A Ten-Pyeong Bookstore Even the Nobel Prize Couldn't Save... Han Kang's "Chaekbang Oneul" Closes

Han Kang's "Chaekbang Oneul" Ends Its 8-Year Journey with a Final Reading Event
Business Closes on the 7th Due to Building Sale... "Perhaps We Will Return Someday"

The independent bookstore "Chaekbang Oneul," run by novelist Han Kang, has closed its doors after 8 years. Although it had become a destination for local and international readers following Han Kang's achievement as the first Korean recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, the bookstore ceased operations after its last day on July 7, as the building it was renting was sold.

The independent bookstore "Chaekbang Oneul," founded by Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang, has closed its doors. It marks the end after 8 years since it opened in 2018. Photo by Yonhap News on the 8th in front of the independent bookstore "Chaekbang Oneul" in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

On this day, before the final reading event at "Chaekbang Oneul" in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Han Kang spoke to reporters and said, "I am grateful and feel it was almost a miracle that I was able to do this work for the past eight years." She added, "We tried a variety of things, including readings, book clubs, reading and writing classes, performances, and exhibitions. I am thankful that I could share warm moments with visitors each time."

"Chaekbang Oneul" first opened in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul in 2018. In July 2023, it moved to Tongui-dong in Seochon and operated as a small independent bookstore nestled in an alley. The bookstore introduced the "Author's Bookshelf" every season and held readings, workshops, and book clubs. Although Han Kang had stepped down from management, she continued her connection with the bookstore as an internal director.

For Han Kang, the bookstore is not a landmark post-Nobel Prize, but remains a memory of the first moment someone walked in and opened a book. She recalled the summer night when the first shipment of books arrived. With no air conditioning, she opened the doors and displayed books; a customer passing by after work walked in and started reading a book she had just shelved. Han Kang reminisced, "I was moved, thinking, so this is how a bookstore comes to life—by displaying books, people come in and quietly read."

Among the memorable events after moving to Seochon was the "Echo Reading," where the author would read first and participants would follow. Han Kang explained, "Because of the wooden roof, you could really hear the sound of rain when it fell. There were times during the reading when it poured so hard, it felt like we were the only ones left in the world." She added, "Without visitors, the bookstore could never have been complete."

The reason for the closure is an issue with the space. Han Kang explained, "The building was sold, and it was agreed that all tenants would vacate by July." She went on to say, "I've been spending a lot of time abroad, which made it difficult to find a new place quickly. For now, I think I’ll pause and regroup, and perhaps one day we’ll return." The bookstore also announced through social media, "The timing and location for reopening have not yet been decided."

After Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024, "Chaekbang Oneul" became a spot sought out by literary readers. Even on its final day, most of the shelves were empty, and visitors continued to arrive to capture the bookstore's last moments. One reader left a note in the guestbook, while another spent time gazing at recommended quotes from authors and the bookstore's symbolic items.

This closure is not simply an event of a single author's bookstore shutting down. The fame of the author's name, the symbolism of the Nobel Prize, and the steady stream of readers were not enough to guarantee the sustainability of a small cultural space. According to real estate platform "Disco," the building housing the bookstore was sold for 3.5 billion won on May 19. Nearby shop owners testified that, following the Nobel Prize, the area around the bookstore gained fame, causing local real estate prices to surge.

Han Kang was reserved about her next work, stating, "It would be nice if I could announce something, but so much is uncertain. I hope I can write again someday. I also hope to meet you again through a book."

On the night of the final reading, the lights at "Chaekbang Oneul" went out. The books were sold, and the shelves were empty. However, Han Kang’s final remarks were closer to the essence of the bookstore than to the reason for its closure. She said that while a bookstore begins as a place to shelve books, it is ultimately completed by the people who come in to read them.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.