First K-pop, now K-books: Korea hopes its next big export is literature

First K-pop, now K-books: Korea hopes its next big export is literature

Korea has conquered global airwaves with its pop music and dominated television screens with its sleek dramas. Now, Seoul is making its most aggressive push yet to ensure that the next global Korean wave phenomenon begins on the printed page. Publishers and media executives from 31 countries gathered at the Lotte Hotel World in Seoul, Monday, for the opening of the 2026 K-Book Copyright Market. The three-day event, now in its eighth year, has qu…