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The wind that moves minds of readers around the world: Korean literature bestsellers for the second quarter of 2024 scrap download

전 세계 독자의 마음을 움직이는 바람, 2024년 2분기 한국문학 베스트셀러를 만나보세요.

「KLWAVE features content to introduce a diverse range of Korean literature to overseas readers. This year, we will introduce the best-selling Korean literature every quarter. KLWAVE’s second-quarter best sellers were selected based on the comprehensive consideration of the list of best-selling books provided by three Korean bookstore chains and the list of most borrowed books provided by the Korean Library Association from April to June 2024. 」


The trend of Korean literature in the first half of 2024 can be defined as “the power of steadiness.” Since the beginning of this year, the bestseller shelves in bookstores and libraries have been stocked with books published more than a decade ago, a rare sight and a pleasant surprise. As books that share the wisdom of timeless and insightful philosophers have been popular in the Korean book market since last year, this year, readers have chosen timeless classics in Korean literature. Although the number of newly published novels and sales thereof slowed down compared to 2022 and 2023, there were new releases by bestselling authors who have been recognized in overseas markets and have begun to attract the attention of Korean readers, garnering their own “fandom.”


Yang Gui-ja’s Contradiction, a bestseller when it was published in 1998, has been ranked No. 1 on the bestseller list for the first half of 2024, nearly 30 years after its first release. Its readers agree that it makes them realize different meanings and feel new emotions as they read it over and over as time goes by. In other words, it is a steady-seller that readers in their twenties revisit in their thirties, and those in their thirties re-read in their forties. Choi Jin-young’s Proof of Gu, published in 2015, has also recently gained attention from readers in their twenties and thirties and has been ranked No. 8 on the bestseller list, climbing back up the sales chart. Both books have been steadily recommended on online channels and platforms such as influencers and book YouTubers and went viral.


It is also noteworthy that Gu Byeong-mo’s book Bruised Fruit , which was published in 2018, also made the list. The book deals with the conflicts and inner thoughts of a female killer in her sixties, and its immersive storyline garnered attention not only in the Korean market but also overseas, selling rights to 11 countries in 2022. Recently, there has been news of domestic musical and movie productions based on the novel, renewing the attention to the original novel. This is deemed a positive sign for the expansion of IP (Intellectual Property) in Korean literature; solid themes of proven works are being adapted into TV series, movies, plays, webtoons, and other cultural means, creating a virtuous cycle of piquing the interest to their original works. As an example, the recently released and bestselling Children of the Rune - Blooded Vol. 7 is the new book in the fantasy series Children of the Rune by Jeon Min-hee, which has also been recently released as a webtoon of the same title.


Along with the global interest in K-culture, including TV dramas, movies, and music, Korean literature is also experiencing a rise in new trends. Authors and works with guaranteed literary quality have been nominated for major overseas literary awards and highlighted by overseas media, signaling the rise of Korean literature. Hwang Sok-yong’s Mater 2-10, which reached the 14th place on the bestseller list, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize this year, raising Korean readers’ interest once again. Through the story of three generations of railroad workers, the book traces the history of South Korea from the Japanese colonial period to the post-liberation and the present day. Starting with Han Kang’s The Vegetarian , a winner of the International Booker Prize in 2015, Korean publications such as Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny and Cheon Myeong-kwan’s Whale have been gaining international recognition, broadening Korean literature’s international market and attracting Korean readers once again.


“Fandom” and “digging” (a phenomenon of deeply immersing oneself in a field) are also prominent in the field of reading books, and increasingly more readers seek out the works of their favorite authors or their next release. Kim Ho-yeon, delivered warm consolation with Uncanny Convenience Store Vol. 1 and 2 in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and he continued with his signature “Kim Ho-yeon genre” and the “emotional healing novel” trend, which is still going strong this year; with his new novel My Don Quixote , Kim ranked third on the bestseller list in the first half of this year.


Here are the top 10 bestsellers!


1. Yang Gui-ja, Contradiction

2. Kim Ho-yeon, Uncanny Convenience Store

3. Kim Ho-yeonMy Don Quixote

4. Choi Eunyoung, Even in the dimmest light(Tentative name)

5. Kim Mela et al., The 15th Anthology of Award-winning Young Authors 2024

6. Jeong Hai-yeon, Flamingo's Places

7. Kimbbang, The Best of Tomorrows

8. Choi Jin-young’s Proof of Gu

9. Lee Byungryul, Once in Love So Profound

10. Kkoch-nim Lee, Taking a Bite Out of Summer



Written by Lee Seung-yeon

Lee Seung-yeon is a reporter for the Maeil Business Newspaper’s weekly magazine, City Life. Lee explores cultural and lifestyle trends and captures the world in a single issue every week.



Translated by Joheun Lee

Joheun Lee (Jo) is a literary translator from Korea. She was selected in the 2023 and 2024 Translation Academy Night Courses from LTI Korea, the American Literary Translators Association's inaugural Building Our Future workshop for emerging BIPOC translators, and the 2023-24 National Centre for Writing's Emerging Translator Mentorship for Korean-English translation.

A long-time fan of K-pop and many other subcultures, she finds herself drawn to works on related topics and speculative fiction, especially by women and queer writers. A UX Designer by day, Jo now lives with her partner and three cats in Shanghai, China.

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