The 2024 Busan International Children's Book Fair runs from Thursday through Sunday at BEXCO in Busan. Courtesy of Korean Publishers Association Event features 193 publishers, 118 authors By Pyo Kyung-min The 2024 Busan International Children's Book Fair opened Thursday at BEXCO, marking a milestone as the country's first-ever international children's book fair . Hosted in the southern port city, the BICBF aims to elevate the global reputation of Korean children's literature, a field celebrated abroad but often underappreciated in the country.
Korean children's books have consistently earned international accolades, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Bologna Ragazzi Award. Moreover, between 2020 and 2022, children's titles accounted for 28.9 percent of Korea's total copyright exports, representing 1,204 of 4,167 transactions.
At Thursday's opening ceremony, Yong Ho-seong, the first vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, highlighted the genre's importance in the publishing industry and praised the authors and publishers who have elevated Korean children's literature to new heights. Yong Ho-seong, the first vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, delivers a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Busan International Children's Book Fair at BEXCO in Busan, Thursday. Courtesy of Korean Publishers Association "I imagine the feelings of those who first organized Italy's Bologna Children's Book Fair .