‘Bookseller’ Moon Jae-in draws crowds at Seoul International Book Fair

Former President Moon Jae-in greets visitors at the Pyeongsan Bookstore booth during the Seoul International Book Fair 2025 at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Former President Moon Jae-in drew cheers and excitement as he made a surprise appearance at the Seoul International Book Fair 2025 on Wednesday, where his bookstore, Pyeongsan Bookstore, attracted the largest crowd at the event.

“Wow, I can’t believe I just saw former President Moon Jae-in at a book fair,” one visitor said, summing up the general reaction to Moon’s appearance at COEX in southern Seoul.

Pyeongsan Bookstore, which Moon has run since April 2023 in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, joined the annual book fair in Seoul for the first time this year.

Moon arrived at the booth with his wife Kim Jung-sook at around 2:30 p.m., wearing an apron emblazoned with the bookstore’s name. He stayed for about 20 minutes, during which hundreds of visitors swarmed the booth, shouting messages like “We love you,” “You look great” and “We support you.”

Moon responded with a smile, saying, “Thank you.” Also present were Yun Cheol-ho, chairman of the Korean Publishers Association, and poet and former Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan.

Moon also exchanged greetings with writer Baek Chang-hwa, who was holding a signing event at the booth. Holding up Baek’s book, “One Thousand and One Nights at the Forest Bookstore,” Moon recommended it to attendees.

Former President Moon Jae-in meets visitors at the Pyeongsan Bookstore booth during the Seoul International Book Fair 2025 at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Wednesday.

Pyeongsan Bookstore displayed 137 titles at the fair — all personally recommended by Moon on social media before and after his presidency. Before leaving, Moon and Kim shook hands with visitors and thanked them individually.

Moon is also scheduled to attend a poetry talk event on Thursday featuring poets Do Jong-hwan, Ahn Do-hyun and Park Sung-woo. The event, titled “The Closest Time With You: Poetry Recitation,” will take place for 30 pre-selected participants.

Held under the theme “The Last Resort,” the fair runs through Sunday and features over 530 exhibitors from 17 countries.

Advance tickets sold out early on June 9, forcing organizers to cancel on-site ticket sales due to overwhelming demand. This year’s attendance is expected to match last year’s record-setting figure of 150,000 visitors.

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