KOREA FOUNDATION

2023 ASEAN Bookstore in Seoul

For three weeks starting from August 10, the KF ASEAN Culture House (KF–ACH) will host the 2023 ASEAN Bookstore, showcasing art books from ASEAN countries at Project Rent’s R Oldtown space in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul. It will be the first ASEAN art book pop-up store to open in Korea.

The festival will introduce a total of 10 books through a variety of different videos. The books to be showcased have been selected in cooperation with art book fair organizers in Southeast Asia, and some were carefully curated and recommended by sojanggak, a publishing house focusing on ASEAN culture. The pop-up store will provide coffee and food from different ASEAN member states, as well as “super normal” objects, that is, objects which represent a part of each country’s everyday culture, with the intention of allowing visitors to experience and gain a deeper understanding of ASEAN culture.

On the weekend of August 12–13, a seminar will take place featuring five ASEAN art book fair directors, namely, Renée Ting (Singapore), Piyakorn Chaiverapundech (Bangkok), Chee Keong Loo (Kuala Lumpur), Januar Rianto (Jakarta), and Marc Gabriel (Cebu). They will speak on their respective cities’ art book market trends and the social environment for creative writers.

Unlike other ASEAN festivals in Korea centered on tourism and food, the 2023 ASEAN Bookstore will offer a diverse range of content under the theme of “ASEAN Publishing and Books,” encouraging visitors to delve into the world of literature. After watching the videos that feature authors personally introducing their books, visitors might even feel as if they’ve read the books themselves—despite never having encountered them before. Head over to the 2023 ASEAN Bookstore for a fun and memorable experience.

ASEAN Bookstore in SeoulKF ASEAN CultureProject Rent’s R Oldtown spacesojanggakRenée TingPiyakorn ChaiverapundechChee Keong LooJanuar RiantoMarc Gabriel