Held in Seoul from September 8 to 11
20 Overseas Publishers and 28 Domestic Companies to Participate
The Korean Literature Translation Institute, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced on September 1 that it will host the "2025 K-Literature Fellowship," a project supporting the export of Korean literature copyrights for strategic overseas expansion, in Seoul from September 8 to 11.
Now in its eighth year since 2018, this project will be held on the largest scale to date, with a total of 48 companies participating, including 20 overseas companies and 28 domestic companies. The program will focus on copyright transactions, including translator pitch sessions and publisher copyright consultations, to match leading export works from Korea with overseas publication demand.
On the first day, September 8, experts will give presentations on current trends in the Korean publishing market and the new landscape of Korean literature. On the second day, 18 professional translators specializing in Korean literature will introduce works they have personally translated to overseas publishers. One-on-one meetings will also be held. On the third day, domestic and international publishers will discuss copyright issues. On the fourth day, overseas participants will visit Paju Book City and major and independent bookstores in Seoul to experience the current state and trends of the Korean literature and publishing market.
A total of 20 overseas publishers will participate in this event. International participants include Ecco Press (United States), 4th Estate (United Kingdom), Aufbau Verlag (Germany), Leduc (France), Eksmo (Russia), Ithaki (T?rkiye), Harpercollins Italia (Italy), and Mizan Pustaka (Indonesia), among others. Publishers from 14 countries across English-speaking, European, and Asian regions will be in attendance.
Notably, Ecco Press (United States), which is set to publish works by poets Kim Hyesoon and authors Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo; Doubleday (United Kingdom), which plans to publish "Cheon-gaeui Parang" by Cheon Seonran and "Simyeosa is a Killer" by Kang Ji-young, both of which have garnered significant international interest; Aufbau Verlag (Germany), which publishes works by Han Kang; and Harpercollins Italia (Italy), which has published "The Plotters" by Kim Un-su and "Shoko's Smile" by Choi Eun-young, will all participate to discover new Korean literary works. In addition, Calmman-Levy (France) and Eichborn (Germany), which have not yet published Korean literature, will also join the event.
Through pre-event interviews, overseas participants praised Korean literature for "simultaneously capturing personal narratives and social realities, and expressing universally relatable themes through original writing styles and genre-blending." They also expressed hope that this opportunity would allow them to discover Korean writers and works to introduce to readers in their home countries, as well as to build networks with Korean publishers, agencies, and translators.
On the domestic side, 21 major literary publishers, including Changbi, Munhakdongne, Munhakgwa Jiseongsa, and Hyundae Munhak, as well as eight agencies such as Greenbook Agency, Eric Yang Agency, and Kakao Entertainment-which exports IPs of web-based creative works-will participate.
Jeon Sooyong, President of the Korean Literature Translation Institute, stated, "This copyright export support project is a program focused on achieving tangible results in copyright transactions, going beyond simple exchange," and added, "We aim to establish a sustainable foundation for the overseas expansion of Korean literature by building networks among outstanding domestic and international publishers and professional translators."
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