The London Book Fair, in partnership with The Publishers Association (PA), and the Korean Publishers Association, is delighted to announce the Korea Market Focus Professional Programme for The London Book Fair 2014.
The Professional Programme provides an essential insight into the Korean publishing industry for international visitors and exhibitors to The London Book Fair.
There are four key Market Focus Professional Programme seminars taking place within The London Book Fair, as part of an extensive programme of meetings and networking opportunities between Korean and international publishing colleagues, including a daily Korean tea on the pavilion. The Korean delegation will comprise 27 companies, including publishers, e-book specialists, digital pioneers and print companies.
Market Focus Korea also enjoys a rich Cultural Programme, featuring 10 contemporary writers from Korea, curated by The British Council (released 28 January 2014).
The Professional Programme seminars will be:-
• An Overview of the Korean Publishing Market, 8 April, 11:30am
• Korean Technology and the Digital Publishing Scene – Who’s Reading What, and How? 8 April, 1pm • The Children’s and Educational Books in Korea – Edutainment and Beyond! 9 April, 1pm
• Taking Korean Literature to a World Audience – Translation and Publication Grants, 9 April, 2.30pm
Jacks Thomas, Director of The London Book Fair said: “Korea is an endlessly fascinating country – and the most wired in the world! Its publishing industry ranks in the top 10 worldwide and it is doing more business internationally than ever before. The Market Focus Professional Programme provides a unique opportunity to hear from the people shaping Korean publishing; from the biggest publishers to Korea’s leading online book retailer. The programme is a key part of the Market Focus and we encourage anyone looking to learn more about Korea and increase business with Korean publishers to come to the seminars.”
Richard Mollet, the PA’s Chief Executive, said: “The PA is delighted to welcome Korea to The London Book Fair. The links between Korea and the UK have never been stronger, and with the emphasis placed on the importance of the publishing industry by President Park, and Incheon being elected as the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2015 the timing of this Market Focus could not be better. Korea is an increasingly important market for UK publishing with a 22% growth in exports over the last ten years, and this year’s London Book Fair will represent a fantastic opportunity for British and Korean publishers to develop trade as well as gaining better understanding of each countries’ business, cultural and technological environments.”
Eric Yang, The Korean Publishers Association, said: “I would like to say how honored we are to be a part of the Market Focus at the London Book Fair and how happy I am personally to be able to give English and European readers an insight into our vibrant Korean publishing industry. I firmly believe that the Market Focus 2014 will be a genuinely stimulating environment, where people of all nations can share their vision for a brighter publishing future united by a love of books. I am also confident that the Market Focus pavilion will be remembered fondly as a place where new ideas were sparked, new titles born and new friends made.”
The London Book Fair Market Focus is a key opportunity for UK and international publishers to liaise with their foreign counterparts, and seek out and capitalise on new business partnerships.
Korea has a population of almost 50m and 98% literacy rate. It has one of the top ten publishing markets in the world with a minimum retail market size of UK £2.5 billion. In 2010, over 10,500 translated titles were published in Korea, with Japan, US and UK make up 77% of the total translated titles. The education publishing market is worth at least £0.69m. The Korean Publishers Association organised Korea’s guest of honour programme at Frankfurt Book Fair in 2005 and also at Bologna Children’s Fair in 2009.
Further details on the seminars:
1) An Overview of the Korean Publishing Market, 8 April, 2014 11:30- 12:30
Korea is a top 10 global publishing market. This seminar provides a comprehensive overview of the Korean publishing scene, and will cover p-books, e-books, distribution and other trend and major issues. Chaired by Roger Tagholm.Speakers include Baek, Won-keun, Chief Researcher, Korean Publishing Research Institute, Sue Yang, CEO, EYA Agency and Kim, Eun-kyung, Head of purchasing & support department of Kyobo Book Center.
2) Korean Technology and the Digital Publishing Scene – Who’s Reading What and How?, 8 April, 2014 13:00- 14:00
Korea is the most wired nation on earth! Four leaders from the Korean e-publishing industry will each give a short presentation. Chaired by Tyler Dimicco, Manager East Asia, Kobo. Speakers include Michael Kim (CEO, i-ePUB), Robert S. Kim (CEO, iPortfolio), Cho, Han-yeol (CEO, Bookjam) and Ryan Kim (CEO, Y factory).
3) Children’s and Educational Books in Korea – Edutainment and Beyond, 9 April, 2014 13:00-14:00
Children’s books make up the greatest percentage of the Korean book market, largely due to investment in children’s education. Chaired by Jill Coleman, Children’s Publishing Consultant, Speakers will include Kim, In-ae (Su Jung), Ph. D. (President of Korean Board on Books for Young people and visiting professor of Chung Ang University), Nam, Yoon-jeong (Managing director, Research and Business Development Dept., Hansol) and Lee, Sin-woo (Team Leader, Laughing Peanut Curriculum Development Team, NCSoft).
4) Taking Korean Literature to a World Audience – Translation and Publication Grants, 9 April, 2014, 14.30-15.30
As cultural exports go, Korea is currently trending across the world. What role does a government institute like LTI Korea play in overseas cultural promotion? What are the key issues in the translation and publication of Korean literary works into foreign languages? This seminar discusses the ongoing globalisation of Korean literature. Chaired by Krys Lee, author. Speakers include Kim Seong-Kon, President of LTI Korea, explores the benefits of LTI Korea’s support programmes, especially the highly successful translation and publication grants, John O’Brien from Dalkey Archive Press speaks on his experience of publishing and promoting Korean literature in the English-speaking market with the support of LTI Korea.
