Kids, and adults, dive into stories at Busan International Children's Book Fair

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Kids, and adults, dive into stories at Busan International Children's Book Fair

Published: 28 Nov. 2024, 17:56 Updated: 28 Nov. 2024, 20:31

LEE JIAN
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Author Lee Suzy gives a keynote speech during the Busan International Children's Book Fair at Bexco, Busan, on Thursday.[KOREA PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION]

BUSAN — Tiny heads were tucked down as children curiously flipped through picture books during the Busan International Children's Book Fair (BICBF) at Bexco on Thursday. But they weren't the only ones enjoying themselves. Adults were just as enthusiastically browsing through the books alongside the children.

“I believe children’s books aren’t just for children but also adults,” said visitor Cho Kyeong-hye, 66, from Busan. She had even bought a picture book for herself to read. “They help us understand emotions."

Yoo Ye-jin, 35, and her 8-year-old son were visiting BICBF from Seoul, looking through books at a publisher's booth.

Books for browsing at the Busan International Children's Book Fair in Bexco, Busan, on Thursday. [LEE JIAN]

“My child really loves picture books, and I heard that this is the first international children’s book fair,” she said. “At most places, children’s books are wrapped in plastic [...], but here, you can open and read so many more books. Meeting and talking to publishers and getting their recommendations has also been great.”

The inaugural 2024 BICBF gathers 193 publishing industry companies and organizations from 16 countries for the event, which runs through Dec. 1. The fair also scheduled 150 programs, including lectures, panel discussions and author signings.

Poster of the 2024 Busan International Children's Book Fair. This year's theme is “Laputa,” a floating island that appears in Jonathan Swift's “Gulliver’s Travels” (1726), in a bid to create a space of ″unlimited hope and imagination that children bear.″ [KOREA PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION]

"Part of BICBF is about copyright exchanges, but it is also about connecting authors and publishers, and adults and children alike,” Korea Publishers Association (KPA) President Yoon Chul-ho said during the fair's opening ceremony on Thursday. KPA is the host of BICBF and is also behind the annual Seoul International Book Fair.

Korea Publishers Association President Yoon Chul-ho speaks during the opening ceremony of the Busan International Children's Book Fair at Bexco, Busan, on Thursday. [KOREA PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION]

BICBF is also a reflection of “Korea’s evolving publishing scene,” he said, citing the fair’s keynote speakers, which include Hans Christian Andersen Award winner Lee Suzy, Caldecott Medal laureate Hanna Cha and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Baek Hee-na. They are among 118 speakers on the book fair's lineup, which includes 11 speakers from abroad.

Yoo said she wanted to attend some of the on-site lectures by authors, but all the seats were already filled. Indeed, registration had closed within days. Most of Thursday’s audience for the lectures were adults, many of whom were fans of the authors and knew dozens of their works by heart.

Author Nika Tchaikovskaya of the ″Haenyeorina″ children's book series draws caricatures of visitors at her booth during the Busan International Children's Book Fair at Bexco, Busan, on Thursday [LEE JIAN]

Other events included book signings for authors, paper toy making, story writing and ornament decoration sessions ahead of Christmas.

Cho and her friend Kim Yeong-hee, 66, had their caricatures drawn by children’s book author and illustrator Nika Tchaikovskaya of the “Haenyeorina” series.

“It was a great experience to have your face drawn by a real author and illustrator!” said Kim. “She drew my portrait with such warmth, and it will be a great souvenir for me to remember this event by.”

BCIBF runs through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Bexco. Entry is free for those who preregister online at bicbf.or.kr/en/.

On-site tickets are available for 5,000 won ($4).

BY LEE JIAN [[email protected]]