'Such a cute idea': Gen Z's new obsession with 'shared reading'

″If It’s Hot, Just Take It Off″ (2020), a picture book by Yoshitake Shinsuke, includes notes written by its readers at unmanned bookstore Fifty Books in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Aug. 12. [CHOI HYE-RI]

 
Books at Fifty Books, a bookstore in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo District, western Seoul, are marked with index tabs and underlines — signs of reading left behind not by a single reader, but by many. But these are not secondhand books. They simply carry the traces of “shared reading,” a rising trend in which a single book is read and annotated by multiple people.
 
On Tuesday, visitors to Fifty Books would have noticed index tabs attached to the pages of “If It’s Hot, Just Take It Off” (2020), a picture book by Yoshitake Shinsuke, published by Junior Gimm-Young. On a page that reads, “If you wish misfortune on someone, write it in the sand near the tide line,” readers had left comments like “This is it — the perfect solution,” “I need to try this,” and “Such a cute idea! I’ll do this in Busan,” written in the margins like social media replies.
 

Related Article

• Fans gather at Han Kang's residence and bookstore — in pictures

• For whom does the bookstore exist?

• Actor Park Jeong-min shows love for books with auditory exhibition based on novel

• K-pop, poetry, books collide for Close Your Eyes' debut EP

 
Shared reading has become increasingly popular, particularly among younger readers. What began on social media has spread to physical spaces, and unmanned bookstores such as Fifty Books, where shared reading can be experienced in person, are seeing a growing number of visitors.
 
Shared reading, also known as yundok in Korean, traditionally refers to reading a book or passage together in a group. Today, the practice has evolved. Readers may annotate a book and then pass it along to others, or they may literally take turns reading the same copy and build a collective set of notes. On social media, readers have written, “I look forward to the next person’s comments,” and “It feels like my thoughts are expanding.”
 
“Shared reading is accessible, easy to practice and emotionally intuitive,” said culture critic Lee Ji-hye. “It’s part of the growing culture of connecting through books — from reading clubs and book-themed merchandise to recording reflections on social media.”
 

An unmanned bookstore called Fifty Books in Mapo District, western Seoul, is filled with notes written by readers on Aug. 12. [CHOI HYE-RI]

An unmanned bookstore called Fifty Books in Mapo District, western Seoul, is filled with notes written by readers on Aug. 12. [CHOI HYE-RI]

 
Publishers are also embracing the trend as a promotional tool. In May, Changbi Publishers ran a shared reading program for “Human Acts” (2014) by Han Kang, targeting members of its book club. In July, Hyundae Munhak launched a shared reading review group for “Knots of the Cord” by Jeong Hai-yeon. On Aug. 5, it followed up with a matching program for readers of “The Children Who Returned” (translated, 2024) by Kim Hye-jung, connecting participants with partners to exchange notes.
 
The formats of shared reading can vary. On Hyundae Munhak’s social media posts, some readers were seen joining with friends and sharing physical books in person, while others, unable to meet, shared annotated images of book pages by taking photos and writing digital notes on tablets.

 
More recently, authors themselves have begun participating. Illustrator 2da (pronounced ida in Korean)ran an interactive event on July 31, inviting readers to send in marked-up copies of her book “City Observation Diary” (translated, published by Banbi). She responded to the notes directly and returned the books to the readers.
 

An unmanned bookstore called Fifty Books in Mapo District, western Seoul [CHOI HYE-RI]

 
Unmanned bookstores — a rising trend in the past year or two — have also become venues for shared reading. Individuals or small groups of up to 20 to 30 people can rent out such spaces and read from a curated selection of books. Many offer the option to purchase titles on site.
 
Opened in November of last year, Fifty Books is a 13-square-meter (140-square-foot) bookstore that rents out its space and provides 50 curated titles per session. Its collection includes works of humanities, fiction, poetry, essays and picture books. It only costs about 25,000 won ($18) per person for a two-hour rental session.
 
“In the past nine months, the number of visitors has increased about 3.7 times, mostly people in their 20s and 30s,” said Park Tae-hee, the bookstore’s founder and a lifestyle platform planner. “I believe reading naturally connects people — whether with the author or with other readers. That’s the reason I’m fostering a shared reading culture.”
 
Because these are unmanned spaces, some bookstores carry only independent publications or focus on a specific genre, like poetry or fiction. Some operate 24 hours a day. Saego Seorim, located in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, has been open since 2020 and runs around the clock. Afterwork Library (known as Hoijeonmun Seojae in Korean), which opened in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, in 2022, allows users to pay in 30-minute increments for solo reading time.

 

An unmanned bookstore called Poemyo (known as Siyo in Korean) in Suwon, Gyeonggi [POEMYO]

A shared reading session takes place at unmanned bookstore Poemyo (known as Siyo in Korean) in Suwon, Gyeonggi. [POEMYO]

 
According to the crowdsourced Dongneseojeom, or the “Neighborhood Bookstore Map,” there are currently about 20 unmanned bookstores operating nationwide, half of which opened in 2023.
 
“It used to be a staffed bookstore, but people didn’t have enough room to browse poetry comfortably,” said Kim Go-yo, poet and owner of Poemyo (known as Siyo in Korean) — a poetry-focused unmanned bookstore in Suwon, Gyeonggi, that opened in 2023. “After switching to unmanned and creating space for shared reading, the number of visitors and return customers increased.”

 
Poetry, in particular, tends to benefit from shared reading, as reading others’ reactions can lower the entry barrier. Poemyo also holds yundok sessions where participants take turns reading a single poetry collection aloud.
 
“Shared reading, when combined with the unique characteristics of unmanned bookstores, creates a literary experience where readers can emotionally connect even without face-to-face interaction,” said Lee. “It fulfills the desire of today’s younger generation to value personal space while still seeking meaningful connections with others.”


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI HYE-RI [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]