Seoul book fair starts 5-day run at COEX
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Visitors congest the halls of the COEX convention center in southern Seoul during the first day of last year’s Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF). / Courtesy of Korean Publishers Association
By Baek Byung-yeul
The 19th annual Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF), the country’s biggest publishing industry event, will begin its five-day run Wednesday at the COEX convention center in southern Seoul.
More than 600 publishing houses from 25 countries are expected to take part in this year’s event, which is expected to be the largest ever. Established in 1995, the SIBF, organized by the Korean Publishers Association (KPA) and financially supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has been a critical event for local and international publishers and the reading public.
The trade fair will be complemented by special events, like a special exhibition commemorating the works of late novelist and poet Kim Dong-ri, whose definitive works like "Munyeodo’’ were influential in shaping Korean literature in the early 20th century.
More than 20 of the country’s most popular authors are scheduled to engage with their readers at the fair. They include Park Bum-shin, the author of many bestselling novels including "A Muse,’’ the story about a 70-year-old poet who falls in love with a high school girl that was recently made into a movie, and retired politician Rhyu Si-min, who published his autobiography "How to Live in February.’’
"Under the theme 'Book, Human and the Future,’ the SIBF will provide a critical gathering place for industry people and also visitors who enjoy the book culture,’’ Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong said in a statement.
India was named ``Guest of Honor’’ for this year’s event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations. Over 1,000 works by Indian publishers will be displayed during the fair, including"Books on and by Mahatma Gandhi,’’ "Hundred years of Indian cinema,’’ "Children’s literature,’’ "Nobel laureates from India’’ and "Indian literature in English translation.’’
Countries such as China, Japan and France were designated as guests of honors in previous events.
Also this year, Canada was chosen as the country for "Culture Focus,’’ celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Korea. At the country’s booth, the works of four prominent Canadian writers including Margaret Atwood, the author of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” will be highlighted.
The SIBF will run through Sunday, June 23. The venue is located near exit 5 of Samseong Station, subway line 2. Tickets cost 1,000 won for students and children and 3,000 won for adults. For more information, visit sibf.or.kr/en/.