How is Taiwanese Literature Seen in South Korea?

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan was chosen as the guest of honor at the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair, highlighting Taiwan and Korean collaboration in the publishing space and how Korean readers perceive Taiwanese literature.

Transcript

00:00Rows of Taiwanese books translated into Korean at the Seoul International Book Fair this month,

00:13where Taiwan was this year's guest of honor,

00:16indicative of strong collaboration between the country's publishing industries.

00:30This year, there are about 40 different books in Korean in Korea,

00:37which can be seen in the market in Korea.

00:43We have seen a lot of Korean books in Taiwan,

00:49and there are a lot of Korean writers who love Korean artists,

00:55and also have a lot of books.

00:59One report shows that in 2023, Korea was among the countries that produced the most

01:15copyright income for Taiwanese publishers, behind only China, Hong Kong, and Macau,

01:20and tied with Japan. This Korean publishing company first began publishing Taiwanese

01:24books around 2017, and when those books were well-received, they kept publishing more.

01:30The company's editor and foreign rights manager says there's growing interest in Taiwan among

01:34Korean readers. She says many Taiwanese books currently published in Korea focus on tourism,

01:40but Korean readers, she's observed, are increasingly interested in Taiwanese history

01:44and social issues, likely because they're similar in some ways to Korea's.

01:54It's an idea echoed by Taiwanese publishers that similarities between the two countries mean

02:22resonate well with Korean readers.

02:24This publisher says they work with Korean publishers

02:26more than those of any other country.

02:44Taiwan's Creative Content Agency,

02:46which works to spread Taiwanese cultural

02:48and creative industries internationally,

02:50says Korean readers especially love Taiwan's

02:52queer literature as well as its horror genre.

02:55Some publishers say picture books are popular too

02:58because they rely less on language

02:59and can be easily understood by readers

03:01of different cultures.

03:03This Korean publisher publishes many picture books

03:05from Taiwan.

03:07She loves Taiwanese books, she says,

03:08and has deep connections

03:10with the Taiwanese publishing community.

03:20But she says there can also be challenges when publishing foreign books,

03:28which, in her experience, haven't sold as well in Korea,

03:31because of reader preferences and because it's less convenient

03:34for authors abroad to participate in marketing activities.

03:37Having only sold Taiwanese books for a few years, though,

03:40she hopes things may improve over time.

03:42And many say they expect collaborations

03:45between the Taiwanese and Korean publishing industries

03:47to deepen further as publishers connect at events

03:50like the Seoul International Book Fair

03:52and as Korean readers' interest in Taiwan grows.

03:55Books becoming a way for both countries

03:57and their people to deepen their understanding

04:00and knowledge of one another.

04:02Scott Huang and Caden Squaranta for Taiwan Plus.

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