Fifteen Korean Publishers to Hold Consultations with Forty-six North American Companies
Major Publishers Including Penguin Random House to Participate
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on September 4 that, together with the Korea Publishing Industry Promotion Agency, it will host the "New York Book Fair on the Move" at the NYC Seminar & Conference Center in New York, United States, on September 4 and 5.
This initiative has been ongoing since 2015. At last year’s event, export consultations were held with participants from three countries, resulting in contracts worth approximately 1.025 billion dollars across 609 deals. This year, following consultation events in Prague (Czech Republic), Warsaw (Poland), and Taipei (Taiwan), the New York event will further accelerate the entry of "K-Books" into the North American market.
Fifteen Korean Publishers and Forty-six American Companies to Hold In-person Export Consultations, Participation from the World’s Top Five Publishers
Fifteen Korean publishers, including Munhakdongne, Changbi, Dasan Books, and Woongjin Thinkbig, will participate directly in the New York consultation event. BCAgency will handle export consultations for 100 titles on behalf of domestic publishers unable to attend in person.
From the United States, major publishing houses classified among the world’s top five-such as Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster-will take part in significant numbers.
Leading global literary agencies, including Trident Media Group and The Wylie Agency, as well as digital and audio content companies like OverDrive and Recorded Books, will engage in export consultations for both print books and a wide range of publishing intellectual property (IP).
Major U.S. Literary Awards and Expanding Rights Sales Signal Full-scale Entry of "K-Books" into the U.S. Market
Recently, interest in "K-Books" has grown in the U.S. market, resulting in major literary awards and entries onto bestseller lists. Notably, poet Kim Hyesoon’s "Phantom Pain Wings" (Munhakgwa Jisungsa) became the first Korean work to win the Poetry category at the 2024 National Book Critics Circle Awards (NBCC). Author Cha Hoyoon’s picture book "Searching for the Dragon" (Yeollin Eorini) became the first Korean work to win a Caldecott Honor in 2025. Author Kim Suji’s romance fantasy web novel "Under the Oak Tree" was published as a print book in the United States in 2024 and reached No. 7 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction. Author Min Jin Lee’s "Pachinko" (Influential) was ranked 15th among The New York Times’ 100 Best Books of the 21st Century in 2024.
In particular, with the recent addition of uniquely Korean cultural elements and the influence of "K-Culture," Korean genre literature-including mystery, thriller, science fiction (SF), fantasy, romance, essays, as well as web novels and webtoons based on works like "If We Cannot Move at the Speed of Light" (Kim Choyeop, Hubble) and "Dallergut Dream Department Store" (Lee Miye, Factory Nine)-is actively making inroads into the U.S. market.
Spreading "K-Books" Across North America, A New Milestone for the Global Expansion of Korean Publishing
Additionally, the Ministry is working to increase access to "K-Books" abroad through Korean Cultural Centers, which serve as overseas hubs for Korean culture. The centers are newly recommending and exhibiting their book collections to match local demand. As a first step, the Korean Cultural Center New York (Director Kim Chunsu) will newly recommend and display 332 children’s book titles, and a local reader event featuring children’s author Park Hyunmin is scheduled for September.
Im Sunghwan, Director General of the Media Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "The U.S. publishing market has high entry barriers, but once entered, it serves as a strategic hub for global expansion. With the 'New York Book Fair on the Move' as a catalyst, we will accelerate the entry of 'K-Books' into North America and expand customized support to diversify target markets and sectors, ensuring that Korean publishing firmly establishes itself on the world stage."
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