After 7, 4, and 3 Years of Waiting... Korean Literature's "Comeback Week" Driven by Readers in Their 40s and 50s

Yes24 and Kyobo Book Centre Bestseller Trends in the Fourth Week of August

Kim Aeran’s New Release: 75.5% of Buyers in Their 40s and 50s; Jung Jia: 70.6%

Jo Jungrae’s "Seorikkot": 93.3% of Buyers Aged 40 and Over

Classics and Established Writers Draw 40s and 50s Readers, While Genre Novels and eBooks Attract Those in Their 20s and 30s

Familiar names have made a comeback among the ancient classics that have dominated bookstore shelves for 2,000 years. Kim Aeran released her first essay collection in seven years, Jung Jia published a new full-length novel after four years, and Jo Jungrae also returned to readers with a novel three years after his last work. Although the length of their hiatuses differed, the first readers to engage with these new releases were consistently those in their 40s and 50s.

Kim Aeran's Geuraettago Jeokatda (from left), Jung Jia's Jjinijuibo, and Jo Jeongrae's Seorikkot. These new works were released after 7, 4, and 3 years respectively, and immediately climbed to the top of the bestseller lists, showing strong purchasing power among middle-aged and older readers.

According to the bestseller rankings for the fourth week of August from Yes24 and Kyobo Book Centre on August 28, Kim Aeran's essay collection "I Wrote That" ranked third overall on Yes24, while Jung Jia's novel "Jjini Alert" secured the fourth spot. Jo Jungrae's "Seorikkot" entered the overall chart at 13th place and 6th in the fiction, poetry, and drama category, just one week after pre-orders began. While "Seneca, To You Who Are Being Deprived of Today" by Seneca and "Odysseia" by Homer held the first and second places, new releases by Korean authors quickly climbed the rankings behind them.

Kyobo Book Centre showed a similar trend. Kim Aeran's new book debuted at fifth place overall in the fourth week of August upon its release. In the Kyobo Book Centre overall ranking, Choi Inseo's "Researcher on Abnormal Phenomena in Korean History" held the top spot, followed by Seneca's "Seneca, To You Who Are Being Deprived of Today" in second, and "Odysseia" in fourth. Despite the dominance of classics, Korean literature’s new releases have also risen to the top ranks.

Sales growth was also rapid. On Yes24, sales of "I Wrote That" increased by 113.1% compared to the previous week, taking first place in the essay category, while sales of "Jjini Alert" also grew by 46.9% in a single week. Readers flocked to these newly published works by authors returning after extended breaks, leading to high purchase rates right from the start.

Kyobo Bookstore Bestsellers for the Fourth Week of August. Choi Inseo's topped the chart, while and ranked second and fourth respectively. Kim Aeran's new work entered the list at fifth place upon release. Kyobo Bookstore

The age demographics of buyers are particularly noteworthy. At Yes24, 44.5% of those who purchased "I Wrote That" were in their 40s, and 31.0% were in their 50s, together accounting for 75.5% of buyers. Similarly, for "Jjini Alert," 40.0% of buyers were in their 50s and 30.6% in their 40s, so readers in their 40s and 50s made up 70.6% of total purchasers. At Kyobo Book Centre, the proportion of women in their 40s who bought Kim Aeran's new book was the highest at 31.4%.

This trend was even more pronounced with Jo Jungrae’s latest release. Among "Seorikkot" buyers, 42.2% were in their 50s—the largest group—followed by those aged 60 or older at 26.0%, and those in their 40s at 25.1%. Combined, readers in their 40s and above accounted for a remarkable 93.3% of all buyers. Breaking it down by gender, 24.2% were women in their 50s and 18.0% were men in their 50s, highlighting the prominence of this age group among readers.

The three writers each had different hiatus periods. Kim Aeran’s "I Wrote That" is her first essay collection in seven years, while "Jjini Alert" marks Jung Jia’s return with a full-length novel four years after "Diary of My Father’s Liberation." Jo Jungrae also released his latest novel three years after "Hwanggeumjongi." Longstanding writers and the middle-aged readers who have followed them have together driven strong initial demand immediately after the release of these new books.

YES24 August 4th Week Comprehensive Bestseller Ranking. 'Seneca, To You Who Are Being Deprived of Today' and 'Odysseia' held the 1st and 2nd places, while Kim Ae-ran's 'I Wrote That' and Jung Ji-ah's 'Jjini Warning' ranked 3rd and 4th respectively. YES24

A similar age pattern has emerged amid the growing popularity of classics—another major trend in bookstores recently. "Seneca, To You Who Are Being Deprived of Today" maintained the top spot at Yes24 for four weeks straight. According to previous sales data, 37.4% of this book’s buyers were in their 50s and 35.9% were in their 40s, totaling 73.3% collectively. Boosted by the success of Christopher Nolan’s film, "Odysseia" surged to second on Yes24 and fourth at Kyobo Book Centre this week. These trends demonstrate that the strong purchasing power of the middle-aged and older reader demographics is influencing both the rediscovery of classics and the return of established writers.

By contrast, readers in their 20s and 30s gravitate toward different titles. "Brain Axel" by Lee Jinwoo topped the Yes24 self-development category, with 33.9% of buyers in their 30s and 29.0% in their 20s—a combined 62.9%. The top eBook, "Breadbug Breeding Guidelines," was purchased by women in their 20s and 30s, who made up 54.4% of buyers. At Kyobo Book Centre, Choi Inseo's genre novel "Researcher on Abnormal Phenomena in Korean History" debuted at number one overall, with women in their 20s comprising 50.6% of purchasers. While middle-aged readers drive sales of established writers and classics, younger readers are fueling sales upon release through fandom communities that formed online long before publication.

A Kyobo Book Centre representative commented on the first-place debut of "Researcher on Abnormal Phenomena in Korean History," stating, "As soon as the first full-length novel in the genre—already with a strong fan base—was released, it topped the bestseller list. The book’s exceptional popularity is especially evident in the fact that women in their 20s accounted for 50.6% of purchases, making up the majority of buyers."

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