Brunch, a content publishing platform operated by Kakao (035720.KS), is launching the second project of its "Brunch Reading Challenge."
Kakao announced Tuesday that it has opened pre-registration for the Brunch Reading Challenge and kicked off the second edition of the program. The Reading Challenge is a Brunch campaign aimed at spreading a healthy reading culture and revitalizing local bookstores. The first challenge was held in January.
This time, the barrier to entry has been lowered: any Brunch member can apply without a participant cap, and users can also join mid-challenge. Registered participants will take part in the 30-day challenge from 11 a.m. on May 6 until midnight on June 4.
The format of the challenge remains the same. Participants log their reading using the Brunch app's "Live Reading" feature, which measures reading time and volume in real time—much like a running app records exercise—and allows users to publish the records as notes.
Among participants who log reading notes on three or more days during the full challenge period, 1,000 will be randomly selected to receive a special edition of bestselling author Hwang Bo-reum's "Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop" along with Brunch Reading Club merchandise. All participants will also receive a Brunch Reading Challenge TalkDigital Card.
"I am delighted to join a project launched for local bookstores," Hwang said. "I hope more people will make their way to local bookstores."
"Through the last Reading Challenge, we confirmed a win-win structure in which the power of reading and recording leads to the revitalization of local bookstores," said Oh Sung-jin, head of Kakao Brunch. "We will continue to solidify an ecosystem through Brunch where reading and writing culture naturally circulates."
The first Brunch Reading Challenge reached 10,000 applicants within six days of opening, closing registration early. Over the course of a month, participants logged a total of 51,477 reading notes, demonstrating the power of reading as a daily practice. An offline pop-up held at "Amado Bookshop" in Namhae in April drew about 200 visitors and lifted the store's sales by 130% compared with the previous month's total, bringing a boost to local bookstores facing the threat of closure.
