K-books push deeper into global market at Frankfurt Book Fair

Korean publishers are expanding their reach at this week’s Frankfurt Book Fair, with 15 companies pitching rights deals and aiming to transform book titles into global, multimedia intellectual property.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Publication Industry Promotion Agency are operating an export consultation area at Frankfurt Book Fair from Wednesday through Sunday in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

The 120-square-meter space features publishers including Munhakdongne, Pinkfong, Munpia, Mirae N, Book21 and Changbi, covering literature, picture books and web novels while connecting Korean rights holders with foreign publishers and agencies.

Organizers are also displaying 103 titles from publishers unable to attend in person, with professional agencies handling consultations and follow-up discussions intended to move promising talks toward contracts.

A separate 30-square-meter booth is highlighting 89 titles from 20 publishers and agencies selected for K-Book Global 100, a new program that supports translation and overseas marketing based on individual markets and language regions.

On Friday, three participating companies — Ahn Graphics, Woorischool and TCAgency — are scheduled to pitch books and projects to international publishing officials at an investment event beginning at 10 am.

For the first time, Korea Publication Industry Promotion Agency, Korea Creative Content Agency and Literature Translation Institute of Korea are jointly operating a Korean Pavilion under the theme “Crossroads of Stories,” bringing literature, humanities, picture books, web novels and webtoons into one promotional space.

A publishing-industry networking event is also scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m. with Korean Cultural Center in Germany, bringing together publishing professionals from Germany, Britain, Italy, Japan and other markets.

Kim Jae-hyun, director general of the ministry’s Cultural Media Industry Office, said the fair is an important opportunity to demonstrate the competitiveness of Korean publishing and produce tangible business results.

“This year’s Frankfurt Book Fair serves as a crucial momentum to highlight the diversity of Korean publishing content in the global publishing market and generate tangible business outcomes,” Kim said. “Going beyond exporting K-book copyrights, the Ministry will reinforce field-oriented support to build a robust foundation for global expansion, ensuring that various K-book content intellectual properties (IP) continuously generate added value in the global market.”

The ministry said it aims to move beyond copyright sales and help Korean books generate lasting value through intellectual property across global content markets.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.