Filtering Out "Ghost Bookstores"... Government to Introduce National Local Bookstore Certification System

Amendments to the Publishing Act Proposed...
Measures to Encourage Priority Purchases for Public and School Libraries

Bookshop Industry: "Certification Must Reflect Real-World Standards,
Including Permanent Stores, Book Sales, and Cultural Ac

In order to prevent supply companies that only hold business registrations without operating actual stores from being included as targets for local bookstore support, a state-level certification system for local bookstores is being pursued.

Citizens are cooling off from the heat at Kyobo Book Centre Gwanghwamun Branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

According to the Korea Federation of Bookstores on July 28, Assemblyman Lee Jae-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea and 12 other lawmakers proposed a partial amendment to the Publishing and Cultural Industries Promotion Act on July 24. The main focus of the amendment is to provide a legal basis for the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to certify local bookstores and local bookstore cooperatives that meet certain requirements.

If certification is obtained through fraudulent or dishonest methods, or if the requirements are not met, certification will be revoked, and businesses that received fraudulent certification will have their recertification limited for a certain period. Details of the certification procedures and standards will be determined in the future by Presidential Decree.

The bill also includes provisions for connecting public book purchasing programs with local bookstores. Heads of local governments and superintendents of education will be encouraged to prioritize certified local bookstores and local bookstore cooperatives when public libraries and school libraries purchase printed books and other publications. Purchase performance from the previous year must be submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism by the end of April each year, and the ministry will compile and announce the results. Electronic publications will be excluded from the priority purchasing scheme.

While a local bookstore certification system is already operated by some local governments, the criteria—such as length of operation, store requirements, and proportion of book sales—vary between regions. This has led to criticism that it is difficult to distinguish between bookstores that actually sell books to local residents and supply companies that only possess business registrations.

The number of local bookstores is also steadily declining. According to the "2024 Local Bookstore Status Survey," the number of local bookstores nationwide decreased by 385 over two years, from 2,716 in 2022 to 2,331 in 2024. There are six regions with no bookstores at all and 21 regions with only one bookstore remaining.

The Korea Federation of Bookstores emphasized the importance of establishing the legal basis for certification, but also stressed that the Presidential Decree should set realistic, field-oriented standards. They argued that verification must include whether the bookstore sells to a broad public, operates a physical store at all times, and whether book sales are its main source of livelihood.

They also insist that the proportion of books in store inventory, the ratio of book sales to total revenue, the type and item classification on the business registration, as well as activities as a local cultural hub—such as book clubs and author lectures—should be reflected as certification criteria. There are concerns that another wave of "ghost bookstores" could emerge if certifications are granted based solely on formal documents.

Prior to the revision of the act, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Publishing and Culture Industry Promotion Agency have, from this month, begun implementing separate verification procedures for bookstores already certified by local governments or those that meet the requirements stipulated by ordinances. If the bill passes, integration of the previously varied local standards into a national certification framework is expected to gain momentum.

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