Stream K-Dramas at OnDemandKorea

Korean books gaining popularity at Iran fair

Iranian visitors look around the Korean booth at the 24th Tehran International Book Fair, which continues through May 14. / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Advertisement

By Chung Ah-young

Iranians are showing an avid interest in the Korean book section at the 24th Tehran International Book Fair which kicked off on May 4 in Tehran and runs until May 14.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the e-book section at the Korean booth is enjoying great popularity. Iranian visitors eagerly tried e-book readers while asking whether the content was available for Iranians and how much it cost.

In particular books by Kang Woo-hyon, the CEO of Nami Island, and Zen Master Kim Chang-sik have been receiving positive feedback from Iranians.

Kang's "Point Story", translated by Iranian author and publisher Pooneh Nedaih, is an illustrated essay featuring dots, lines and squares drawn in black ink. The book includes simple stories as well.

Kim's "Our Planet Is Nature's Stage" consists of poems to express the birth and life of all kinds of living things on the planet. It also conveys emotional messages through the images.

"As the interest in Korea is growing in Iran, we are trying to make more content available to Iranians in various fields and not just by introducing Korea to them", Park Jae-hyun, Korean ambassador to Tehran, said in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

Leaflets in Iranian on Jeju's bid to become one of the "New 7 Wonders of the World" have been distributed to introduce the beauty of the Korean island.

The fair is the largest cultural book event in the Middle East with more than 4,000 publishers and 3 million visitors from 67 countries.

It is also an opportunity for publishers to directly interact with book venders to supply books and extend future business prospects with an enthusiastic exchange of ideas.

❎ Try Ad-free