Visitors to this year's Seoul International Book Fair on June 14 look at art displayed at the guest of honor booth of Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates, at Starfield COEX Mall in Seoul's Gangnam-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Hong Angie

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Oct. 25 said Korea will be the guest of honor for the first time at this year's Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) from Nov. 1-12 in Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The designation followed a bilateral memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation signed by President Yoon Suk Yeol during his visit to the UAE in January. Sharjah was the guest of honor in June at this year's Seoul International Book Fair, showcasing the diverse publishing culture of the Middle East.

At the SIBF, Korea will run its guest of honor booth covering 189 square m under the theme "Unlimited Imagination" and the four categories of "The Event Horizon," "Palace of Memory," "Expanding the Senses" and "Emerging Futures."

The booth will host a Korean writers' exhibition featuring 70 works by authors Kim Seung-hee, Jeong Ho-seung, Kim Ae-ran, Kim Un-soo, Bae Myung-hoon, Sohn Won-pyung and Hwang Seon-mi and another for picture books showing 160 print and digital picture books by Kyung Hye-won, Kim Sang-geun, Park Hyun-min and others on topics related to the fair's theme.

Authors Kim Seung-hee, Jeong, Kim Ae-ran, Kim Un-soo, Bae and Hwang will meet readers from the Middle East to share their country's literary works with the world. The venue will also host performances of fusion gugak (traditional music) and demonstrations of Korean cooking and calligraphy to allow visitors to experience Korean culture.

Ahead of the SIBF's opening, the 14th Sharjah Publishers Conference from Oct. 29 will explore key issues in publishing including the state of the global market and innovations in the sector.

The opening ceremony for the fair and the Korean booth is scheduled for Nov. 1 at Expo Centre Sharjah. The Korean side will be represented by First Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chun Byong-keuk and Korean Ambassador to the UAE Yoo Jehseung.

Vice Minister Chun said, "Amid K-Content's growing influence in the Middle East, we hope that this year's country of honor event in Sharjah, which has rich cultural assets in the Mideast, introduces talented Korean writers and works to broaden the base of readers and provide the basis for expanding publishing exchanges."

Now in its 42nd year, the SIBF is the largest event of its kind in the Arab world. Last year's edition attracted some 2,000 exhibitors from 81 countries and held around 1,900 literary, cultural and artistic events.

This is a promotional poster for this year's Sharjah International Book Fair in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates. (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

shong9412@korea.kr