The owner of the secondhand bookstore is sitting outside reading a book. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — At a time when glowing screens compete for nearly every spare moment of attention, most South Korean adults still reached for a traditional paper book last year.
A new nationwide survey finds that four out of five adults in the country — 80.4 percent — read at least one print book in 2024. The figure suggests that the tactile pull of bound paper, ink, and turning pages remains powerful, even as digital formats carve out ever-larger space in the country’s cultural life.
The survey, conducted by the Korean Publishing and Reading Research Institute, paints a portrait of a reading culture in transition. While print retains primacy, nearly half of respondents also consumed newer formats: 41.4 percent read webtoons, 37.5 percent e-books, and more than a quarter sampled web novels.
Average reading volumes tell a similar story. Adults reported finishing about 5.4 print books last year, alongside 1.4 e-books. But when measured in episodes, the dominance of digital storytelling becomes clear: 42.8 installments of webtoons and 35.7 episodes of web novels per person.
The sound and texture of turning the pages of a paper book remain as captivating as ever. (Yonhap)
Even audiobooks — once a niche category — have begun to find listeners, averaging nearly one title per adult. Magazines, webzines, and academic papers hovered around a single issue or article per year. In total, nearly 88 percent of South Koreans engaged with some form of published content.
Why do they read? The answers reveal both tradition and modernity: to broaden horizons and gain cultural knowledge (26.5 percent), for pure enjoyment (17.9 percent), to acquire professional expertise (16.5 percent), or simply to find solace (15.8 percent).
For publishers, the findings underscore a paradox. South Korea has embraced the digital transformation of storytelling perhaps more enthusiastically than any other nation, yet the simple experience of holding a book remains a cornerstone of everyday life.
In a society known for fast-paced technological change, the survey offers a reminder: the printed page, dog-eared and heavy in the hand, is still part of the country’s cultural rhythm.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
