"Exploring 'Youth' Through Books, Movies, and Music... Kyobo Bookstore Gwanghwamun Branch to Host Reading Festival"

Expanded into a "Reading Flow" Festival at Gwanghwamun on September 5
From Shared Reading to DJ Performances, Movie Talks, and a Screening of "Robot Dream"

Kyobo Bookstore announced on August 18 that it will host the reading festival "Youth Is a Cat," which brings together books, movies, and music in one place, at its Gwanghwamun branch in Seoul on September 5.

Poster for the reading festival "Youth Is a Cat" held by Kyobo Book Centre at Gwanghwamun on September 5. The program features a variety of events including group reading sessions, DJ performances, movie talks, and a screening of the film "Robot Dream," encompassing books, movies, and music. Kyobo Book Centre

This event is an expansion of Kyobo Bookstore's "Reading Flow" program, which encourages reading together and sharing thoughts, reimagined as a festival. In collaboration with Jinjin Films, the festival will feature activities such as collective reading, DJ performances, movie talks, and film screenings, running from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The event’s name draws a parallel between youth and a cat—suddenly appearing by your side, vanishing in an instant, and becoming more elusive the more you try to hold onto it, yet lingering in your heart for a long time. The intention is to revisit moments of excitement, wandering, friendship, separation, and growth through books, movies, and music.

The program consists of three sections: "Discovery," "Participation," and "Appreciation." At the Gwanghwamun branch, a specially curated stand will display books selected and recommended by eight film industry professionals on the theme of youth. In the sunken plaza, there will be a 'shared reading' activity with blind books available to enjoy freely, along with a 'book exchange' program where participants can swap books they have brought. At 4 p.m., the "Reading Flow–Jinjin Pictures" session will be held, providing an opportunity for participants to share their thoughts and experiences related to youth and film.

Music and film programs will follow as well. DJ performances are scheduled in the sunken plaza at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., journalist Lee Eunseon and author Kim Seyun will hold a movie talk centered around the animated film "Robot Dream." This will be followed by a screening of "Robot Dream" at the same location beginning at 8 p.m.

The curated book display with recommendations from the eight film industry professionals will continue at the Gwanghwamun branch until September 20. In addition, at Kyobo Bookstore locations nationwide, there will be special events where limited edition posters of "Happy End," "The Wind That Shakes the Barley," and "Robot Dream," curated by Jinjin Films, will be given out in succession.

A Kyobo Bookstore representative stated, "We designed the event to naturally connect time spent reading to the discovery of new tastes and cultural experiences," adding, "We plan to broadly showcase reading experiences that bring people and ideas together, with reading at the center, and expand them through a variety of content."

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