Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Seoul International Book Fair to return in grand scale

Official posters for the Seoul International Book Fair 2022, featuring the event's three ambassadors ― from left, Korean authors Eun Hee-kyung and Kim Young-ha, and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Colson Whitehead / Courtesy of the Korean Publishers Association By Park Han-solThe Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF) 2022, known as the largest book and publishing trade show in Korea, will return to a grand scale next month at COEX in southern Seoul, as a new kind of book fair tailored to the ongoing pandemic situation. Book lovers from across the country are expected to flock to the annual event to attend a series of lectures, seminars and exhibitions ― hosted by the Korean Publishers Association under the theme of, “One Small Step,” from June 1 to 5.This year's edition will invite over 180 local companies, as well as international pavilions and publishers from a dozen countries.The guest country of honor for the five-day fair is Colombia ― the first time fo

May 12, 2022By Park Han-sol

Seoul International Book Fair to return in grand scale

Poet and democracy activist Kim Ji-ha dies at 81

Kim Ji-ha / YonhapKim Ji-ha, a Korean poet and democracy activist who was imprisoned for being critical of the authoritarian government in the 1970s, died at the age of 81 on Sunday, a source said.Kim died at his home with his family at his bedside at around 4 p.m. in Wonju, 132 kilometers east of Seoul, after suffering from a disease for about a year, according to the source at the Toji Cultural Foundation."His conditions abruptly deteriorated, so we called emergency services, but he just passed away," the source said.Born in 1941, he majored in aesthetics at Seoul National University and began his career as a poet in 1969, publishing poems such as "The Yellow Earth."He drew attention from the public but also ran afoul with the dictatorial Park Chung-hee government when he published a poem entitled "The Five Bandits" in 1970, which scathingly criticized rich and well-heeled people in a satirical way. He was arrested for penning the work. In 1974, Kim was sentenced to death for allegedly instigating a group of students in cahoots with North Korea to overthrow the authoritarian govern

May 8, 2022

Poet and democracy activist Kim Ji-ha dies at 81

'Jikji' project to shed new light on world's oldest surviving book printed with metal type

Pages of “Jikji,” the oldest surviving book printed with movable metal type / Courtesy of National Archives of Korea By Park Han-solA collaborative international research project launched last year to analyze the 918-1392 Goryeo era's Buddhist scripture “Jikji Simche Yojeol,” better known as “Jikji,” is taking a new step forward with a grant awarded by the Washington, D.C.-based National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).“From Jikji to Gutenberg,” led by the UNESCO International Centre for Documentary Heritage (ICDH) and the University of Utah's J. Willard Marriott Library, is a joint research project involving over 50 scholars from 25 prominent institutions, including the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution and Gutenberg Museum in Germany.Its aim is to study Jikji and the Gutenberg Bible ― historic, cultural artifacts that are believed to be the origins of print practices in Eastern Asia and Western Europe, respectively.Both relics were inscribed in UNESC

May 6, 2022By Park Han-sol

'Jikji' project to shed new light on world's oldest surviving book printed with metal type

INTERVIEW Lee So-eun tells of her workplace struggles, identity crisis

Singer-turned-lawyer Lee So-eun / Courtesy of Suo BooksSinger-turned-lawyer discusses her new book, "Who I Am Now is Enough"By Kwak Yeon-sooFor singer-turned-lawyer Lee So-eun, writing a book is a chance to stop and reflect upon a period in all its complexity, to make sense of her choices and record those moments in her own words. After she left the music industry to attend Northwestern University's law school in the U.S. in 2009, she wrote about her experiences, growth and thoughts about her career change in her first book, “Ttanttara Girl Goes to Law School” (2012). Lee debuted in 1998 at the age of 16 with her album, “Girl.” She juggled studying and performing onstage during her high school and college years. After graduating from college here, Lee said she craved a change and appreciated the broader skill set that a law school could provide.The case of her father being wrongfully fired from a university for participating in the democracy movement during the 1980s authoritarian regime also acted as a catalyst for change.“I believed a legal education w

May 4, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] Lee So-eun tells of her workplace struggles, identity crisis

Colombian authors to take center stage at Seoul book fair

Visitors to the Bogota International Book Fair check Korean books at the Korean Pavilion at Corferias in Bogota, Colombia, last week. Korea was invited to the second-largest book fair in Latin America as a guest of honor and Colombia will present its literature as a guest of honor at the Seoul International Book Fair in June in celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Courtesy of Bogota International Book FairBy Kwon Mee-yooKorea and Colombia are strengthening ties through literature as the two countries commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. Seoul was the first to dispatch a group of authors to the 2022 Bogota International Book Fair, which ran from April 19 to May 2, and Colombian writers will attend the Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF) from June 1 to 5 as guests of honor.Colombian Ambassador to Korea Juan Carlos Caiza said the two countries' relations began in the 1950-53 Korean War, but have since expanded to culture and innovation during a press conference announcing the two countries' book fairs. "It is a

