Seoul turns QR codes into portable libraries

A promotional poster for “Crema Club QR”/ Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul is turning its open-air libraries into hybrid reading rooms, turning a QR code into a gateway to thousands of e-books under a new pilot program launched with Korean e-commerce company Yes24.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it has partnered with Yes24 to introduce a location-based e-book service called “Crema Club QR” at three major outdoor library sites across the city.

The service is being rolled out at Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun Square and Cheonggye Stream, all of which have become central hubs of the city’s outdoor reading initiative.

Officials said the system allows users to access free e-books on site simply by scanning a QR code and completing a GPS-based location verification process, eliminating the need for additional sign-ups.

Once verified, readers can access selected titles for five days, turning a park bench into a temporary digital reading room.

The initiative is part of Seoul’s broader effort to expand its outdoor library program, which converts public urban spaces into reading zones designed to make books a visible part of everyday city life.

Yes24 said it joined the project to help make reading a more seamless part of daily routines by linking physical spaces with digital access.

The city said Seoul librarians curated 30 e-book titles for the pilot, organized around themes including work and life, philosophical reflection and literary works best appreciated through slow reading.

Featured titles include “Books Going to Work” by Gu Chae-eun, “The Book of Lost Things” by Lulu Miller and “Bonjour Tristesse” by Françoise Sagan.

The program also includes a multilingual e-book collection aimed at foreign visitors and residents in Korea, reflecting the growing international use of Seoul’s outdoor libraries.

The selection includes “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau, “To the Lighthouse” by Virginia Woolf and “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott, among other globally recognized works.

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