Taiwan Guest of Honor At Seoul International Book Fair

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Taiwan is this year’s guest of honor at the Seoul International Book Fair—the largest of its kind in South Korea. Its pavilion showcases the island’s culture, literature, and history, aiming to deepen Korean visitors’ understanding of Taiwan.

Transcript

00:00Sounds of Taiwanese tai-gi inside a packed convention center in Seoul.

00:13This Taiwanese band helping to kick off Taiwan's pavilion at Korea's largest book fair.

00:20Taiwan is the book fair's guest of honor, meaning it's been given a large space

00:24right at the entrance to showcase its literature and culture.

00:28One of its central goals is to allow more people to get to know Taiwan.

00:58Inside, over 500 Taiwanese books, some translated into Korean, organized into six distinct areas,

01:11each exploring a different aspect of Taiwan.

01:14Its food, its lifestyle, and in this area, its history.

01:18This timeline introducing Taiwan's past, which organizers say is similar in some ways to Korea's.

01:26Japanese colonial rule over both countries ended 80 years ago, following Japan's defeat in World War II.

01:32The space also introduces one of Taiwan's largest religious pilgrimages in honor of the sea goddess,

01:52as well as its indigenous and queer literature, with an interactive incentive to visit the entire area.

02:00Each visitor to the Taiwan pavilion gets this passport, and once they visit one of the six areas,

02:05they can stamp their passport, and once they get six stamps, they might be able to win a prize.

02:11Its overall theme, Taiwan sensibility, derived from a hashtag used by some Korean people on social media

02:19when posting photos of Taiwan, reportedly meant to convey the sense of nostalgia or warmth they feel

02:26when visiting the country. This wall displaying photos posted with that hashtag.

02:31The pavilion is also hosting cultural events, giving out Taiwanese snacks, and holding talks

03:01with Taiwanese authors, 23 of which came with the pavilion's organizers to Seoul to share their work,

03:07including this artist, known for his online comics.

03:10I think this is a great opportunity to share these works with Korean readers.

03:16Of course, because my book is still not translated into Korean, I think it's a great effect,

03:21but it's a great opportunity to make Korean readers see the artist's picture picture.

03:26Many publishing companies from Taiwan are also here, hoping to introduce

03:30their work to their Korean counterparts, this publisher hoping to advertise this comic book, among others.

03:50It's a chance, organizers say, for Taiwan's publishing industry to broaden its collaboration with

03:56publishers in Korea, and for Korean people to learn more about Taiwan as a whole.

04:01The pavilion, packed with Korean visitors, each with different takeaways and reasons for being here.

04:07I'm interested in queer-friendly culture, and as I'm one of my first ever told so, I already have a kind of a

04:16badge related to Taiwan's queer pride or something. And it is really interesting that there's a lot of

04:24rainbow quacks around here, so it feels like, okay, this is the world where the queer pride would

04:35exist with proud, not like Korea. I'm a big fan of Chun Su-ho, and I'm very excited to meet him,

04:44because I really want to talk and listen here about the books and his life.

04:51Yeah. Her favorite book, one that describes life in Taiwan.

04:56It is the life in Taiwan, so it is very similar with Korea, so I was very touched.

05:04So, for five days at the Seoul International Book Fair, Taiwan's literature, culture, and history is

05:10in the spotlight, with the hope of deepening interest and understanding of Taiwan's story,

05:15and to spread its art and words far beyond its borders. Scott Huang and Cadence Quaranta for Taiwan Plus.

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