"Heunhan Nam-mae 21" Tops Both Major Bookstores
In the fourth week of December, according to the comprehensive bestseller list released by Yes24, the new comic book "Heunhan Nam-mae 21" by the popular YouTuber "Heunhan Nam-mae," who has 3.01 million subscribers, took the top spot. Choi Taeseong's commentary on the Three Kingdoms, "The Minimum Required Three Kingdoms," ranked second, while Hwang Sokyong's new full-length novel "Halmae," his first new work in five years, came in third. Lee Kwangsoo's "Stock Investment for Progress" climbed one spot from the previous week to take fourth place, and the children's communication book "If You Want to Be a Popular Friend, Try Saying This," written by an active elementary school teacher, ranked fifth.
As the week included the Christmas holiday, children's books showed strong performance. Both "Heunhan Nam-mae 21" and its "Special Limited Edition," which comes with goods commemorating the 10th anniversary and cumulative sales of 10 million copies, saw their sales increase by 20.6% and 114.2%, respectively, compared to the previous week, ranking first and ninth overall. Including "If You Want to Be a Popular Friend, Try Saying This," a total of three children's books were in the top ten.
With the full-fledged winter vacation season underway, exam preparation books also ranked high. "2026 Big Star Teacher Choi Taeseong's Special Korean History for the Korean History Proficiency Test (Advanced Levels 1, 2, 3) Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2," which prepare students for the 77th Korean History Proficiency Test in February 2026, ranked eighth and tenth, respectively. The TOEIC study books "ETS TOEIC Official Test Questions 1000 Vol. 5 RC" and "LC" also entered the top 20, ranking nineteenth and twentieth.
The popularity of Korean novels continued at the end of the year. Hwang Sokyong's "Halmae" (third), Seong Haena's "Honmono" (seventh), Gu Byeongmo's "Jeolchchang 切創 (Black Edition)" (fourteenth), Kim Aeran's "I Said Goodbye" (sixteenth), and Yang Gwija's "Contradiction" (eighteenth) all maintained strong positions. In particular, "Jeolchchang 切創 (Black Edition)" drew renewed attention with a recovered edition celebrating 100,000 copies sold just three months after its release, with readers in their 20s and 30s accounting for 43.2% of its audience.
Chef Woo Jungwook, who appeared on the popular Netflix show "The Devil's Plan: Cook Class War Season 2," saw his cookbook "Superpan Woo Jungwook Recipe" rank second in the home and lifestyle category. Thanks to the show's popularity, since its release on December 13, it has attracted high interest from female readers in their 40s and 50s (65.3%). His 2019 cooking essay "Woo Jungwook's Meal" also surged back to sixth place in the same category.
At Kyobo Bookstore as well, "Heunhan Nam-mae 21" took the top spot on the overall chart upon its release. Marking the 10th anniversary of the series, this volume achieved its thirteenth weekly number one ranking, demonstrating its steady popularity. It dethroned "Trend Korea 2026," which had held the top spot for 12 consecutive weeks, once again highlighting the influence of young readers.
Lee Kwangsoo's "Stock Investment for Progress" entered the overall chart at number three immediately after its release. This is attributed to the increased interest in financial management and stock investment at the end of the year.
The year-end enthusiasm for reading novels also continued. Kim Aeran's "I Said Goodbye," which was selected as the "Novel of the Year" by 50 novelists chosen by Kyobo Bookstore, jumped 15 places to reach eighth overall. This reflects the choices of readers seeking proven works.
Interest in studying English has also risen, with "Kelly Teacher's Routine English" newly entering the chart at thirteenth overall. This appears to reflect the demand from readers determined to pursue self-improvement ahead of the new year.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
