Filmmaker Park Chan-wook to speak at Seoul International Book Fair
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook, renowned for his visually striking and psychologically complex films, will participate in the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair, the annual book fair's organizer announced Wednesday.
Park has often drawn inspiration from literature, adapting several novels into screen productions including the HBO series "The Sympathizer" (2024) and the BBC series "The Little Drummer Girl" (2019).
During his talk on June 20, titled Park Chan-wook's Literary Anchors, Park will discuss elements of novels that captivate him, the process of translating literature into cinema, and the books that have deeply influenced his creative vision, according to SIBF.
The 2025 SIBF, organized by the Korean Publishers Association and held June 18-22 at Coex in Seoul, invites visitors to reflect on the idea of personal refuge in uncertain times under the theme, "The Last Resort." This year's fair will welcome over 530 publishers and literary organizations including 100 overseas publishers from 16 countries.
A diverse lineup of Korean authors will be present, including Kim Ae-ran, Kim Cho-yeop, Kim Ho-yeon, Park Seo-lyeon, Sohn Won-pyung, Jang Ryu-jin, Cho Ye-eun, Cheon Seon-ran and Choi Jin-young.
International Booker-shortlisted author Bora Chung of "Cursed Bunny," will debut her new release, "The Children's House," while Korean American author Kim Ju-hye of "Beasts of a Little Land" will discuss her latest novel, "City of Night Birds."
Actor and publisher Park Jeong-min will also join the lineup, and star chef Choi Kang-rok from "Culinary Class Wars" will unveil his new book.
Taiwan has been selected as this year's Guest of Honor. Featured events will include a conversation between Rex How, writer and publisher at Locus Publishing Company, and picture book artist Lee Suzy. Illustrator Bei Lynn and graphic novel artist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim will also have a book talk.
Tickets are available at a 50 percent early bird discount (6,000 won) until May 27. From May 28 to June 17, a 30 percent discount (8,000 won) will apply. Standard adult admission is 12,000 won.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
19 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Documentary spotlighting BTS' Army screens worldwide
Documentary celebrates power of global fandom A new documentary film spotlighting the global BTS fandom, known as Army, has been unveiled. The feature-length film 'BTS ARMY: Forever We Are Young' runs for one week only from Wednesday through Aug. 5 at theaters worldwide. Co-directed by Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Grace Lee and K-pop scholar and director Patty Ahn, the documentary takes a serious and heartfelt look at the passion, solidarity and cultural impact of Army, a fandom of over 90 million people around the globe. The film was recorded over the course of three years across Seoul, Los Angeles, Texas and Mexico City. It captures the personal stories of fans from different corners of the world, including a Seoul-based dance instructor who teaches BTS choreography, attendees of fan-driven concerts ReactorCon and members of self-organized global fan communities since BTS's debut in 2013. Through these narratives, the documentary explores the deeper meaning and collective power of fan communities. The film premiered to a standing ovation at the South by Southwest festival in March, receiving widespread acclaim from both fans and critics. It has since been screened at international film festivals in Copenhagen, Mexico, Hawaii, Los Angeles and more.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Korea Herald
Korean game firms bet on MMORPGs to turn earnings tide
Major Korean game developers such as NCSoft, Netmarble and Kakao Games are doubling down on upcoming MMORPG releases for the second half of this year, seeking improved earnings in the success of the new games. NCSoft plans to launch Aion 2, a follow-up version of Aion released in 2008, in the fourth quarter of this year. The company said Tuesday that the new massively multiplayer online role-playing game will expand the original Aion universe with a renewed focus on its combat system and content structure. Aion 2 is expected to be launched in Korea and Taiwan first, with launches in North America and Europe following later. 'Although Aion 2 is based on a traditional MMORPG style, it is gearing up to offer a variety of (player versus environment) content so it can be a game that is enjoyed by both existing MMO users and young gamers,' said Ahn Jae-min, an analyst at NH Investment and Securities. 'Newly released games proved that the MMORPG market is well alive, and that the power of (intellectual property) is an important factor in a game's success. Considering this, Aion 2 is forecast to exceed expectations.' Netmarble is preparing to release two new games in the second half of this year: The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, a new open-world action RPG based on the cartoon, "The Seven Deadly Sins," which sold over 55 million copies across the world, and Vampir, a Vampire-themed, dark fantasy MMORPG set in the Middle Ages. The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin will be available on all consoles, PC and mobile; Vampir will be offered on mobile devices and PC. Vampir is projected to showcase the Korean game developer's potential in the gothic horror genre. Kakao Games is scheduled to launch Chrono Odyssey, an open-world action MMORPG with a fantasy background, in the fourth quarter of this year. The new game was developed with Epic's Unreal Engine 5 to offer stunning visuals, and will be available for PC and console as a buy-to-play title. This is unusual for the MMORPG genre, which typically offers free gaming with cash items that users can buy in-game. About 400,000 gamers took part in Chrono Odyssey's closed beta test in North America and Europe. 'Although MMORPGs have passed the stage of rapid growth, it is a genre that can create stable profit as its loyal fan base is still very solid,' said Lee Jun-ho, an analyst at Hana Securities. '(MMORPGs) can create continuous performances if they are backed up with content updates and operational stability.'
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Korea Herald
Blackpink's 'Jump' surpasses 100m YouTube views
'Jump' is the group's 49th music video to surpass 100m milestone Blackpink continues to set new records as the music video for its latest single 'Jump' surpassed 100 million views on YouTube . Released on July 11, the video reached the milestone in just two weeks, becoming Blackpink's 49th video to draw over 100 million views on the platform. 'Jump' was the group's first new release since its second Studio album "Born Pink" in September 2022. The single was Blackpink's first foray into the hardstyle genre, showcasing explosive, energetic sound. Opening with a cowboy Western-inspired guitar riff, the song builds to a climax with an intense beat and rhythm. The music video — directed by Grammy-winning filmmaker Dave Meyers — has been praised by global fans for its bold and imaginative direction. Scenes include fans completely immersed in Blackpink's music, the four members standing united on stage and crowds cheering as they become one — all rendered with a stylish and cinematic flair. Upon release, the video became the most-viewed YouTube video within 24 hours and held the No. 1 spot on YouTube's Global Daily Chart for eight consecutive days, reaffirming Blackpink's unwavering global popularity. Meanwhile, Blackpink is currently on its "Deadline" world tour, which spans 31 shows across 16 cities. Having already wrapped successful performances in Goyang, Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto, the group is set to visit major cities in Europe and Asia. The quartet will also return with a new studio album in September.
