KF뉴스레터-Making Korean Known through Print and Video Content

Making Korean Known through Print and Video Content

Seoul International Book Fair 2009, an event organized by the Korean Publishers Association, was presented at COEX, in Samseong-dong, Seoul (May 13-17). Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF), now in its 15th year of operation, is the largest international book event in Korea. This year, under a theme of “Start Over Again with a Book,” it included the participation of 835 publishing concerns from 19 countries around the world. Along with various publicity events to promote book sales, there were also supplemental activities like book signings and efforts to encourage reading. Of note, Japan was selected as the Guest of Honor country for 2009, which attracted the participation of some 230 publishing firms and relevant organizations from Japan, which sponsored a diverse array of activities.

Independent Booth
Based on the positive results of last year’s participation, the Foundation took part in the 2009 event as well, in an effort to introduce the various books and video materials that it has recently produced, and to publicize the Foundation’s media programs. This year, to heighten the Foundation’s profile, it sponsored an independent booth, which featured the display of 50 titles of Foundationrelated materials, including its books on a variety of aspects of Korean culture and arts, along with its regular journals, and recent publications and video content produced with the Foundation’s program assistance.
In particular, passersby were attracted to the display of the colorful cover pages of our “Koreana” journal, a quarterly publication that focuses on Korea’s cultural traditions and contemporary artistic trends, and a separate area allocated to a presentation of “Fragrance of Korea: The Ancient Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner of Baekje” and “Eternal Images of Sakyamuni,” two English-language catalogues that introduce Korea’s national treasures, with an abundance of photo images and supplemental scholarly essays.
During the course of the five-day event, the number of visitors who stopped by the Korea Foundation booth was estimated at about 1,800. Out of curiosity, the visitors paused and looked over Foundation publications, along with asking questions and expressing various thoughts. They also spent a few minutes to view videos produced by the Foundation itself or in conjunction with a Foundation program support. Especially, visitors involved with the publishing sector, international exchange, or public relations showed much interest in learning about the various programs of the Foundation.
The visitor traffic to the Foundation booth was up sharply from the previous year thanks to the setup of our own booth, which enabled the attractive display of more individual materials and items. In addition, there was also an increase in on-site sales of Foundation publications and reader subions to our journals, especially “Koreana.” Moreover, many of the visitors who stopped at the Foundation booth offered words of encouragement, in regard to the Foundation’s role and efforts to enhance Korea’s national brand and image, in addition to lamenting the lack of materials to properly introduce Korean culture to the people of foreign countries. The visitors, mainly Koreans with only a smattering of foreigners, asked about materials suitable for introducing Korea and gift ideas to help make Korea better known to foreigners.

Need for Continuous Exposure
In 2009, for the first time, the Korean Publishers Association, the organizer of the SIBF, charged visitors an admission fee, which seemed to generate added attention and ultimately resulted in a higher visitor count than in previous years. On the other hand, it is regrettable that several of Korea’s leading publishers did not participate in the event, due to an internal conflict that has caused a rift in the domestic publishing industry. In addition, there seemed to be a disproportionate focus on the exhibition of children’s books, along with a noticeable lack of attention and support for the exhibitors in the international section, despite the event’s billing as an “international book fair.” Unfortunately, the number of visitors to the inter national sect ion, which included the Foundation’s booth, was significantly less than the visitor traffic to the larger domestic section, where Korea’s leading publishers were situated. In addition, unlike in recent years, the Frankfurt Book Fair Organizing Committee did not maintain a German-theme pavilion. As for Japan, this year’s guest of honor, it sought to actively publicize Japanese books through a number of promotional events, which included a book signing by Japan’s well-known writer Ekuni Kaori. Meanwhile, last year’s guest of honor, China, was represented by only a handful of publishers.
To build on its favorable experience from the 2008 SIBF, the Foundation hoped to further capitalize on its participation in this year’s event by setting up its own booth and enhancing the display of its various materials. However, it also appears necessary for the Foundation to further step up its exposure by more regularly participating in the prestigious book fair events held abroad, in an effort to enhance its global presence and get ideas for content that would better appeal to the interests of foreign readers and viewers.

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Making Korean Known through Print and Video Content

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Making Korean Known through Print and Video Content

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