Today in the Republic of Korea - FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER THE BOOKSELLERS IN SEOUL, PUSAN, CHOONGJU AND DAEGU CELEBRATE WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY

The sun goes down on 23 April, UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day 2016. While it is 3 am and late at night here in Germany, my co-convenor Sally Burdon already said Hello and Good Morning via Skype from Canberra, Australia. And TJ Kim has sent pictures catching up a great ILAB Pop Up Day in the Republic of Korea.

The antiquarian booksellers in Asia have played a decisive role in this year's worldwide ILAB Pop Up celebrations. Rare book dealers in Japan hold a Pop Up Fair at the World Antiquarian Book Plaza. Tokyo bookseller Naoyuki Seki took students and booklovers on a tour through the Jimbocho bookshops, and at the sime time the booksellers in the Republic of Korea organized an amazing day of the book in various cities.

The South Korean booksellers and the president of their national association Kim Min Jae joined the ILAB booksellers for the first time in their worldwide celebrations of UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day. They  hold Pop Up Fairs and fundraisings for UNESCO in beautiful bookshops and prominent places all over the country, beginning in the capital Seoul, handing the torch over to the book dealers in the second biggest Korean city Pusan and further on to the Choongju-Hangul Museum and to Daegu, the Korean city of books owing the most antiquarian bookshops throughout the country.

I wish I could have been there to visit the bookshops, to meet the ILAB booksellers in South Korea and explore a world of bibliophily so fascinating and so far away from Germany.

April 2016 – For immediate release. Pictures: ILAB, UNESCO, the organizers