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From Master Chef to writer, Choi Kang-rok shares his quiet struggles, new dreams
Known for his creative ideas and star turns on reality shows like Netflix’s "Culinary Class Wars," chef Choi Kang-rok appeared at the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair on Wednesday not with a knife, but with a pen in hand — and a surprising amount of self-doubt. “I’m very embarrassed to put my life into a book,” said Choi, 47, a well-known introvert, speaking slowly but candidly to a crowd at Coex. He attended the book fair as the author of “Cooking for Life,” his first essay collection and sec
June 19, 2025 -
Seoul International Book Fair opens to record crowds, famous faces
On the opening morning of the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair, the exhibition hall at Coex in Gangnam-gu was already packed with eager visitors. By the time the doors officially opened at 10 a.m. Wednesday, a seemingly endless queue had formed, snaking around the venue — a scene that spoke volumes about the fair’s popularity. Tickets for the event, which runs through Sunday, were already sold out before opening day via online reservations. No on-site ticket sales are available, with exception
June 18, 2025 -
The visionary behind Seoul’s London Bagel Museum on building more than a bakery
One of Seoul’s most buzzed-about bakeries, London Bagel Museum, became an instant hit when it opened its doors in Anguk-dong, Jongno, in 2021 -- and it still draws long lines four years later. Behind the wildly successful brand is Ryo, whose real name is Lee Hyo-jung, the visionary and brand director who has had a hand in nearly every detail, from recipe development to interior aesthetics, not only of London Bagel Museum, but also of Artist Bakery -- known for its salt butter bread -- as well as
June 17, 2025 -
Yes24 CEOs apologize, offer compensation after 5-day ransomware shutdown
Yes24, Korea’s largest online bookstore and a major player in the ticketing industry, has issued a formal apology from its CEOs and announced the first round of compensation measures following a crippling ransomware attack that shut down its entire system for five days. Co-CEOs Kim Seok-hwan and Choi Se-ra expressed deep regret on Monday over the disruption that began in the early hours of June 9, paralyzing all of Yes24’s services, including its website, mobile app, book sales and event ticketi
June 17, 2025 -
After Han Kang's Nobel win, forum to discuss expanding global reach of Korean literature
Following Han Kang’s historic Nobel Prize in literature win last year, leading academics in translation and Korean studies, as well as translators from around the world, will gather in Seoul to explore new strategies for expanding Korean literature's reach. The Literature Translation Institute of Korea will host the 2025 LTI Korea Global Literature Forum on July 3-4 at Yonsei University, Han’s alma mater. The forum, held under the theme “Strategies for Fostering the Global Expansion of Korean Li
June 16, 2025 -
What comes next for Hallyu? New book investigates its future
From BTS and "Squid Game" to the Oscar-winning "Parasite" and the recent Tony-winning musical "Maybe Happy Ending," Korean cultural content continues to capture global attention. Now, experts are asking: What comes next? A new book by Ko Sam-seog, a leading expert in Korean content and IT policy, explores this very question: Can the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, sustain its momentum in an era defined by transformative technologies such as generative AI? And beyond sustainability, what role can Korean
June 13, 2025 -
'No tickets left': Seoul Int'l Book Fair sells out before opening
All available tickets for the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair, set to kick off next week, completely sold out during the early-bird ticketing period, leaving no option for on-site purchase, according to its organizer, the Korean Publishers Association, on Thursday. The early-bird tickets, offered at a discount, were part of an initiative to encourage reader participation and advance reservations. But overwhelming demand during the presale period means that most walk-in visitors to the fair wi
June 13, 2025 -
Yes24 warns of possible data breach as outage drags on; full recovery by Sunday
Yes24 warned Thursday that it would notify users individually if personal data was compromised in the ransomware attack that has shut down its services for four consecutive days. This marks a shift from the company’s earlier stance that no data breach had occurred. The statement, posted on Yes24’s official website and app outage page on Thursday morning, came just one day after South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission launched a formal investigation into the incident. Until now,
June 12, 2025 -
Yes24 down for third day, as ransomware attack disrupts major ticketing, book retail platform
Yes24, the country’s largest online book retailer and a major ticketing platform, remained inaccessible for a third consecutive day Wednesday, following what the company confirmed was a ransomware attack. The outage, which began in the early hours of Monday, brought down all of Yes24’s services, including book searches and orders, e-book access, digital library functions, community forums, and concert and performance ticketing. The homepage displayed an apology: “We sincerely apologize to all us
June 11, 2025 -
'Hallyu' expert publishes 'Next Korean Wave' to present future vision
Saebit Publishing, a leading Korean publisher, said Monday it has published a new book, "Next Korean Wave: The Future of Hallyu Shaped by Entertainment and Technology," by Samseog Ko, a leading expert in Korean content and IT policy. This comprehensive volume explores the challenges and opportunities facing "hallyu," the Korean Wave or the global boom of Korean pop culture, in the era of artificial intelligence and digital transformation and presents a bold vision for Korea's future as a global
June 9, 2025 -
Different layers of motifs, puzzles bring stylish take on 65-year-old female killer
"The Old Woman with the Knife" by Gu Byeong-mo follows a female assassin nearing the end of her career — a striking and compelling premise that has proven irresistible for adaptation. The hardboiled Korean action-thriller novel, originally published in 2018, was reimagined as a musical last year and its film adaptation premiered at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. It follows the story of Hornclaw (played by Lee Hye-young), a 65-year-old assassin whose age is beginning to catch up wit
June 7, 2025 -
Kim Hye-soon shortlisted for Germany’s International Prize for Literature
Kim Hye-soon has been shortlisted for the International Prize for Literature awarded by the House of World Cultures (HKW) in Germany for her poetry collection "Autobiography of Death," published in German translation this February. HKW announced Wednesday the six finalists for this year’s prize: Kim, Turkish German writer Dogan Akhanli, Canadian writer Sarah Bernstein, Ukrainian writer Anna Melikova, French writer Neige Sinno and American novelist Jesmyn Ward. The award is jointly presented to b
May 29, 2025 -
Min Byoung-chul’s 'Land of Squid Game' launches in Turkiye
"Land of Squid Game," authored by Min Byoung-chul, an endowed chair professor at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, founder of the Sunfull Foundation and a renowned scholar in English education and multicultural studies, was officially published in Turkiye this May. Inspired by Netflix’s hit series "Squid Game," the bilingual English-Korean book introduces traditional Korean games such as "ttakji chigi" and red light, green light, while centering on the question: “Why do Koreans speak and behave thi
May 25, 2025 -
Korean publishing sees steady growth in 2024, though translated works continue to decline
South Korea’s publishing industry recorded modest but steady growth in 2024, with 64,306 new titles registered with the Korean Publishers Association — a 2.3 percent increase from the 62,865 titles published in 2023. According to the KPA’s annual report, literature and social sciences remained the most active categories, producing 14,118 and 12,163 titles respectively. The number of active domestic publishing companies registered in the publisher/printer search system reached a record high of 81
May 22, 2025 -
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook to speak at Seoul International Book Fair
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook, renowned for his visually striking and psychologically complex films, will participate in the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair, the annual book fair's organizer announced Wednesday. Park has often drawn inspiration from literature, adapting several novels into screen productions including the HBO series "The Sympathizer" (2024) and the BBC series "The Little Drummer Girl" (2019). During his talk on June 20, titled Park Chan-wook's Literary Anchors, Park will discuss e
May 21, 2025