Promotional artwork for the traveling K-book fair in Hanoi, Vietnam / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Korean books are finding a growing audience far beyond Seoul, and now the government is betting that Southeast Asia could become the next major frontier for K-book exports.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday it would hold traveling book fairs in Hanoi and Bangkok this week as part of a broader push to expand the overseas market for Korean publishing content.
The Hanoi event runs Sunday through Monday at the Grand Vista Hanoi Hotel, while the Bangkok fair will take place Wednesday through Thursday at the Amari Bangkok Hotel.
The ministry said 20 Korean publishers, including MiraeN, Woori School, Woongjin Thinkbig and Hansol Soobook, will participate in export consultations with local publishers and media companies from Vietnam and Thailand.
The government said interest in Korean publishing content has risen sharply across Southeast Asia in recent years. In Vietnam, Korean educational books, children’s titles and practical books have gained traction, while in Thailand, the success of dramas and films adapted from Korean webtoons and web novels has fueled interest in Korean intellectual property.
Among the participating companies are Vietnam’s Kim Dong Publishing House and Alpha Books, as well as Thailand’s Amarin Group and Nanmeebooks, the ministry said.
The traveling book fairs, launched in 2015, have become one of the government’s primary export promotion programs for the publishing industry.
The ministry said books used during the consultations would later be donated to Korean cultural centers in Vietnam and Thailand to help local readers continue accessing Korean titles.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
