Illustrator Wall, Seoul International Book Fair 2025, Photo Courtesy SIBF
By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox
From June 24-28, The Korean Publishers Association and Seoul International Book Fair will host the 68th edition of SIBF at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul. The theme of this year’s fair is Homo duduri: The Declaration of Human.
About this year’s theme
In Korean literature, a “duduri” is a mythical blacksmith. SIBF coined the term “homo duduri” to represent humans who do not accept answers given and continue to ask questions. At a time when artificial intelligence is pervading all areas of the industry and human verification is even more important, SIBF wants to celebrate the human being who dares to go beyond the statistically probable answers generated by AI.
Award-winning and critically-acclaimed Korean novelist Kim Yeon-su created the thematic manifesto in collaboration with AI models Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemini 3. Feeding ten classic books that are currently in the public domain and which he got from Project Gutenberg into these AI models, the human author begin a series of dialogues with Claude and Gemini to develop the manifesto.
Perhaps celebrating the partnership of author and AI models, the manifesto reads, “Ever since the first human approached the fire without fear, humanity has used that fire to create. The fire of AI is no different. The issue is not the fire itself, but what kind of questions we forge with it.” The fair is publishing an account of the unique creative process in a special publication called Limited Edition.
There will also be an interactive exhibition tied to the theme which shares “questions about humanity” submitted by participating authors and readers alongside recommended books. Visitors can leave their own “Declaration of Human” in the space.
This Year’s Program
As AI agents are becoming more a part of the writing process for many authors, SIBF will host a series of sessions “Creativity of Artists Living in the AI Era,” bringing authors, translators, musicians, webtoon creators together to debate how the lines between art and humanity are shifting.
Alongside those conversations will be discussions on the more urgent areas that the larger global industry is facing with the increasing use of AI both within the industry and externally. The seminar “Ethics and Copyright in the Age of AI: Challenges for the Publishing Industry” will focus on practical solutions; there will be another seminar on fact-checking, which is becoming an increasing challenge for publishers around the world; and, as AI continues to polarize the industry, there will even be a seminar that asks a fundamental question, “Can humans and AI truly fall in love?”
France as Guest of Honor Country
In honor of the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, France is the guest of honor country at SIBF this year. “Lire la France” (Reading France) will feature a number of programs highlighting 12 prominent French authors and figures – global bestseller Bernard Werber, renowned children’s book author Marie-Aude Murail, picture book author and illustrator Anne Laval, and acclaimed philosopher Pascal Bruckner.
Authors in attendance
Renowned Korean literary writers who will be participating at SIBF include novelists Eun Hee-kyung, Kim Ae-ran, Baek Soo-lin, Bora Chung, Lee Ju-hye, and Park Seon-woo; poets Oh Eun, Hwang In-chan, An Mi-ok, and Shin Yi-in; book author Lee Su-yeon; and cartoonist Jaesu.
International authors who will be speaking include Taiwanese novelist Kevin Chen and acclaimed screenwriter Chan Wai; Korean-American novelist Silvia Park who will be in conversation with Korean sci-fi writer Kim Cho-yeop; Korean-American author R. O. Kwon in conversation with Korean novelist Pyun Hye-young. Both Park and Kwon are releasing new books in Korea to coincide with the fair and connect with readers in Korea. Novelists Chung Serang and Park Sang-young, poets Go Sun-kyung, Kim Bok-hee, Ahn Hee-yeon, and Yu Seon-hye, and Temple Food Master Venerable Seon Jae are also launching brand-new books exclusively for the fair and preparing special sessions with readers.
The Rights Center
This year, over 530 Korean and international publishers, publishing associations, literary agents, and rights professionals will be attending SIBF. Of this 530, approximately 180 foreign publishers and organizations from 18 countries, including Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States, will be present in the International Pavilion and participate in the Rights Center.
This year’s Fellowship program, sponsored by the Changbi Cultural Foundation will bring publishing professionals from 10 countries, including Turkey, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Vietnam, to meet with the Korean publishing community.
About the Korean Book Market
For those who aren’t familiar with the Korean book market, K-Book Trends‘ “Korean Publishing Market Trends in 2025 and Outlook for 2026” provides a comprehensive study. The report highlighted some challenges other markets are also facing – the use of AI to search disrupting the traditional pathways to discovery, short-attention span of readers, and a turn toward practical books for self-help, health, and how to use AI in work and life.
Yang shared with Publishing Perspectives that online book retailer Yes24 analyzed bestseller trends for literature and practical books and found that fiction performed well, with 13 novels making it into the top 100 this year. There has been a resurgence in interest in Korean fiction, in part due to Korean writer Han Kang winning the Nobel Prize in 2024, but that is not the only reason fiction is having a boom.
Much like in other markets, readers are turning to classic literature as well. So too, do TV, films, and games have an impact on the Korean market.
“The massive influence of TV and OTT [Over-the-Top/streaming] shows continues. After the hit cooking survival show ‘Culinary Class Wars: Season 2’ aired, books by the competing chefs saw a huge surge in interest, with sales jumping up to 200 times,” said Yang.
For more information about the Seoul International Book Fair and this year’s program, click here.