This file photo shows people reading books at Kyobo Book Center’s Gwanghwamun branch in downtown Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean adults are reading fewer books as video platforms such as YouTube and Netflix continue to replace them.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported on Wednesday that South Korean adults read an average of 7.5 books, both paper and electronic editions combined, every year. Compared to 2017, South Koreans now read 1.9 books less.
On the contrary, elementary, middle, and high school students read 40.7 books every year, up by 6.4 books over the past two years.
The results also take into account the number of audiobooks listened to (0.2 books for adults, 2.7 books for students).
The reading rate stood at 55.7 percent for adults and 92.1 percent for students.
South Korean adults spent 31.8 minutes on book reading every weekday, up by 8.4 minutes since two years ago. On weekends, they spent 27.5 minutes, up by 0.4 minutes.
Students spent 89.5 minutes on book reading every weekday, up by 40.1 minutes.
South Korean adults read 6.1 books in hard copy, down by 2.2 books since two years ago. Students read 32.4 books, up by 3.8 books. Adults read 1.2 e-books, up by 0.1 books, while students read 5.6 books, down by 0.1 books.
Adult respondents said they read less books because they now consume other forms of content (29.1 percent), while students said they have no time to read because they have to go to school and private institutes.
The amount of book reading refers to the actual number of books read except for school curriculum, study guides, test books, magazines and comic books.
The reading rate refers to the proportion of people who have read more than one book in a year.
The study was conducted on 6,000 South Korean men and women over 19 years of age and 3,000 South Korean elementary, middle, and high school students between Oct. 2018 and Sept. 2019.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
