From custom covers to K-pop clubs, Gen Z is making reading cool again

Young Koreans read at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Oct. 13, 2024. [NEWS1]

 
In some countries, reading may be perceived as a medieval pastime, involving couches, warm tea and slightly dirty pajamas. But not Korea. Among the country's Gen Z, the normally quiet and intellectual pursuit is currently one of the most fashionable activities — both to partake in and to flaunt.
 

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Sales to teens and young adults at Yes24, one of the largest bookstore chains in Korea, rose 18 percent in 2024 from the previous year.
 
In the same age group, literature in particular is performing significantly better — nearly 40 percent higher this January than last — than exam prep and self-help books, which are typically the top choices among locals during the early months of the new year.
 

 
One driver of the surging sales is undoubtedly Han Kang’s unprecedented Nobel Prize win last fall and the nationwide reading boom that followed, which Korean media have widely reported. But it's more than the simple pleasure of reading text that is bringing Korea's Gen Z back to bookstores. It's also a new phenomenon called “text hip” — the increasingly popular understanding that reading is cool again.
 
Beyond being photographed with a brick-like tome, young locals are becoming fond of myriad text-related activities — transcribing, writing, reviewing and even decorating book covers — all of which have been welcomed into mainstream culture for Koreans who, at least for now, consider them as stylish as filming a TikTok reel.
 

Nobel Prize winner Han Kang's books are displayed at bookstore chain, Kyobo, in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 22, 2024. [YONHAP]

 
And while Gen Z’ers in other parts of the world are showing a growing interest in books as well, Han’s win consolidated reading from a fleeting fad into what experts predict will become a more sustainable and wholesome practice among young Korean readers.
 
“Reading is considered fashionable now among young people these days, and this rise of ‘text hip’ in Korea, bolstered by Han Kang, has been a significant factor in empirically and theoretically fortifying the industry’s core foundations,” said a spokesperson for Kyobo Book Centre, another large bookstore. “We expect the trend to continue further into 2025.”
 

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Text hip coincides with the similar attitude shift in the West fueled by star power.
 
The celebrity book recommendation is nothing new. Think “The Oprah Winfrey Show” (1986-2011) or Reese Witherspoon’s book club. But the celebrities who take up the task are getting younger these days.
 

Singer Dua Lipa regularly recommends books through the weekly lifestyle magazine Service95. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
A paparazzi shot of Kylie Jenner in an orange bikini, lounging on a yacht off Miami Beach with a copy of an essay collection, “Tonight I'm Someone Else” (2018) by Chelsea Hodson; Countless interviews by Timothée Chalamet raving about Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky; Grammy-winning singer Dua Lipa’s book club Instagram posts, wherein the artist holds a tome in her signature bold, shimmery makeup. These are some of social media's hottest young stars, and they flaunt their reads like a new designer bag one wants to casually show off.
 
Under Korea’s conservative backdrop, books can't be marketed with quite the sexy edge that proliferates on U.S. social media. But it is noteworthy that young and relevant Korean celebrities are increasingly identifying themselves as bookworms, including BTS members, 23-year-old Huh Yun-jin from girl group Le Sserafim and 20-year-old Jang Won-young from girl group IVE.
 

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In hand with the Han Kang hype, these stars are at the forefront of Korea’s text hip trend, recommending quite intriguing, and sometimes unusual, titles like Mieko Kawakami's “Breast and Eggs” (2012) and Koike Ryunosuke's “Buddha’s Words” (2024). The books they carry at Incheon International Airport, where celebrities are often photographed and outfits famously draw buzz, are now making headlines as “airport books.”
 

A photo of BTS member RM with a book, posted to his Instagram [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
But it would be reductionist to claim that Gen Z is full of superficial readers who only aim to be seen with books.
 
For instance, a growing number of the country’s younger generation are displaying proclivity toward transcribing books, or at least parts of the text, longhand while reading, with nearly 700,000 Instagram posts currently listing the hashtag “transcription.”
 
Many also share their favorite books on social media, join casual book clubs and write online reviews, positing reading not only as a means of absorbing another person’s story or worldview, but also as self-expression.
 

A copy of ″Human Acts″ (2014) by Han Kang, right, and a handwritten, transcribed copy of the text by a reader [JOONGANG ILBO]

 
In 2024, the number of readers in their teens or 20s writing book reviews rose by 34.9 percent compared to the previous year, according to Yes24’s report released last month. Among them, the number of teenage reviewers saw a dramatic 198.1 percent increase — nearly triple. Fiction was most reviewed, unlike the previous year, when study techniques and reference materials dominated.
 
“As a generation familiar with social media, young readers don’t just read books — they actively engage with the material and want to share it through honest and detailed reviews,” Yoo Seo-young, the bookstore’s spokesperson, said.
 

A bookmark for sale on online shop Oimu [OIMU, SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
The boost in book sales also came with the rise in book-related items, such as bookmarks, book bags and book covers.
 
From Jan. 1 last year to Feb. 15 this year, Yes24 found that book cover sales increased by 195.1 percent, labels and stickers by 93.3 percent and bookmarks by 42.8 percent compared to the previous year.
 

Munhakdongnae's poetry book that has grown in popularity, due in part to its cover design that is apt for decorating, left, and its decorated version [SCREEN CAPTURE/KYOBO BOOK CENTER, YOUTH BOOKS]

 
Decorating book covers has also become popular.
 
Books with simple, single-color covers, such as the poetry series printed by publisher Munhakdongne and Wisdom House’s “Wepick” short story series, have become especially popular among young readers. Those in their 20s make up 31.8 percent of Munhakdongne’s series sales and 38 percent of “Wepick” buyers. The series’ sales grew by 17.2 percent and 15.2 percent year over year, respectively, according to Yes24.
 
“The text hip trend has made it popular to share book quotes and covers on social media to express personal taste,” said Kang Ji-yeon, a marketing manager at Yes24. “Since customization is already a big part of youth culture, many young readers now enjoy decorating their books to make them unique.”
 
The inverse to that sentiment, too, is noteworthy — that re-embracing the practices of the past means, by necessity, looking away from today's rapidly shifting technological landscape.

A book bag on sale at an online shop Oimu [OIMU, SCREEN CAPTURE]

The young, tech-savvy generation's U-turn toward books is a testament that digital fatigue is serious, whether it is from doom-scrolling, receiving constant notifications on multiple devices or being bombarded with information. And though the digital age has and continues to promise better connections, information, freedom and convenience, it has evidently failed to satisfy this generation's desires, if only partly. Many will undoubtedly sympathize with that frustration. Even those who are not Gen Z have likely found themselves, at times, wondering if a new, flashy digital service is actually necessary — whether it will actually improve their lives.



From the young Koreans, we may be able to learn: Sometimes, the best way forward is a small step backwards.
 
 
  
 

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]