Cheonghak Seorim and others to receive ministerial commendations for Bookstore Day; proposed budget for local bookstore support up 84%

[Financial News] Cheonghak Seorim, a bookstore in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, run by the second generation of the family, and Kua, a science and technology bookstore in Daejeon, will receive commendations from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. They are being recognized for expanding local residents’ opportunities to encounter books through reading groups, author talks and other activities.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 11th, the Korea Bookstore Association will hold the 10th Bookstore Day ceremony at 2 p.m. that day at Yajugae Hall in the Seoul Museum of History in Jongno District, Seoul. Kim Young-soo, the ministry’s first vice minister, will present seven ministerial commendations to bookstores, booksellers and local government officials.■ Bookstores and booksellers leading local reading cultureCheonghak Seorim, recognized as an outstanding bookseller under ‘Reading for Life × Bookstore for Life,’ has also regularly presented exhibitions and performances. Kua, recognized under the ‘Late-Night Bookstore’ program, has continued to host book concerts near research institutions in Daedeok Innopolis. Jin Chang-a of Dalli Bookstore in Hallim-eup, Jeju Province, was recognized for organizing talks and small-group gatherings for residents and travelers.
Those recognized in the bookstore and publishing distribution category include Kwon Sun-ho, who has run Yeongdong Bookstore in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, for around 40 years, and Lee Jeong-eun, head of the Power Plant Bookstore 5 Cooperative, who has fostered exchanges among bookstores as secretary-general of the Nationwide Neighborhood Bookstore Network. In the policy support category, the recipients are Lee Han-byeol of the Cheonan City Library Policy Division, who helped advance initiatives including a direct-loan program that lets residents borrow requested books from local bookstores, and Jang Bok-rye of Seongnam Central Library.
The association will present a plaque of appreciation to Lee Jae-jung, chair of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, who was the lead sponsor of an amendment to the Publishing Culture Industry Promotion Act providing for a certification system for local bookstores and cooperatives and promoting preferential purchases from local bookstores by public libraries. The Bookstore Person of the Year award will go to Jeon Gyeong-ja of Imae Bookstore and Moon Seon-mi of Elephant Books, while the Award for Meritorious Service will go to Seon Guk-gyu of the Homaesil branch of Gyeonggi Bookstore.
The ceremony will also present the booksellers’ selections for ‘Book of the Year’ and ‘Author of the Year.’ The seven winning titles announced last September include Kim Sum’s Gandan Fuku (fiction) and Moon Hyung-bae’s On Kindness (poetry and essays). Award-winning author Eun Heekyung is also scheduled to read from her work.■ Proposed budget of 13.8 billion won for local bookstore supportAt 4 p.m., following the ceremony, a results-sharing event will be held for the ‘Regional Leading Bookstore Cultural Activities Promotion Project.’ This year, 340 bookstores nationwide participating in ‘Reading for Life × Bookstore for Life’ and ‘Culture Day Wednesday × Late-Night Bookstore’ ran around 2,900 reading-culture programs.
The Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea supports, through ‘Reading for Life × Bookstore for Life,’ reading programs that reflect the characteristics of at least two age groups among children, teenagers, adults and older adults. Under the ‘Late-Night Bookstore’ program, bookstores extend their Wednesday opening hours and hold reading-culture activities at least once a month.
The budget for local bookstore support rose from 2.6 billion won last year to 7.5 billion won this year. The government has allocated 13.8 billion won in its budget proposal for next year, 84% more than this year. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to expand support for cultural activities that highlight each bookstore’s distinct character and launch a new initiative bringing local bookstores and libraries together to develop reading programs. Vice Minister Kim said, “We will support local bookstores so they can grow into sustainable cultural hubs.”
[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter