Kyobo Bookstore marks 30th anniversary

By Chung Ah-young

Kyobo Bookstore, the nation’s largest and most famous bookstore, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

Established in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on June 1, 1981 Kyobo Bookstore opened while the nation was going through dramatic changes in social, economic and political fields.

Since its inception, the bookstore has sought to become a cultural space in which visitors can freely read books and enjoy diverse learning events by shedding its old and conventional image.

Currently, it has 10 stores in seven cities but the main and most popular one is the Gwanghwamun store. The Gwanghwamun store attracts some 15 million visitors a year and about 10 million books are sold annually.

In 1991, the main store was renovated to standards of a world-class facility and in 2010 the bookstore was once again transformed to become an innovative cultural space by offering offline and online services as well as customer-oriented corners.

Most notably, the bookstore has been a meeting place between Nobel Prize winners in Literature and other influential figures and readers.

To commemorate the anniversary, the bookstore conducted a survey on “Great Authors” from May 4 to 15 by questioning some 20,000 readers. The readers selected the top 10 authors whom they would like to meet. The selected writers were Gong Ji-young, Kwon Bi-young, Kim Jin-myung, Shin Kyung-sook, Yoo Hong-jun, Yi Mun-yol, Lee Oi-soo, Lee Hae-in, Cho Chang-in and Choi In-ho.

Yoo will hold a lecture about cultural heritages on June 18 while Kwon and Kim will meet readers and give lectures on history on July 2.

Gong and Lee will take readers on a literature tour to Mt. Jiri while Choi and Yi will hold a talk about Korean literature in July. In August, Lee Oi-soo will meet his fans to talk about youth in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province. Shin and Cho are scheduled to talk about Korean mothers and fathers in September.

A special exhibition will also be held at the bookstore to highlight “30 Big Brands” including Minumsa and Gimmyoung Publisher which have influenced the Korean publishing market over the last 30 years. Some 300 books from 30 publishers will be exhibited in Gwanghwamun and through the Internet Kyobo Bookstore until June 30.

In order to nurture literature of the future, the bookstore has selected 10 rising authors and will promote their works throughout June 30.