"Trend Korea 2026" Tops December Sales... "The Boy Is Coming" Leads Annual Rankings

December Book Sales Reach 179.4 Billion Won
Up 4.5% Compared to the Same Month Last Year

The Korea Publishing and Culture Industry Promotion Agency has released the "Top 200 Notable Books of December" through the Integrated Publishing Distribution Information System. This list was compiled based on sales data from Kyobo Bookstore, Yes24, Aladin, Youngpoong Bookstore, and 375 local bookstores nationwide, ranking the best-selling books for the month of December.

The best-selling book in December was "Trend Korea 2026," which has held the top spot for three consecutive months. Other top sellers included "The Minimum Story of the Three Kingdoms" by Choi Taesung, "Heunhan Nam-mae 21," the Akutagawa Prize winner "Goethe Said Everything," "Honmono" by Sung Haena, and "Jamong Salgu Club" by Han Roro. Total book sales revenue for December reached 179.4 billion won, up 35.3% from the previous month and 4.5% from the same month last year.

In the annual sales ranking for 2025, which was announced at the same time, "The Boy Is Coming" by Han Kang took first place. "Contradiction" and "Honmono" followed, while Han Kang's "The Vegetarian," "We Do Not Say Goodbye," and "Light and Thread" were also ranked within the top 50. Annual sales revenue for 2025 reached 1.7727 trillion won, an increase of 0.7% compared to the previous year.

An official from the Integrated Publishing Information System noted that while December sales surged due to year-end demand, the annual growth rate remained limited, emphasizing the need for continuous content development and marketing strategies to sustain reader interest.