By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA), hosted the Visiting Korea Book Fair in New York on September 4 to 5 at the NTC NYC Seminar & Conference Center.

Launched in 2015, the Visiting Korea Book Fair supports Korean publishers to expand abroad and delivered approximately USD 10.25 million in potential contracts via a total of 609 consultation sessions across three countries in 2024.

Coming on the back of this year’s earlier series in Prague (Czech Republic), Warsaw (Poland), and Taipei (Taiwan), the New York consultation fair will accelerate the full-scale entry of K-books into the North American market.

Fifteen Korean publishers—including Munhakdongne, Changbi, Dasan Books, and Woongjin Thinkbig—were presented for the New York fair, while the BC Agency was engaged in export consultations for 100 consigned books on behalf of Korean publishers unable to attend in person.

The global “Big Five” Publishers, including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster, also participated in the event, along with many others. Leading global literary agencies like Trident Media Group and The Wylie Agency also joined, alongside digital and audio content companies such as OverDrive and Recorded Books, to explore export opportunities extending beyond print books to a wide range of publishing intellectual property (IP).

To expand access to K-books overseas, the ministry is also collaborating with Korean Cultural Centers, which serve as hubs to Korean culture, to recommend and display curated book selections tailored to local demand.

To mark the start of the initiative, 322 children’s book titles have been newly recommended and displayed in the Korean Cultural Center New York (Director KIM Cheon-soo). In addition, a reader engagement event will be held in New York in September with Korean children’s book author Park Hyun-min.