The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister PARK Bo Gyoon, MCST) held the “Ceremony of K-Book” at the Songpa Book Museum in Seoul on June 7 (Wed). Publishers, literature, libraries, bookstores, and MZ (Millennial-Z) generation readers were present at the ceremony.

This ceremony was a place where workers related to books became protagonists and talked about the vision and development of K-books. Minister PARK listened to the stories of active, incumbent writers and industry workers and cheered the protagonists as a strong supporter for the splendid leap of K-books.

Minister PARK said, “We stand in the middle of a revolution brought about by technological innovations, such as generative artificial intelligence (AI). As crises and uncertainties increase, the more I think about the power of language and books. Books are the source of imagination and the foundation of K-culture. After taking office as minister, I could feel the strong desires of the people to write, publish, and read various books while traveling. In response to this, policy departments, such as publishing, literature, library, and content will become one team to provide tighter and more systematic support.”

 K-book translations/exports, introduction of library specialization cases, etc., K-book concert with famous writers

During the ceremony, HONG Soon Cheol (CEO of BC Agency, which specializes in export of publications), who has led the overseas expansion of various books, such as “I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki,” introduced K-books’ translations and exports, while PARK Yeong Ae, Section Manager of the Library Division of Uijeongbu City Hall presented a specialized case of a library that can act as the basis for K-book enjoyment.

A K-book concert was also held to hear the stories directly from the writers. Booktuber KIM Gyeo Ul (YouTube channel “Winter Bookstore”) hosted the panel, and famous writers, such as Andersen Award-winning picture book illustrator and author LEE Suzy, novelist CHANG Kang Myoung, poet AHN Hee Yeon, editor-in-chief and writer EOM Ji Hye, cartoonist and Korean linguist KIM Seul Ong, etc., attended.

 Establishment of the 4·F strategies of Future, First-runner, Barrier-Free, and Fair

The Ministry has prepared the “4·F Promotion Strategy” so that K-books can be globally recognized as the foundation of K-culture and produce winners of the world’s three major literature awards. The four strategies are: sustainable books and content exports for the future; books that can act as a new first-runner in the field; books that can benefit everyone regardless of region, social environment, or disability (barrier-free), and books that are created on the basis of a fair creative ecosystem.[1]

▮ Establishing a sustainable industrial ecosystem: support for single-person and small publishers, e-publishing, and local bookstores

The MCST will expand the target of support to assist in the growth of publishers, the main producers of K-books. In particular, by reflecting the aspirations and characteristics of the MZ generation, who want to express and realize themselves in writing, support will be expanded so that anyone can publish books. To support the growth of small and medium-sized publishers, including individual and regional publishers, comprehensive support will be provided over several year.

The Ministry will strengthen support for the electronic publishing industry to align with the evolving global publishing landscape across various forms of media. This will include expanding support for audiobook and e-book production, promoting the research and development (R&D) of new technologies in the publishing field, improving distribution and service models for digital publications, and facilitating digital innovation and transformation in the publishing sector.

As a stepping stone for the continuation of K-books, support for local bookstores will also be strengthened. The Ministry will establish a digital book logistics system to advance regional book logistics and enhance competitiveness as a cultural space through supporting cultural activities in bookstores and providing consultations on improving old bookstore facilities.

▮ K-book export support: A new growth field for manpower training, publication IP exports, and translation support

The MCST will nurture new talents in the newly expanding fields of K-books, such as web novels. A support project will be launched for 30 people in 2023 and 60 people in 2024 to nurture web novel writers and producers, and new translation and editing personnel will be supported. In addition, regular fact-finding surveys to establish industry statistics for web novels will be conducted to identify the current state of the industry and use them as the basis for support policies.

Book exchange events held at home and abroad, such as the Seoul International Book Fair (June) and the Sharjah International Book Fair (November), will broaden overseas readership, while the K-Book Copyright Market and business export consultations (Japan, Thailand, France) will be held to stimulate K-book exports. In addition, the Ministry will hold customized exchange events centered on overseas cultural centers in 10 countries around the world and continue to nurture export experts (about 120 people) to strengthen export capabilities.

Translation support is also expanding. The Ministry will expand translation/publishing support for overseas publishers (219 cases in 2023) from strategic regions, including countries with high market potential and acceptance, such as South America and the Middle East, as well as countries where K-books have actively advanced, such as the UK, France to support customized translation.

▮ Books that can be enjoyed by all regardless of region, social environment, and disability: Making libraries and regional literature centers cultural landmarks, strengthening e-book accessibility for people with disabilities

The MCST will vitalize libraries and local literature centers so that people can enjoy reading culture activities regardless of region. The National Library will strengthen online and offline accessibility to become a knowledge and culture platform that can nurture the people’s intelligence and cultural imagination.

By creating an e-book production and distribution environment that guarantees accessibility for people with disabilities, the Ministry will guarantee fair opportunities to access various books regardless of disabilities. It will support production costs so that publishers can consider accessibility during e-book planning, support for the conversion of e-books for section, and improve accessibility for private e-book platform viewers to provide convenience to people with disabilities.

▮ Establishment of a fair creative ecosystem: Copyright protection for new creators from the MZ generation, provision of creative spaces

The Ministry aims to establish standardized contracts as the foundation for fair agreements to create a fair creative ecosystem where emerging creators can devote themselves to their artistic activities. It plans to develop sector-specific standard contract templates, starting with the introduction of a standard contract for web novels to improve practices, such as oral agreements. For webtoons, the Ministry will drive the comprehensive revision and development of existing standard contracts, including publishing contracts, e-book publication contracts, and secondary transfer contracts for webtoon serialization, with six types of contracts being updated or newly established.

To strengthen legal consultation services for new creators, the Copyright Legal Support Center has been operating since April and on-site copyright education will also be expanded. While cracking down on the illegal duplication and distribution of publications centered on universities, it will also conduct promotional activities to prevent illegal copying targeting online community users and college students. For competent emerging creators, a creative space, such as a resident artist’s studio, will also be provided in the library.

In line with the objectives of the “The Ceremony of K-Book,” the MCST plans to develop the “2nd Basic Plan for Promotion of Literature” (2023–2027) to facilitate a major leap in K-literature. Also, the Ministry will introduce the “4th Basic Plan for Promotion of Reading Culture” (2024–2028), which will outline directions for promoting digital literacy and fostering reading in the MZ and Alpha generations. Furthermore, there are plans to establish the “4th Comprehensive Library Advancement Plan” (2024–2028) to realize K-libraries that cater to the needs of the people.

This year’s “Sejong Book Project” was promoted by supplementing and improving some operational problems, and it will continue discussions while closely communicating with the publishing field about fundamental improvements, such as the operational direction of the project in the future.