From ‘The Vegetarian’ to ‘Calculus,’ what books do students in Korea read?

A student reads a book at Seoul National University's Kwanjeong Library. [KIM CHUN-SIK]

University students’ most-borrowed books of 2023 consisted of a mix of popular Korean novels and core course textbooks.

At Seoul National University, "Calculus" by Kim Hong-jong was the most borrowed book in 2023, according to data from the JoongAng Ilbo.

The book couldn't even be found in 2022's list of the top 100 most borrowed books, but jumped to first place this year.

One of the reasons why the book saw a huge jump in borrowers is because it's used as a textbook in the university's Calculus 1 course, with the third edition published in February last year.

The previous second edition of the book was released in 2016, and students could resort to books being handed down rather than buying new ones or borrowing them.

"When I took the Calculus 1 course in 2019, various copies of the textbook's second edition could easily be found lying around in the student lounge, and students would also get the books from upperclassmen or buy them secondhand," said a student surnamed Choi, studying in the university's College of Natural Sciences.

The university said having multiple volumes could be another reason why "Calculus" is the most borrowed book. Kim Hong-jong, the book's author and a professor at the university's Department of Mathematical Sciences, donated 82 copies of the third edition to the university's library after it was published.

Although being a course textbook helped the book come first, novels and essays were also on the list.

"The Vegetarian" by Han Kang ranked second, moving up from sixth place the previous year. It was followed by "Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life" by Lulu Miller.

"Principles of Music" by Jun Sang-jick came fourth and "General Statistics" by Kim Woo-chul came fifth. Both are also textbooks used in the university's courses.

At Korea University, "The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?" was the most borrowed book in 2023, coming first for two years in a row.

While textbooks made up a large portion of Seoul National University's most-borrowed list, novels were a clear favorite among Korea University students.

Novels such as "Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life" ranked second. "Pachinko," a novel by Lee Min-jin, came third, the same rank as the previous year.

"If We Can’t Go at the Speed of Light" by Kim Cho-yup came fourth, moving up two spots. The "DallerGut Dream Department Store" came fifth, down from the previous year's fourth place.

The top pick for Yonsei University students was "Farewell" by Kim Young-ha, a sci-fi fiction work not seen in other universities' lists.

Further books were similar to the two other universities.

"DallerGut Dream Department Store" ranked second, falling from the previous year's rank of No. 1. "The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?" came third, falling from the previous year's second place.

"Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life" ranked fourth, moving up two spots. "Uncanny Convenience Store" came fifth, the same as the previous year.

"Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life" was a book that appeared in all three university's most-borrowed lists. As its popularity suggests, it was the most borrowed book among people in their 20s at 1,467 public libraries nationwide in 2023.

BY LEE GA-RAM, LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]