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| Bookpark is in Blue Square in Hannam-dong, Seoul. / Courtesy of Bookpark |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The 21st century might be the era when paper books are threatened with extinction, but the charm of flipping through pages of traditional books cannot be beaten. People still buy paper books and despite the prevalent online shopping experience, they even go to brick-and-mortar bookstores to browse the shelves.
A new bookstore filled with science and art books in Seoul's hip Itaewon area diversifies a book lover's experience.
Bookpark, on the third floor of Blue Square, which also houses two large theaters staging the Broadway hit "Kinky Boots," has some 50,000 books solely on science, art and humanities, which is rare in Korea. Science books take up most of the shelves and the categorization of books on sale ranges from the basic "Understanding of Science" to the more detailed "Mathematics" and "Brain Science."
"It's a nice place to spend time in Itaewon," said Kim In-hee, an office worker who visited the bookstore last week. "I have a ticket for tonight's 'Kinky Boots' and can browse some books before curtain time here. I like how the bookstore has a lot of reading space and matching books and science items on shelves together."
Kaos Hall, an auditorium that can accommodate 300 people, and a seminar room for 40 people, are also on the third floor. The bookstore has a gallery and a cafe with a view of Namsan Mountain, adding a nice touch to the browsing and reading experience.
Gallery Artpark is hosting the "Contemporaries" exhibit, featuring hyper-realistic oil paintings by contemporary Korean artists.
Bookpark is operated by the Kaos Foundation, established by Interpark Holdings chairman and CEO Lee Ki-hyung, reflecting the founder's interest in basic science.
"Bookpark aims to be a place where visitors can read books comfortably as they enjoy a park, and we try to provide quality books for them," a Kaos Foundation official said. "Itaewon is a popular tourist destination in Seoul but did not have a proper bookstore. Bookpark will promote the reading experience and vitalize tourism."
The foundation will hold lectures and concerts at Bookpark and the proceeds from the bookshop go to the foundation, which promotes science.
The foundation's 2016 fall lecture series, "The Earth," began in September and runs through November every Wednesday at Kaos Hall in Bookpark.
Bookpark is near exit No. 2 of Hangangjin Station on subway line 6. It opens from 10 a.m. until midnight year-round, except for the Seollal and Chuseok holidays. For more information, visit www.ikaos.org or call 02-6004-8106.
