‘호모 두두리’의 시대, 빛과 그림자 사이에서 길을 잃은 서울국제도서전 > K-wave Trends

The theme of this year’s book fair, ‘Homo Duduri’, uses the mythical blacksmith as a motif and praises the active nature of humans who constantly forge questions rather than settling for answers provided by AI. To this end, novelist Kim Yeon-soo collaborated with AI to write the theme sentence, and over 530 publishers from 18 countries, including Bernard Werber, participated, once again showing off its status as an international festival. Inviting France as the guest of honor and providing a venue for diverse discussions encompassing gastronomy, literature, and technological ethics will certainly provide intellectual enjoyment to readers. However, behind these brilliant plans, the physical limitations of exhibition space are making publishers feel frustrated. While the number of publishers wishing to participate is rapidly increasing, the physical space at COEX is limited, and the reality is that many independent publishers and small publishers have to endure the hardships of the selection process.

The opacity of the selection process and dissatisfaction with the operation method are now chronic problems of book fairs. In particular, as the book fair was converted to a joint-stock company system, doubts about its public nature have grown, and there has been criticism that large companies unrelated to publishing occupy large booths or that the selection criteria are unclear. Small publishers who rebelled against this came up with self-rescue measures to find contact with readers by organizing alternative events such as the ‘Seoul Proper Book Fair’ or ‘Seoul Self-Book Fair’. They are not simply an ‘anti’ force, but have a desire to restore the public nature of books and a creator-centered festival culture. For those who suffer from the double whammy of increased booth fees and failure to be selected, the Alternative Book Fair is the only escape where they can meet and communicate directly with readers and gain motivation for survival, as well as a struggle to regain the essence of the festival.

Along with the popularity of the event, the immaturity of the ticket reservation system still remains a problem to be solved. The queue delays that occurred during early bird ticket reservations and the difficult-to-understand reservation limit of 49 tickets per ID sparked controversy over hoarding and received strong protests from visitors. In particular, the ‘Duduri Pass’, which was sold for a limited number of 100 people, was pointed out to be similar to the Magic Pass at an amusement park and faced criticism that it was ‘buying time with money’, which is a point of conflict with the value of ‘humanity’ that the book fair aims for. The organizers explain that they are making efforts to improve the system, but the repeated noise about reservations every year is becoming a factor that is causing fatigue to visitors and damaging the brand value of the book fair. Consideration for the digitally underprivileged and establishment of a fair reservation process should be the first steps in responsible operation befitting the reputation of the largest book festival in Korea.

The Korean Publishing Culture Association seems to have been aware of this criticism and announced plans to secure more than 30% of the space next year to accommodate more publishers and readers. However, the common view in the field is that all problems will not be solved simply by expanding space. Transparent disclosure of selection criteria, booth allocation that ensures diversity in the publishing ecosystem, and sincere communication to strike a balance between commerciality and publicness must come first. A clear explanation of the profit structure and operating philosophy after the joint-stock company system is also essential to regain the trust of publishers. In order for book fairs not to simply become a venue for promoting bestsellers, but to remain as ‘blacksmiths of the soul’ where small, unknown books meet readers and create a new world, we need the courage to overcome the current growing pains head-on.