previous week. Ko's other book, "The Classics Answered: On the Life One Ought to Live," also saw sales rise 4.6 times (361.7%) week-over-week, ranking 14th overall.

The new essay by former Constitutional Court Justice Moon Hyungbae also drew attention. "On Kindness," published on August 25, reached number three overall in just three days. Notably, buyers in their 50s accounted for 40.3% of total purchases, indicating strong support among middle-aged readers.

Novels also continued to enjoy strong popularity. Titles such as "Honmono," "The Fabricated Criminal," "I Said Goodbye," "Jamong Salgu Club," "Contradiction," and Bernard Werber's new release "Land of Chimera 1, 2," which saw a 23% increase in sales compared to the previous week, were among the seven novels that made it into the top 20.