The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister CHAE Hwi-young, MCST), together with the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA), announced the final selection of 20 project proposals for support under the “K-Book Global 100 Project,” a new initiative launched this year.

The K-Book Global 100 Project was established to diversify the export markets and genres of K-Books amid the growing global reach of K-Content, thereby boosting K-Book exports worldwide. With an annual budget of KRW 1 billion, the project aims to export 100 representative titles over five years. It will identify Korean books with strong global competitiveness and provide comprehensive, stage-by-stage support—from the planning phase through the translation of promotional materials, export consulting, overseas publication, and local marketing and promotion.

To select recipients for this initiative, the MCST gathered industry input in advance, developed the call-for-proposals framework, and conducted an open call from March 4 to 26. A total of 72 Korean publishers and agencies submitted proposals covering 278 titles across diverse categories—including literary fiction, children’s and young adult literature, and non-fiction—after which a review process led to the selection of 20 project proposals encompassing 90 titles in total. A selection committee composed of publishing and export specialists evaluated proposals based on feasibility, market suitability, content excellence, and international capabilities. The selected proposals span a wide range of categories, including literary fiction, picture books, history, genre fiction, educational content, and graphic novels. Through this initiative, the MCST plans to identify emerging authors and diverse content based on publishing intellectual property (IP), showcasing the diversity and competitiveness of K-Books to the world.

Among the selected proposals are: Munhakdongne’s “K-Literature Expanding onto the Screen: Munhakdongne Book-to-Film 5 Selections”; Safehouse’s “The Infinite Spectrum of K-Speculative Fiction”; Ahn Graphics’ “The Natural Aesthetics of Korea: A Language of Space, Time, and the Senses”; and Hintoki Press’ “A Contemporary Reimagining and Global Expansion of Traditional Korean Stories.”

Full-Cycle Support: From Translation and Export Consultation to Overseas Publication and Local Promotion

The selected proposals will finalize agreements by May before entering the stage-by-stage support phase, which will also include tailored consultations. Opportunities to participate in international book fairs and receive export consultation will also be provided. In particular, a “K-Book Global 100” Special Pavilion will be operated at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair to concentrate efforts on overseas promotion. Following the publication of translated editions, overseas promotional efforts will be undertaken to reach diverse readers in overseas markets.

KIM Jae-hyeon, Deputy Minister of the Cultural and Media Industry Office at the MCST, stated, “We hope that the integrated export support initiative, newly launched this year, will help diversify our existing export markets and genres and achieve tangible export results.” He added, “We will provide careful and dedicated support to ensure that titles with strong export competitiveness establish a foothold in global markets, enabling K-Books to bring fresh momentum to the global publishing market.”