By Honorary Reporter Daniela Astolfi from Italy

Photos = Daniela Astolfi

The opening ceremony of the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, is held on April 13.

The 63rd annual Bologna Children's Book Fair of Italy was held from April 13-16, welcoming professionals in the field from over 90 countries and some 1,500 publishers.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Seoul and the Korea Publishing Industry Promotion Agency (KPIPA) participated to promote Korean works on the global stage. Several authors traveled to Italy to attend workshops, talks and live painting sessions, while others presented their works through exhibitions. 

Lee Geum-yi (far right holding a microphone), a finalist for this year's Hans Christian Andersen Award in the writing category, on April 13 holds a talk at the KPIPA stand of the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy.

Korean authors received major awards for their works: "The Story of a Brother and a Sister" (2020), a picture book written and illustrated by Lee Uk Bae (Sakyejul Publishing), which earned a prize in the category Fables and Fairy Tales; "The Heart Bowl" (2025) by Jeon Bo Ra (Tokkiseom), special mention in the Opera Prima category; and "No Imagination Allowed!" (2025) by Roi Books, a project involving children, author Lee Kyung Kuk and artificial intelligence in the development of creativity. 

Korean artists also contributed to the event's visual identity. The key visual for the booth Authors from Korea was created by Park Kun Woong, winner of the Golden Apple Award at last year's Bratislava Illustration Bienniale of Slovakia. Park reinterpreted the traditional pictorial genres munjado (painting of characters) and chaekga-do (paintings of books and scholarly objects) in a contemporary style.

Illustrator Cha Bumi designed the representative image for this year's fair, which appeared on official merchandise, posters and the event's website. 

I attended six events organized by KPIPA during the fair and heard the artists speak about their passion and creative work; each described their experiences and their latest works. At the end of Park's talk, I was fortunate to receive a splendid caricature of my face, something I will always treasure.

ljyhwa@korea.kr

*This article was written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.