Exam Prep Books Lead, Yoo Si-min Surges... 40s-50s Prefer Economics and Humanities, 20s Choose Administrative Law

Yes24 Week 4 July Bestseller List

Strong Sales for New Releases by Yoo Simin and Oh Geonyeong... "Aquarium" Sales Double in One Month

Administrative Law and Korean History Dominate Top Ranks, Steady Humanities Sellers in the Spotlight Agai

Amid the ongoing popularity of exam preparation books for public servants and certification tests, new releases by bestselling authors such as Yoo Si-min and Oh Gun-young are gaining traction, leading the summer bookstore trends. Meanwhile, literary and humanities steady-sellers like "Aquarium" and "Siddhartha" have continued their comeback, steadily attracting more readers.

According to the fourth week of July's overall bestseller list announced by Yes24 on July 23, "2027 Yoo Huiun Administrative Law Summary Note + Past Exam Questions (Yo.Ple.)" compiled by Yoo Huiun took the number one spot. 47.2% of purchasers were in their 20s, reflecting the strong interest among examinees preparing for government employment exams.

"European City Tour 3" by author Yoo Si-min saw its sales increase by 35.6% week-on-week in its third week since release, climbing to second place. Thanks to the popularity of this new release, "European City Tour 1" and "European City Tour 2" also returned to 2nd and 3rd place in the history category, respectively, with their combined sales increasing by 51.7% compared to the previous week.

In the business and economics category, "The Crossroads of Wealth" by Oh Gun-young ranked third overall. After maintaining the top spot for two consecutive weeks in the business and economics category, the book continued its steady popularity by staying in the upper ranks of the overall chart. Of its buyers, 70.1% were in their 40s or 50s, indicating selection by middle-aged readers with strong interest in the economy and investment.

Demand for exam prep books remained strong. "2027 Gongdangi Sobangdangi Sunny Administrative Law Basic Book" climbed to fourth place, while "2026 Big Star Teacher Choi Taeseong's Unique Korean History: Korean History Proficiency Test Advanced (Levels 1, 2, 3) Part 1" and "Part 2" by Choi Taeseong ranked 9th and 10th, respectively. This suggests continuing demand among examinees preparing for the Korean History Proficiency Test or government employment exams.

The strength of steady-sellers was especially evident in the humanities and literature fields. "Nietzsche’s Transcendent" saw sales climb 41.9% year-on-year for the month, and "Aquarium" by Yu Rae-hyuk surged 113.9% in the same period, establishing itself as this summer’s standout comeback title. Hermann Hesse’s "Siddhartha" has also proven its lasting popularity, with sales rising for the past three consecutive months.

By category, the script collection "Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness: Script Set" topped the arts category, while "Peach and the Caterpillar," a new release by Annyeongdal, led the picture book category for children. More than half of the buyers were women in their 40s, highlighting strong demand for picture books for their children.

A Yes24 representative commented, "While demand for exams and business books remains steady, new releases by bestselling authors and steady-sellers in literature and humanities are showing pronounced strength at the same time."

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