The 1st Busan International Children’s Book Fair, the first international children’s book festival in Korea, will be held at Busan’s BEXCO from November 28 to December 1, 2024. Hosted by the Korean Publishers Association and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the city of Busan, the fair will feature 193 publishers from 16 countries (136 domestic and 57 international) and 118 domestic and foreign authors, offering book exhibitions and lectures.
The MCST is supporting the fair in collaboration with Busan city and aims to promote the export of Korean children’s books. According to the MCST, Korean children’s books are recognized as a leading content in international markets, having won prestigious awards such as the Hans Christian Andersen Award, Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the BolognaRagazzi Award. According to the 2023 report by the Korean Publishing Industry Promotion Agency, children’s books have maintained a strong lead in copyright exports, making up 28.9% (1204 out of 4167 cases) of total exports over the past three years (2020-2022).
This year, the theme of the book fair is “Laputa,” derived from the floating island country in Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels,” symbolizing a delightful space for children. The exhibition will feature 400 books related to the theme, alongside lectures by authors such as novelist Kim Yeon-su, picture book author Kang Hye-sook, and international picture book authors like David Cali from Switzerland and Giulia Pastorino from Italy.
Moreover, various events including author signings, workshops for children, and book talks are organized by children’s book publishers and institutions. Deputy Minister Yong Hoseong highlighted the importance of the event for enhancing cultural and industrial exchanges and transactions related to children’s book content between domestic and international parties, emphasizing that the MCST aims to bolster the supporting infrastructure for creation and publication by local authors and publishers. This support aims to position the “Busan International Children’s Book Fair” as the Asian version of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.