Workers arrange books by Han Kang at Kyobo Books Centre's Gwanghwamun branch in central Seoul, Oct. 16. Yonhap By KTimes On Oct.
11, the day after South Korean author Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in literature, a bookstore owner in Busan attempted to order her books through wholesaler Kyobo Book Centre, only to be turned away with a message that orders were not being accepted. Left with no option, he had to turn away customers seeking Han’s works. About a week later, something odd happened — 10 copies of Han’s books arrived from Kyobo, although he had not placed any orders.
Around Oct. 18, independent bookstores nationwide reported receiving unsought shipments of Han’s books. “They blocked orders entirely without offering updates or even a ‘please wait’; then, when we protested against unfair practices, they just sent out books at random,” the bookstore owner said.
Criticism has mounted over the “Han Kang Nobel Prize boom” being monopolized by the “Big Three” bookstores — Kyobo Book Centre, Yes24 and Aladdin — sidelining smaller, independent bookstores. In just five days, the Big Three sold over a million copies of Han’s works (including e-books), while other bookstores had to turn customers away due to a lack of stock. The situation has exposed vulnerabilities in South Korea’s publishing distribution network, which critics argue is too concentrated in the hands of a few large wholesalers and retailers.
People gather outside a bookstore run by .