Sun Seung-hye, Director of the Korean Cultural Center in the UK, recently participated as a speaker at the ‘Reborn Digitally: Web Novels and the Global Reading Revolution’ session of the Edinburgh International Book Festival on August 12th (local time). In her presentation, she highlighted the global potential and value of Korean web novels, stating, “Web novels that showcase the ‘K-worldview’ are a core genre that leads the global content industry beyond being a mere trend, with Korea at the forefront of the most innovative experiments.”
The event explored the rise of web-based storytelling and its impact, examining the future of reading, publishing, and creation. Director Sun emphasized that the cultural future lies in a digital foundation characterized by openness, which allows creators to emerge easily. She also pointed out that genre convergence, affinity with fandoms, cultural inclusivity, and technological adaptability will be key elements in generating global soft power and additional value in the cultural industry.
Sun engaged in a conversation with Alastair Horne, Publishing Studies Professor at the University of Stirling, and Wei Biki, Head of Operations at the Beijing International Book Fair, discussing factors contributing to the growth of web novels in Korea and China and their genre characteristics. She identified features of Korean web novels such as a platform-centered market, open copyright structure, delayed editorial intervention, author-reader fluidity, serialized and interactive storytelling, and cross-media adaptability. She noted that the fast growth of Korean web novels is driven by internet speed, a smartphone-first digital environment, and the convenience of web novel apps, with genres being diversified into romance fantasy, modern fantasy, historical fantasy, and more. She also shared instances where popular Korean web novels expanded into webtoons, dramas, films, and games, leading to a sharp increase in the original work’s viewership.
Attendees from publishing sectors in the UK, Scotland, and other countries observed that Korea and China are leading the growth of web novels and are poised to drive the upcoming global reading revolution. Representatives from English-speaking countries, as well as Spanish- and French-speaking millennials, expressed keen interest in the potential of Korean web novels for further collaboration.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival, running until the 24th, is the world’s largest literary festival, featuring participation from over 600 writers and scholars annually. This year’s participation served as a reaffirmation of Korean literature’s presence on the global literary stage. The Korean Cultural Center stated that it plans to continue international collaboration and expand platforms to ensure that the narrative experimentation and emotional depth of Korean literature can engage with global readers.