The "2026 Seoul International Book Fair," Korea's largest book festival, opened Tuesday at COEX in Seoul's Gangnam district. Now in its 68th year, the Seoul International Book Fair runs for five days through Saturday.
The theme of this year's fair is "Declaration of Humanity: Homo Duduri." Duduri is an old word for blacksmith, referring to humans who pose questions to broaden their thinking rather than settling for the answers offered by artificial intelligence (AI). The fair's theme statement was written jointly by novelist Kim Yeon-su and AI.
In a welcoming address, Kim Tae-heon, president of the Korean Publishers Association, said, "As AI technology advances and we use AI more, the humanity that ponders and reflects more deeply, and the human essence found in human intellect and emotion, literature and art, will become even more important and urgent." He added, "Kim Gu dreamed that our country would become a nation with the power of a high culture," emphasizing that "books and publishing are the most important foundation for cultivating the power of culture."
The fair drew more than 530 publishers and publishing-related organizations from 18 countries. A total of 416 programs were prepared, including lectures and seminars reflecting on the future of humans and AI from a literary perspective, as well as exhibitions and signing events. Figures from various fields are participating, including novelists Eun Hee-kyung, Kim Ae-ran and Jeong Bo-ra, poets Hwang In-chan and Oh Eun, musician Sunwoo Jung-a, actor Kim Shin-rok, and Buddhist temple cuisine master Ven. Seonjae.
At their booths, publishers showcased limited-edition books and merchandise, holding author signing events and on-site events to meet readers. On opening day, the largest crowds gathered at the booth of Minumsa, which marks its 60th anniversary this year. A long line formed right after the opening in front of a machine dispensing collaboration merchandise, such as miniature book keyrings and lenticular bookmarks. "In the past, we sold merchandise at the booth counter, but this year we created a separate capsule toy zone, which is popular among Generation Z, to present the merchandise, and it seems to have received a good response," said Cho A-ran, deputy general manager of Minumsa's marketing team. She added, "The text-hip craze, led by women in their 20s and 30s who have the highest book purchase rate, is leading to interest in the book fair, an offline event."
The Korean Publishers Association expects about 150,000 people to visit the fair this year, the same as last year.
