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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Plot turns for the worse

Hwang Sok-yong decided to take his novel, "Yeowulmulsori," off the market after his publisher was found to have stockpiled the copies of the book to inflate sales records. / Korea Times photo by Park Seo-gangStruggling publishers needed stockpiling scandal like hole in the headBy Kim Tong-hyungAllegations that publishers are inflating the sales of books are another scandal the country’s terminally ill book market can do without.Two of the country’s most celebrated authors, Hwang Sok-yong and Kim Yeon-su, have taken their newest works off the shelves as their reputations and dignity came under threat. Kang Byung-chul, the CEO of Jaeum & Moeum, is stepping down after his publishing house was found to have stockpiled large volumes of the books and fraudulently represented them as being sold.The writers claim they didn’t know about the deception and Kang insists it was an isolated case. However, book industry insiders say publishers hoarding copies is the industry’s worst-kept secret, a habit so-deeply rooted it would require considerable time and effort to cl

May 10, 2013
Plot turns for the worse

Recent book

New Business Paradigm for EntrepreneursMasahisa Kogure; Thoth Publishing; Translated by Lee Ji-hyun: 224 pp., 13,000 wonThe book attempts to provide new ideas on how companies can find a balance between maximizing profit and improving the society it’s doing business in. Kogure’s arguments are backed by his personal experience _ the veteran business consultant also heads a non-profit organization committed to community work and helping companies with corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies.His motivation to write the book came from a simple statistic he didn’t notice until 2007 and found interesting: the world has roughly the same number of people suffering from food shortages as health problems related to obesity. Then, as a consultant for Mckinsey & Company, Kogure established his non-profit organization, ``Table for Two (TFT),’’ aimed at opening new discussions on the divergence between a society’s material success and the wellbeing of its communities.The TFT Healthy Menu Program, which has a dual goal of promoting healthier eating h

May 3, 2013
Recent book

Desperate publishers fight over new Murakami novel

Haruki MurakamiBaek Byung-yeulKorea’s financially-squeezed publishers are ferociously competing to secure the rights to publish the new novel by Japan’s superstar author Haruki Murakami.In a country where book readership is hitting new lows amid a bad economy and explosion of mobile Internet devices, Murakami is one of the few writers capable of moving a large volume of hard copies and paperbacks.In Japan, more than a million copies of his new work, “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage,”were sold in just the first six days of its release in mid-April, surpassing the pace of Murakami’s previous work, ``1 Q84,’’ which needed 12 days to reach that mark.Murakami’s books have always sold well in Korea, where publishers are chasing "Colorless’’ like a pack of starving dogs fighting over a piece of steak. The bidding war is led by major publishers like Gimmyoung Publishers, Minumsa Publishing Group, Munhak Sasang and Munhakdongne Publishing, which sold more than 2 million copies of 1Q84 here.Since his debut in 1979

May 1, 2013
Desperate publishers fight over new Murakami novel

Disconnecting past and present

The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, which opened in December, is under criticism for its glorification of Korea’s rapid industrialization process at the expense of underrepresenting its painful struggle for democratization.                                                                                / Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki “Policies that Rewrite History,” essay collection; Historical CriticismBy Kim Tong-hyungIf Voltaire had the opportunity to observe the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, he might have questioned whether this half-baked institution was a real representation of Korea, its contemporary history, or even a museum.The museum in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, which replaced the old culture ministry building next to the American embassy, opened in December after four years of preparation and a 44.8 bil

Apr 26, 2013By Do Je-hae
Disconnecting past and present

Recent book

Great Marketing IdeasAhn Ik-joon; Aone Books: 208 pp., 12,000 wonAhn, who leads a marketing research institute, attempts to offer a distinctive new business self-help book in a market already overflowing with them. However, his blunt and fast-paced style fails to hide the fact that he fails to go beyond the realms of conventional wisdom.Ahn, as countless other authors before him, claims that success of a project depends more on creativity, sense of purpose and execution rather than the size of the budget. And any project will be unable to reach its full potential without an effective marketing strategy.Brilliant ideas are what attract customers, along with brand image. Corporate social responsibility activities are becoming increasingly important as well. In other news, the sun came up.To his credit, Ahn offers some interesting ideas, such as creating adult-only restaurants with the food and interior based on the theme of sex and explores the possibilities of high-end restaurants opening at expressway rest areas.―BAEK BYUNG-YEUL

