An “1111” Image Made from Book Spines: Kyobo Book Centre Marks Bookstore Day’s 10th Anniversary

[Financial News] Choose four favorite books and an image of “1111,” formed by lining up their spines, is complete. It is an online event organized by Kyobo Book Centre to mark the 10th anniversary of Bookstore Day on November 11. The event has also brought together books recommended to readers by staff at neighborhood bookstores across the country.
According to Kyobo Book Centre on the 10th, the celebration will run through December 31. Established in 2016, Bookstore Day was launched with the aim of boosting booksellers’ pride and revitalizing local bookstores. The date, November 11, was chosen because the spines of books lined up on a shelf and the procession of people heading to bookstores resemble the number “1111.”
Entries for the book-spine image event are open through the 30th of this month. Participants must post their completed image on a social networking service (SNS) with the designated hashtag and leave a link to the post in the comments on the event page. Those who post it to Instagram Stories can verify their entry with a screenshot. Kyobo Book Centre will draw 111 winners and give them a “Bookstore Love” name tag. Winners will be announced in the second week of December.
The online recommendation feature “Today’s Serendipitous Book: The 1111 Parade to Carry as You Walk” features 212 titles selected by people working at Kyobo Book Centre and 67 neighborhood bookstores across the country. Jinju Bookstore, Spain Bookshop, Soyo Seoga and others are taking part. Readers can choose one of the recommended books and join the commemorative parade on screen.
Kim Eun-kyung of One Day Bookstore introduced “Everything Flows, Like Music” as a book that offers comfort through life’s ups and downs. Kwak Seol-mi of Fig Bookshop recommended “Survival of the Friendliest,” which invites readers to reflect on the meaning of a life that chooses kindness.
Kyobo Book Centre planned three commemorative pencil sets with Munhakdongne Publishing Group and the Korea Bookstore Association. The boxes feature covers of novels by past recipients of the “Booksellers’ Choice Author of the Year” award: Eun Heekyung (2026), Chung Serang (2021) and Choi Eunyoung (2018). The boxes for “A Gift from a Bird,” “From the Perspective of,” and “Bright Night” each contain pencils evoking chocolate snacks, blueberries and strawberries, respectively.
Kyobo Book Centre made the pop-up bookmark “Let’s Build a Bookstore on a Book” with One More Bag. It consists of a three-slot stand into which users can insert either a miniature of Kyobo Book Centre’s stone marker or an ornament shaped like an animal reading a book. Two or three of the five ornament designs are provided at random.
Customers who spend at least 30,000 won on eligible print books at the Kyobo Book Centre online store can choose a pencil set or bookmark as a promotional gift. They must either use 4,000 points or pay an additional 4,000 won.
The Korea Bookstore Association will hold its 10th Bookstore Day ceremony at 2 p.m. on the 11th at Yajugae Hall in the Seoul Museum of History, Jongno District, Seoul. It will honor people who have contributed to the development of bookstore culture and present awards for the “Books and Authors of the Year, Chosen by Booksellers.” Seven titles were selected as Books of the Year, including Kim Sum’s “Gandan Fuku” (fiction) and Moon Hyung-bae’s “On Kindness” (poetry and essays).
A Kyobo Book Centre representative said, “We hope that a book readers encounter online will give them a reason to visit a bookstore and lead to the pleasure of discovering a new book there.”

[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter