Reading rates are down, but the Seoul International Book Fair is booming

Adult book readership in Korea has fallen to its lowest level on record, but no one would have guessed it at this year's Seoul International Book Fair.

Hours before the festival kicked off on Wednsday at Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul at 10 a.m., queues — made up largely of young women — already stretched across much of the convention center's second floor. 

That may seem surprising given that only 38.5 percent of adults, or roughly four in 10, read or listened to at least one book between September 2024 and August 2025, according to an annual survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The figure is down 4.5 percentage points from 43 percent a year earlier and the lowest since the survey began in 1994. 

Then again, not everyone was there just for the books. The fair's cute, limited-edition merchandise appeared to be just as big a draw.

"I got here at 8:50 a.m.," said Kim, who was among the first group of people waiting near the entrance before the 10 a.m. opening. "Even then, there were already lots of people ahead of me."

The fair appeared even busier than last year, helped by the introduction of on-site ticket sales following complaints about the online-only ticketing system.

The crowds in line also looked more like runners at the starting line of a marathon. Many arrived in comfortable clothes and sneakers, carrying large backpacks to haul home books and merchandise.

"I took an early morning flight from Jeju Island just for the fair," said Yang Han-seol, wearing sneakers and organizing an empty folder she hoped to fill with bookmarks from the fair.

The excitement had been building online well before opening day. Because the fair is notorious for its crowds, visitors shared tips on what to wear and what to bring. One publisher even released booth maps to help people plan their routes.

The fair, which began as the National Book Exhibition in 1954, has expanded rapidly since 2022. The number of booths has grown from 195 in 2022 to 530 this year.

For many visitors, the focus appeared to be less on discovering new books and more on visiting publishers that had gained online popularity and were known for their limited-edition merchandise.

Minumsa was one example. Despite being one of Korea's largest publishers with a 70-year history, it has recently attracted renewed attention particularly among younger audiences thanks to the popularity of its YouTube channel. The announcement that it would offer merchandise created in collaboration with illustrator Daily Cutie only added to the excitement.

This was clear at Minumsa's booth on Wednesday. Separate queues were set up for books and merchandise,  but the line for books moved relatively quickly while the queue for the publisher's gacha machine, a coin-operated vending machine, that dispensed random toys created by Daily Cutie, wrapped around the booth. The publisher even adopted a mobile queuing system to manage demand.

"I came to buy Minumsa's merchadise after seeing that it is collaborating with Daily Cutie online," said Jeong Ji-won, who traveled from Daegu that morning. By early afternoon, she was already carrying three bags filled with books and merchandise, including Minumsa keyrings.

"There were so many people at Minumsa that even the checkout line was incredibly long," she said.

At the booth of e-book and audiobook subscription service Millie's Library, the main attraction was collecting key ring charms through interactive missions, while books played only a supporting role.

Kim Min-ju, a university student visiting with a friend from Bucheon, Gyeonggi, also came to buy something other than books. "I came to buy the limited-edition T-shirt from my favorite publisher," said Kim. "But the fair is huge, and every booth has its own theme, so it's fun."

Many publishers embraced unique concepts this year.

Leading online bookstore and ticket reservation platform Yes24 created a running track-themed booth, while O'fan House designed a theater-inspired space. Gimm-young transformed its booth into a gym, complete with a drop stick challenge where participants could win collectible stickers inspired by its books.

"It feels much busier than last year," said a Gimm-young marketing representative. Last year, the publisher didn't have a specific concept, but they decided to develop a concept and more merchandise this year, which took three months of planning.

"Last year, more people bought merchandise than books," the representative said. "So this year, we decided to give away exclusive merchandise when customers purchased books."

Visitors who spent more than 50,000 won ($39.40) on books received a limited-edition T-shirt. "People often buy more books just to reach the spending threshold," the spokesperson added.

Publisher Moonhak Soochup, whose booth featured a dungeon-inspired theme, also offered talisman-style bookmarks, bookends and T-shirts as purchase gifts. Its stickers had already sold out before evening.

At another booth with a particularly long line, merchandise occupied almost the entire display, with books nearly impossible to spot. The publisher had already gone viral on social media before the fair opened for its cute embroidered fabric bookmarks and miniature family motto books.

"We are selling more merchandise than books," one of the company's representatives said.

The popularity of merchandise was evident throughout the venue as well. Booths selling only books often attracted relatively small crowds, while publishers offering eye-catching merchandise continued drawing people regardless of their size or reputation.

"We spent about three months developing the merchandise," said Seo Ji-yae of independent publisher Normal A. "There are different kinds of visitors. Some only look at the merchandise, while others only look at the books."

Merchandises at many publishers were far from inexpensive, too. Some embroidered bookmarks cost as much as 15,000 won, while keyring-sized miniature books sold for 13,500 won. More than one passerby stopped to express surprise at the prices.

The fair's booming merchandise sales could suggest that it has become as much a shopping event as a literary one, especially at a time when reading rates continue to decline. Publishers, however, argue that even if the fair does not immediately translate into higher readership, it helps cultivate future readers while giving existing ones a place to celebrate books.

"Many teenagers and people in their twenties first become interested because of the merchandise or beautiful book covers," said a marketing manager at Changbi Publishers, where T-shirts and acrylic poetry-themed objects were especially popular.

"But once they're drawn in, many of them begin reading. We see that as a very positive thing."

Choi Soo-jeong, who initially visited to buy limited-edition merchandise from her favorite comic publisher, ended up leaving with several books as well, including special editions.

"I first came for the merchandise," she said. "But what I really liked was being able to browse so many books in one place. Normally bookstores don't display this many titles."

A Gimm-young representative said the fair also serves as a festival for book lovers.

"Every booth reflects each publisher's own identity and taste," the representative said. "People who love books gather here, enjoy the events and naturally discover new titles along the way."

The fair's growing popularity has also made it a draw for foreign visitors, serving as an entry to Korean books.

"I found out about it on Instagram," said Nisan, a language student who attended the fair. "We've only recently started learning Korean, so it's a little overwhelming, but it's been really fun."

Although she cannot yet read Korean fluently, she still bought several Korean books.

The 68th Seoul International Book Fair, organized by the Korean Publishers Association and the Seoul International Book Fair Committee, runs through Sunday under the theme "Homo Duduri." Combining Homo sapiens with duduri, a mythical Korean figure known for confronting fire, the theme invited visitors to reflect on the role of humanity and books in the age of AI.

The five-day fair also features author talks, lectures and international exchange programs involving Korean and overseas publishers. The opening ceremony drew a number of high-profile guests, including first lady Kim Hye-kyung. France was this year's honorary guest country to commemorate 140 years of diplomatic relation between the nation and Korea.