70-year-old Sinchon bookstore defies decline with staff bond

Six employees pose ahead of their book club meeting on the fourth floor of Hongik Mungo in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, July 29. The group gathered to discuss Albert Camus' "The Stranger." Korea Times photo by Chang Lian-cherng

By Hankookilbo

• Published Aug 8, 2026 12:00 AM KST

2nd-generation ownership, employee devotion preserve Sinchon's landmark Hongik Mungo as independent bookshops close nationwide

Seven people gathered around a small table for a lively discussion of Albert Camus' "The Stranger" in the fifth-floor lounge of Hongik Mungo in Seoul's Seodaemun District on July 29. The staff reading club calls itself Odok Odok, a pun combining the number five of the fifth-floor and reading in Korean.

"Just as light casts shadows, truth comes with discomfort," one member said. "Isn't the sun in the novel a device that reveals the truth?"

"The sun cannot be avoided and keeps following him around. So I thought it was the inescapable fact of his mother's death," another member said. "Even while sunbathing or on a date, his mother's death keeps weighing on his mind."

The participants first met as co-workers. Five of the bookstore's eight current employees participate in the club, gathering before their afternoon shifts to talk. Two former employees pursued other book-related careers, but they still return to their former workplace every month. The club has forged a bond extending beyond the store.

Hongik Mungo, located just outside Sinchon Station on Seoul Subway Line 2, has been a fixture in Sinchon for nearly 70 years. The late founder, Park In-cheol, started with a street book stall in 1957, and the store moved into its current five-story building in 1978.

Park Se-jin, the second-generation owner of the seven-decade-old bookstore, continues to run the business. The 58-year-old owner could have leased the building to commercial tenants for significantly more money, but he decided to keep the bookstore open to honor his father's dying wish. This decision has helped the store withstand competition from major chains and online retailers, as well as redevelopment pressures in the Sinchon area.

Employees see the bookstore as more than just a business. For Lee Na-won, 40, the store offers what she called an "emotional salary." The seven employees, ranging in age from their 20s to 40s, shared surprisingly similar stories about how they came to work there: They specifically searched for a bookstore job, but Hongik Mungo was the only one hiring in the Seoul area.

Their experience reflects a national trend. According to a 2024 survey by the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, the country had 2,331 local bookstores, down 35 percent from 3,589 in 2003. The survey found that 49.5 percent of responding bookstores recorded annual sales below 100 million won ($67,800).

Employees see the downturn firsthand. They said that while test preparation books still sell reasonably well, sales of university textbooks have fallen because students now read them on tablets. Employee Nam Bo-ra, 31, said she sometimes feels powerless because the publishing sector is widely described as an industry in decline.

"We keep contemplating what more we can do to keep going," Nam said. "Since everyone working together here is deeply committed to the store, everyone seems to feel personally responsible for the store's future."

Lee, who has worked there for four years, said that service was the one area where the store could distinguish itself from major chains.

"I really try to give our local residents warmer, more attentive service," Lee said. "I make it a point to track down the right book, even from the smallest details."

The store's "Secret Book" selection program grew out of the staff's search for something only a local bookstore could offer. Employees select books based on various themes — such as "summer" that day — and wrap them in opaque paper bags, hiding the titles, authors and covers. Customers must choose without knowing the title, relying solely on staff recommendation notes and selected passages written on the outside.

"Staff at the big chain bookstores can never make personal recommendations like this," Nam said. "But our boss gives us a lot of freedom to run with our own ideas."

The club, which contributes to their "emotional salary," began in 2023 and has developed annual traditions. Members read works by Nobel literature laureates in November and hold a year-end gathering to mark finishing their reading list in December. They also set an annual theme, choosing world literature for this year.

When asked why they chose literature, one member replied, "Everyone chose it because we like literature, but one member said, 'Isn't holding a reading club focused on literature perhaps the very identity of Hongik Mungo?'"

The observation rang true. In that sense, the bookstore itself is rather like literature. Its value cannot be strictly measured in dollars, but it brings meaning to the community where it has taken root, becoming beloved by many people despite defying conventional business logic.

"I think people read books because they want to live better, happier lives," Lee said. "I hope Hongik Mungo also becomes a place that leaves visitors happier."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.