Thursday, June 20, 2024
Reading Time: 2 minutes
The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST) and KPIPA recently hosted a K-Book exhibition and picture book author events in France to introduce Korean literature and pave the way for the K-Book Wave in celebration of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
The exhibition, titled “K-Book: The Origin of K-Culture,” began on June 5th. It aims to showcase Korean books to French and international audiences in honor of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The exhibition features 110 diverse Korean books, including 59 picture books, 38 literary works translated into French, and 13 original web novels that have inspired popular webtoons and dramas. It is located on the third floor of the Korean Cultural Center in France and will run until August 30th.
“K-Book: The Origin of K-Culture” Exhibition
From June 11th to June 13th, picture book author workshops were held at various locations in Paris, including La maison des histoires, Bibliothèque Louise Michel, Gerson, children’s book museums, and schools. Authors such as Oh Se-na, Lee So-young, Kim Sang-keun, and Jung Jin-ho engaged with approximately 500 local children through drawing and crafting workshops, receiving enthusiastic responses. One attendee, who participated with her 7-year-old child, remarked, “It was great to meet various Korean picture book authors in France.” A representative from Bibliothèque Louise Michel noted, “This Korean picture book author workshop was a meaningful event that French children could fully enjoy.”
On June 14th, around 150 people, including French publishing professionals and aspiring illustrators, attended the “Korea-France Picture Book Author Talk” at the Bibliothèque universitaire des langues et civilisations (BULAC). The event, moderated by picture book journalist Choi Hye-jin, featured a three-hour discussion with four Korean picture book authors and two French authors, Adrien Parlange and Marie Caudry, who shared their insights and experiences.
Korea-France Picture Book Author Talk
A KPIPA representative commented, “Our goal was to create opportunities to connect with European and global readers through the Paris Olympics, the world’s largest sports and cultural event. Beginning with this exhibition and the picture book author events, we aim to expand the Korean Book Wave through upcoming author events at the Korea House in early August.”
