Kwon Jongtaek, CEO of Borim Publishing, Awarded Silver Crown Medal for Distinguished Service in Publishing Culture

Book Day Ceremony: 29 Honorees Receive Government Awards for Contributions to Publishing

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will attend the 39th Book Day ceremony, hosted by the Korean Publishers Association, on October 13 at the Korea Press Center, and present government awards to individuals who have contributed to the development of publishing culture. Kim Youngsoo, the First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will be in attendance.

This year, a total of 29 individuals will be honored: one recipient of the Silver Crown Medal for Distinguished Service in Publishing Culture, two Presidential Citations, two Prime Minister Citations, and 24 Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Citations.

Kwon Jongtaek, CEO of Borim Publishing, recipient of the Silver Crown Order of Cultural Merit for contributions to publishing culture. Provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Kwon Jongtaek, CEO of Borim Publishing, will receive this year’s Silver Crown Medal for Distinguished Service in Publishing Culture. He founded Borim Publishing in 1976 and, at a time when the domestic picture book market was not yet established in the 1970s, he planned and published outstanding original Korean picture books as well as foreign picture books, thereby laying the foundation for the single-volume picture book market. He also contributed to expanding the age range and scope of picture books by publishing humanities and arts books for children and establishing children's music albums and puppet theaters.

The recipients of the Presidential Citation are: the late Hong Seok, former CEO of Pulbit Publishing, who since the early 1980s contributed to the development of social science publishing in Korea by publishing humanities and social science books that met social demands and academic needs, and who expanded these efforts into literature and books for children and adolescents, publishing more than 2,500 titles; and Han Bongsuk, CEO of Pureunsasang Publishing, who since 1985 has published more than 2,160 print books and 1,200 e-books across academic, literary, general interest, children’s, and youth genres, founded the quarterly magazine ‘Pureunsasang,’ and established new literary awards, thereby supporting the discovery of writers and their creative activities.

The recipients of the Prime Minister Citation are: Hwang Minho, CEO of Daewon C.I., who over 35 years launched numerous comic magazines such as ‘Boy Champ’ and ‘Young Champ,’ published more than 10,000 comic book volumes, laid the groundwork for the K-Webtoon market, and diversified the comics business by connecting comics with games, dramas, and the character industry; and Kim Taeung, CEO of Dongyang Books, who founded Dongyang Munko in 1993 and developed and distributed more than 3,000 types of foreign language learning materials, children’s books, and general interest books.

In addition, 24 individuals, including Kim Eunkyung, adjunct professor at Shingu University, and Cho Eunhee, CEO of Hansol Soobook, will receive Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Citations in recognition of their contributions to the development of the publishing culture industry, such as publishing and distributing quality books and pioneering new markets.

Vice Minister Kim Youngsoo stated, “Books are the foundation of our culture and an asset that must be cherished,” adding, “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will provide tailored support to expand the export of K-Books and publishing intellectual property, and will invigorate the publishing ecosystem and our lives by promoting a culture of reading.”