"Neighborhood Bookstores Become Cultural Salons"... Busan Library Expands Local Bookstore Reading Programs

Author Events and Humanities Lectures Held at 15 Bookstores in Busan

Neighborhood bookstores, which were once limited to buying and reading books, are expanding their roles to become local cultural spaces.

Busan Library has partnered with 15 local bookstores to run various reading culture programs, such as meetings with authors, humanities lectures, and book clubs, with the aim of promoting reading culture in everyday life.

On July 12, Busan Library announced that it will support the operation of the "2026 Local Bookstore Reading Culture Program" at 15 local bookstores through October this year.

This initiative aims to foster local bookstores as cultural hubs that citizens can visit in their daily lives and to revitalize reading culture activities. Busan Library provides funding for operations, while participating bookstores independently plan and run cultural programs that reflect their own unique characteristics.

This year, 15 bookstores across Busan—including those in Gangseo-gu, Gijang-gun, Nam-gu, Busanjin-gu, Buk-gu, Saha-gu, Seo-gu, Suyeong-gu, and Haeundae-gu—are participating in the program.

The programs will cover themes such as literature, art, humanities, healing, and communication. A variety of lectures and cultural events reflecting each bookstore's characteristics are scheduled to be held, including "Picture Book Stories That Embrace the Heart with Author Su-min Oh," "Reading Susan Sontag with a Literary Critic," "Creating Your Own Mini Book," "Busan Author Birth Project," and "Art in Life: Drawing as Art."

Citizens who wish to participate can apply directly at the respective bookstores.

Eun-a Park, Director of Busan Library, stated, "Local bookstores are becoming complex cultural spaces where citizens can communicate and share culture, going beyond simply being places to buy books. I hope that this year's diverse programs at each bookstore will give citizens the opportunity to discover new charms of local bookstores."

Busan Library.

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