“Thanks to encouragement by teachers and the government, the habit of reading is on the increase in South Korea.”

The Financial Times (FT), a British daily, reported that a variety of efforts by the Korean government have brought kids closer to books in its March 28 article, “How To Get British Kids Reading,” wherein it worried that British children, in contrast, are not reading enough.


In the piece, writer Song Junga introduced what the government has done to get kids more exposed to books, under the title “South Korea: An investment in the imagination.” She attributed this kind of phenomenon to two factors: a government-level campaign to encourage reading; and, the use of public libraries.

She also pointed out that, “A scheme to encourage reading in the morning before classes start has also helped, with nearly 70 percent of schools participating.”


Such efforts paid off when the country was rated third out of 24 countries in an OCED study on the literacy proficiency among 16-24-year-olds, the article said.

It continued to reveal some of the various ways the government is seeking to further generalize the reading habit. “About 50 new public libraries are built annually, while spending on new books will be boosted by nearly 70 percent this year,” it said.

It also mentioned that, “The government is encouraging book clubs at schools and companies, with the aim of creating 100,000 by 2018. It also plans to provide tax benefits for book purchases to support the struggling publishing industry and is seeking to persuade broadcasters to set aside more time for book-related programs.”

The FT article’s full text is available at the link below.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/0e82701c-b50c-11e3-a746-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2xhtmK2Ya

By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
jiae5853@korea.kr