Taiwan pavilion returns to Seoul International Book Fair

Taipei, June 16 (CNA) A Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA)-organized pavilion will return to the Seoul International Book Fair from June 24-28, featuring 160 titles from 55 publishers.

The pavilion aims to build on the record book sales and rights deals generated when Taiwan served as the fair's guest of honor last year, TAICCA said in a statement Tuesday.

TAICCA Chairperson Sue Wang (王時思) said the recent International Booker Prize win for "Taiwan Travelogue" (臺灣漫遊錄) showed that Taiwan's publishing sector has gained growing international recognition.

Wang said that South Korea remains a priority overseas market for the government-supported TAICCA, which promotes the international expansion of Taiwan's cultural and creative industries.

"Taiwan Travelogue" author Yang Shuang-zi (楊双子) and English translator Lin King (金翎) became the first Taiwanese writer-translator team to win the International Booker Prize when the English edition of the novel received the award in May.

Among the featured writers are Li Ang (李昂), whose novel "The Butcher's Wife" (殺夫) was first published in Korean in 1991 and was republished this year by South Korean publisher Marco Polo, and Hu Mu-ching (胡慕情), whose "A Sketch of a Female Serial Killer" (一位女性殺人犯的素描) was released in Korean in May.

The lineup also includes Liglav A-wu (利格拉樂·阿𡠄), Ma Yi-hang (馬翊航), Chan Wai (陳慧) and Lai Ma (賴馬), all of whom will participate in events at the fair.

Meanwhile, the Taipei Book Fair Foundation will operate a separate pavilion that seeks to deepen cultural exchanges between Taiwan and South Korea around the theme of "women's emotions."

According to TAICCA, this focus reflects the fair's visitor profile.

Women in their 20s to 40s made up the largest share of attendees at the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair, with all 150,000 tickets sold out during the presale period, the agency said.

Taiwan's appearance as guest of honor at the 2025 fair generated record results for rights and book sales, TAICCA added. A total of 26 rights deals were concluded, while 1,100 Taiwanese books were sold.

Several Taiwanese authors also secured Korean-language publishing deals last year, including Kevin Chen (陳思宏), author of "Ghost Town" (鬼地方).