Yi Ki-ung (second from right), director of Paju Book City, attended the Sheikh Zayed Book Award Ceremony last March to win the 'Best Technology in the Field of Culture' award (photo courtesy of Gonggam Korea).
Driving about 30 minutes to an hour along Jayuro towards Paju, you will reach a traffic sign that signals the entrance into Paju Book City. The entrance to the city is lined with modern and unique architectural designs.
Paju Book City, an industrial complex built on a 1,600-square-meter area near Paju City in northern Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province), was first established 25 years ago by publishers who dreamed of an improved publishing industry. Their dream to create 'the hub for creating knowledge and information' has slowly come true.
Korea's only Book City and an unprecedented cultural complex focused on the publishing industry, Paju Book City has been gaining worldwide attention for Korea's publication culture on the global stage. Last March, the publication industry faced a few moments of glory. In addition to the launch of the Korean pavilion at the Bologna Exhibition and Fairs held from March 19 to 22, Paju Book City was awarded the Sheikh Zayed Book Award sponsored by the Cultural Administration of the United Arab Emirates on March 29.
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is a prestigious independent award in the Middle East area that recognizes the achievements of writers, intellectuals, and outstanding young talent. Among nine entries, Paju Book City won the 'Best Technology in the Field of Culture' in recognition of their contribution to consolidating the entire publishing process. The book town was awarded a medal and Dh 0.75 million, equivalent to KRW 220 million, as a prize.
"Paju Book City is set to create valuable books", explained Yi Ki-ung, chairman of the Book Culture Foundation, about the purpose of the Book City. He also expressed his hope to provide a model city through the book town.
Paju Book City has been arranging various book-themed events such as an annual book fair, international forums, seminars, and many more. The region is visited by people from various backgrounds, coming from the fields of journalism, architecture, and publication, as well as the general public too.
Paju Book City holds various book-themed events (photo: Yonhap News).
The city is currently under construction to produce some 100 film production companies and movie-related organizations by 2015. "Paju Book City is a culturally rich place and of a significant commercial value", said Baek Won-geun, researcher at the Korea Publishing Marketing Research Institute.
*Adapted from Gonggam Korea
Translated by Lee Seungah
Korea.net Staff Writer
Source : www.korea.net/NewsFoc... ( English Korean )
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