Apr 26, 2013
Recent book

Recent books

Living as Crown Prince of Joseon Sim Jae-woo, et al.; Dolbegae: 360 pp., 28,000 wonDolbegae Publishers released the ninth book of its Joseon royal family series which examines the lives of various crown princes; from the time they are born until some acceded to the throne.Seven historians including Sim Jae-woo, professor at the Academy of Korean Studies, researched historical documents such as the Annals of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) to form a broad view of the role of princes during the Joseon era, when royal authority was a divine right.Joseon had 27 kings and 29 crown princes. The royal succession of Joseon was based on male primogeniture, but only seven legitimate eldest sons succeeded to the throne because there were many variables, including a queen’s reproductive ability or power struggles between aristocrats.The book explains the status of a crown prince in Joseon and how they lived and were educated in the palace. It also provides a rich explication of the major rites of passages that the princes went through and sheds light on those who were proclaimed as hei

Apr 19, 2013
Recent books

Recent books

Policies that Rewrite History  Essay collection; Historical Criticism: 252 pp., 15,000 wonThe book is a collection of writings by nine historians and social science professors who share the concern over how politics is increasingly influencing the writing of history textbooks used in middle- and high-schools here. In the seven chapters, the authors attempt to broaden their argument beyond education and provide an opinionated but detailed analysis on how the state’s growing intervention with the interpretation of historical events affects social policies, diplomatic relations with neighboring states, protection of cultural assets and perseverance of official records. The newly opened National Museum of Korean Contemporary History also comes under attack with Seoul National University historian Lee Dong-ki and Sungshin Women’s University’s Hong Suk-ryul reviewing how the preparation process for the institution lacked the participation of historians and was influenced more by politicians under the former Lee Myung-bak government.― Kim Tong-hyung The

Apr 12, 2013
Recent books

Art book master highlights beauty of printed works

German book publisher Gerhard Steidl poses at a press preview of the exhibition “How to Make a Book with Steidl” at the Daelim Museum, central Seoul, Wednesday.                                                     / Courtesy of Daelim MuseumBy Baek Byung-yeulDespite the e-book boom, a German meister in publishing believes that “a renaissance of paper books” is yet to come.Gerhard Steidl, owner of Steidl, an art book publishing company in Germany, visited Korea for the exhibition “How to Make a Book with Steidl,” underway at the Daelim Museum, central Seoul, through Oct. 6.At the press conference on a windy and rainy Wednesday, Steidl, who has been devoted to publishing for 43 years, showed great commitment to books.Steidl, who runs a company that deals with every process of producing books, such as text body type, paper selection, colors and covers, has 50 employees and a press, which runs 24 hours a day. He gets to the o

Apr 12, 2013By Baek Byung-yeul
Art book master highlights beauty of printed works

The value of picture books

Darren Farrell, author of “Doug-Dennis and the Flyaway Fib,” stresses the importance of instilling children with a love for books at a young age.                                                                          / Korea Times photo by Kim Young-jinChildren’s author talks about how books, not iPads, form special family bondsBy Kim Young-jinDespite a flood of technology that has the book industry pondering its future, a local author says picture books may be safe because they offer parents a special chance to wind down and bond with their young ones.Darren Farrell, author of “Doug-Dennis and the Flyaway Fib” (2010), hopes to spread the message that despite the popularity of smartphones and iPads ― devices that challenge the book market ― there’s nothing like a bedtime story.“Picture books are such a special time between parents and children,&rdqu

Apr 9, 2013
The value of picture books

Kyobo's e-book dumping stirs publishing ire

Kyobo Bookstore’s pricing policy for its e-book service, Sam, is angering publishers, who accuse the retailer of setting off a disruptive price competition. / Korea TimesBy Kim Tong-hyungThere were times when electronic book readers and touch-screen devices like the iPad were touted as the saviors of the flagging publishing industry. But something went terribly wrong with the plot and now publishers are found describing e-books as killers rather than manna from heaven.Unlike the previous experiences with journalism, music and films, industries which were irrevocably reshaped by the digital revolution, it seems technology itself isn’t as much a disruptive force for publishing as rapid changes to the market’s economic structure.Through a wave of consolidation that was accompanied with the bad economy in the past decade, the market is now dominated by mega retail chains like Kyobo Bookstore and a few large corporations that control the most influential publishing houses. Diversity was hurt as small publishers were driven out or marginalized, an intellectual vacuum epit

Apr 9, 2013
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