Over 10,000 Reading Culture Events Nationwide in September... Chuncheon Reading Festival

Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism [Financial News] Over 10,000 reading culture events will be held nationwide throughout the month of September. 1,572 institutions, including libraries, local bookstores, and publishers, are participating, and the book purchase limit for the 'Youth Culture and Arts Pass' has been increased to a maximum of 70,000 won. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 1st, this year's 'Reading Month' events will feature author meet-and-greets, lectures, performances, exhibitions, and book sharing under the slogan 'Just Because I Like Books (書).
' When simply calculating the number of events and participating institutions, the average number of events per institution exceeds six. The National Library of Korea will share thoughts on the works with author Kim Young-min, while the National Children and Youth Library will operate experiential programs utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and humanoid robots. The National Sejong Library is organizing an event to discuss the music in novels with author Kim Ae-ran.
Regionally, events include outdoor libraries in Seoul, Daejeon, Jeonbuk, and Jeju; the Chungnam Book Olympics; the Busan Creative Convergence Board Game Festival; and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Reading Golden Bell. In Andong, Gyeongbuk, an event will be held on September 5th where participants listen to audiobooks while walking along the Seonseong Waterway, while in Gongju, Chungnam, an outdoor library and a book appreciation drawing contest will take place on the 12th. The main event of the '2026 Korea Reading Festival,' marking its 13th year, will be held from the 18th to the 20th at the Kim Yu-jeong Literary Village and the Gongjicheon area in Chuncheon, Gangwon.
The festival will feature author meet-and-greets, forums on local publishing and small libraries, book markets, exhibitions, and performances. Year-round programs will be held at eight public libraries in Chuncheon and throughout the city.
At the opening ceremony, 22 awards for the 32nd Reading Culture will be presented to individuals recognized for their contributions to the promotion of reading culture. Lee Ju-young, Standing Representative of the Children's Culture Solidarity, will receive the Presidential Commendation, while the Jigwan Foundation and Song Seung-hoon, a teacher at Uijeongbu Gwangdong High School, will receive the Prime Minister's Commendation.
A reading expedition team linked to the 'Reading Korea' campaign will also head to Gongju and Chuncheon. The online reading activity 'Book Calendar Certification' and the 'Book Check-in' program, which involves collecting stamps at famous reading spots, will also be operated.
'Onchaekbang' will provide free access to e-books and audiobooks to 100 users. The book purchase limit for the Youth Culture and Arts Pass will be raised until the end of the year from 30,000 won to 50,000 won in the metropolitan area and from 40,000 won to 70,000 won in non-metropolitan areas.
The increase is 20,000 won and 30,000 won, respectively, with the non-metropolitan area showing a 10,000 won larger increase. Kim Jae-hyun, Director General of the Culture and Media Industry Office at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "I hope the public participates in book culture programs that suit their tastes and experiences the happiness of encountering books.
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