[Namsan Stroll] Book Fairs Never Fail

Neighborhood Bookstores and Independent Publishers Mobilize Their "Intellectual Capital"


Book Fairs Emerge as Irreplaceable Cultural Spaces in the Age of AI

This fall, true to its reputation as the season of reading, countless book fairs are taking place nationwide—far too many to list individually. In recent years, following the success of the Seoul International Book Fair, various regions have begun hosting their own book fairs. More than 200 teams, both local and international, participated in the Gunsan Book Fair, attracting crowds from across the country. In Gongju, dozens of publishers and independent bookstores set up booths. I also participated in the Iksan Reading Fair held at the Iksan Youth City Hall, where I had discussions with authors. In October, I am scheduled to give a lecture at the Yuseong Book Festival in Daejeon.

Visitors exploring various books at the '2026 Seoul International Book Fair' held on June 24th at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. 2026.6.24 Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Although many regional festivals and events are criticized for spending vast amounts of taxpayers’ money without meaningful results, book fairs seem to be immune to such failure. No matter which book fair you attend, every booth is filled with rich content, and events like lectures and book talks are brimming with valuable discussions. I believe the reason lies in the nature of book fairs themselves—they are essentially consortiums of participants, each possessing significant "intellectual capital." Unlike top-down, artificially created events, every participant brings their own taste and perspective, filling every nook and cranny with genuine passion. As a result, book fairs cannot devolve into superficial, box-ticking cultural events.

Masuda Muneaki, CEO of Tsutaya Books (CCC), which once operated over 1,400 stores across Japan, emphasizes in his book "Theory of Intellectual Capital" (Minumsa) that books should not be seen as mere objects but rather as "abundant proposals contained within." Each book is a treasure trove of value, offering readers unique lifestyle suggestions. He therefore stresses that curators or "customer service staff" who recommend books cannot simply be "anyone off the street." It's because each of them is, in essence, a capitalist holding intellectual capital.

Book fairs are filled with precisely these kinds of intellectual capitalists. Every booth is manned by knowledgeable curators who can explain every detail about the books they showcase. Independent bookstores that have faithfully served their communities for years, publishers with distinct visions and identities, and other individuals who love books and their local areas—all of them are unique "intellectual capitalists" in their own right. They are not employees outsourced to simply perform a task for money or staff forced to participate; rather, each person represents their own unique "world," and that is why book fairs are inevitably so rich and vibrant.

These days, as I travel across the country to give lectures, I make time to visit local bookstores wherever I go. I am continually impressed by the different personalities and approaches to curation in each store. Even in places lacking other cultural facilities, a single bookstore can completely transform the atmosphere of the neighborhood. Perhaps it’s because a neighborhood bookstore holds within it a vast universe of worlds contained in books. For this reason, I believe that wherever a book fair is held, given that it brings together everyone who loves books, it is bound to succeed.

Within the publishing industry, people often say that this is the worst recession since the foundation of Korea. Recently, there's been even more lament about how the flood of low-quality content mass-produced by artificial intelligence (AI)—the so-called "AI slop"—has made it harder than ever to find good books. Yet, despite these challenges, book fairs curated by true intellectual capitalists who genuinely love books continue to be rare and invaluable spaces where high-quality content can be found. In the age of AI, book fairs remain one of the few precious places where we can still experience human intellectual sensibility.

Jung Jiwoo, culture critic and attorney

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