May 2, 2022By Kwon Mee-yoo

Colombian authors to take center stage at Seoul book fair

'Pachinko' novel publishing contract up in the air

Munhak Sasang halted online sales of the best-selling novel “Pachinko” on April 13. Screenshot from Yes24By Lee Yeon-woo Following the popularity of Apple TV+ drama “Pachinko,” a growing number of Korean readers are seeking the Korean-translated version of the original novel. But it has become ― and may be for some more time ― challenging to spot volumes of the two-part book on the bookshelves in Korea due to a publishing contract issue.Munhak Sasang, which made the first publishing contract for a Korean version of the book here in 2018, announced its failure to renew the contract on April 21, the last day of the contract. During the negotiations, the publishing company gradually retrieved the remaining copies of the book from offline bookstores and stopped selling them online on April 12.It is known in publishing circles that the Eric Yang Agency, representing author Min Jin Lee, asked for a minimum guarantee of $200,000 in royalties as a condition for the deal. Popular authors tend to receive royalties at the time of contract and additional payments are made

Apr 27, 2022By Lee Yeon-woo

'Pachinko' novel publishing contract up in the air

Popular novelist Lee Oi-soo dies at 75

Novelist Lee Oi-soo speaks during a press conference in this March 2014 file photo. Korea Times file Lee Oi-soo, a maverick bestselling novelist known for his uniquely unconventional, insightful views about life, died of pneumonia Monday. He was 75.Lee died at around 8 p.m. at a hospital in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, while he was fighting the illness after being infected with COVID-19 in early March, according to his family.The writer had been undergoing rehabilitation since he collapsed due to cerebral hemorrhage in March 2020. He had suffered multiple ailments, including gastric cancer, in recent years.Born in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province, in 1946, he studied education in college and worked briefly as a teacher at a small branch school.Lee started his literary career in 1975 with the prize-winning novella "The Medal" and then earned fame with his first full-length novel "The Dreaming Plants" (1978) for his delicate emotions and signature idiosyncratic writ

Apr 25, 2022

'Pachinko' becomes local best-selling book

The novel “Pachinko" topped the best-selling list of Kyobo Book Center. Korea Times fileBy Lee Gyu-leeThe novel “Pachinko” has become the best-selling book in Korea about four years after its release in the country, as its live-action adaptation on Apple TV+ has been gaining popularity.The book, written by Korean American novelist Min Jin Lee, has topped the weekly bestsellers list for its second week in April. It soared to the top from the fifth spot on the list last week. The Korean-translated version of the book, which came out in March 2018, regained attention following the release of Apple TV+'s original series of the same name. Sales for the two-part book surged drastically by about 15 times last month compared to the same period last year, according to the local online bookstore Aladdin.Despite its growing sale, the book's publisher, Munhak Sasangsa, halted the sales of both volumes of the books Tuesday, saying it may not keep up with the demand for the book in time for publishing contract renewal with the author. It said that the current publishing contract

Apr 18, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

'Pachinko' becomes local best-selling book

Publishing rights to 'Cursed Bunny' sold to major US publisher

The cover of Korean novelist Chung Bora's "Cursed Bunny" (2021), translated by Anton Hur / Courtesy of Honford StarThe publishing rights to "Cursed Bunny," a novel by Korean author Chung Bora shortlisted for this year's International Booker Prize, has been sold to a major American publisher, the book's local agency here said Wednesday.According to Greenbook Agency, it signed a deal with Algonquin Books, a publisher of literary fiction and narrative nonfiction under Hachette Book Group, to sell the rights to publish the book in print, audio and electronic versions in the United States.Based in New York, Hachette Book Group is one of the biggest publishing companies in the U.S., issuing more than 1,600 books per year.Greenbook Agency said it has sold or is about to sell the local publishing rights of "Cursed Bunny" to 15 countries, including Japan, China, Spain and Germany.Published in Korea in 2017, "Cursed Bunny" is a collection of 10 science-fiction short stories on curses and revenge. Its English translation, published by Honford Star of Britain, was among the six finalists for the

Apr 13, 2022

Publishing rights to 'Cursed Bunny' sold to major US publisher

Korea to participate in this year's Bogota book fair as honorary guest

A poster for the program organized by Koreans at the 2022 Bogota International Book Fair / Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Korea will take part as a guest of honor in the Bogota International Book Fair (FILBO) set to open in Colombia's capital this month to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the South Korean culture ministry said Wednesday.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the country will hold various exhibitions, seminars as well as literary and cultural events under the theme of "togetherness, convivencia" at the fair. Launched in 1988, FILBO is the second-largest event of its kind in South America, where an average of 600,000 people visit every year. This year's edition will run from Tuesday to May 2 with about 600 companies from around the world attending. It will be held in-person for the first time since 2019.On display will be about 100 Korean books that deal with the theme, an antho