The inaugural Busan International Children's Book Fair runs from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, aka BEXCO, in Busan, offering a joint venue for children, parents, publishers and authors. (Official Facebook account of Korean Publishers Association)
By Margareth Theresia
Children, their parents and publishers on the morning of Nov. 28 packed an exhibition hall at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, aka BEXCO, in the nation's No. 2 city to mark the opening of the inaugural Busan International Children's Book Fair.
The event's theme is "Laputa," the imaginary country from the novel "Gulliver’s Travels" by Jonathan Swift, stressing stimulation of children's imagination and creativity.
A combined 193 publishers and organizations from 16 countries and 118 authors and speakers will take part in 158 programs like exhibitions, lectures, seminars and training sessions. Such events offer new dreams and visions to children and needed stimulation for their growth to parents and educators.
The fair is different from similar events in that it emphasizes children's participation. Thus it offers diverse book programs for youth and their families as well as for publishers, authors and copyright traders.
At the Kids Atelier corner, children drew whatever they felt like on large pieces of paper to make their own picture books. In another area, they used acrylic markers to decorate balloons and keychains with their thoughts.
Children's laughter filled the photo zone, which had as its theme "Laughter Button" featuring flatulence as an element.
The Singapore Publishers Association and the Singapore Book Council take part in the fair to explore cooperation with Korea. (Theresa Margareth)
Domestic children’s literature has earned global recognition as leading cultural content. In 2020, Baek Heena became the country's first to win the Sweden-based 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world's richest prize for children's literature. In 2022, Lee Suzy became the first Korean to win the Hans Christian Andersen Prize of Denmark for illustration.
And Korean picture books have gained world acclaim by winning honors at the Bologna Ragazzi Award of Italy nearly every year.
Reflecting such high recognition abroad, domestic children's books are seen to have high export competitiveness. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that from 2020-22, such works topped copyright exports with 1,204 cases out of the total 4,167 cases, thus the Busan fair has a "copyright center."
Foreign publishers and organizations are also attending the event to seek cooperation with Korea in the industry. The Singapore Book Council said that because it hosts the annual Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) and next year's country focus is Korea, it hoped to see more Korean authors and illustrators at the AFCC next year.
Concluding on Dec. 1, the fair charges admission of KRW 5,000 except children age 6 or under, senior citizens over 65, disabled people or figures of national merit. More information is available on the event's official website (bibcf.or.kr).
margareth@korea.kr
