Gyeonggi Province Certifies 36 Local Bookstores…Breathing New Life into Book Ecosystem

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province is certifying 36 local bookstores in the first half of this year and providing support programs for bookstore revitalization including marketing and cultural activities.

The province plans to promote diverse book ecosystem activation projects starting with local bookstore certification, including discovery of emerging writers, neighborhood bookstore festivals, and subway reading rooms.

Gyeonggi Province held a Local Bookstore Committee meeting on the 16th and resolved to certify 36 bookstores (14 new, 22 renewals) out of a total of 55 local bookstores (30 new, 25 renewals) that applied for first-half certification review.

Information on certified bookstores can be found on the Gyeonggi Province Government website (www.gg.go.kr) in the notices/announcements section.

The Local Bookstore Certification System is a program first implemented nationwide by Gyeonggi Province in 2017 to activate the book ecosystem, with the goal of nurturing local bookstores as cultural community spaces within the region.

2017 was a time when concerns were raised about the collapse of the publishing and bookstore ecosystem following the bankruptcy of book wholesaler Song In Books.

Certified local bookstores receive benefits including issuance of a certificate of authentication under the Gyeonggi Province Governor's name, promotion and management consulting, education, marketing and cultural activity support programs to strengthen competitiveness, and recommendations to prioritize certified bookstores when purchasing books for public libraries in the province.

In particular, starting this year, bookstores participating in bookstore support projects conducted by the Gyeonggi Content Agency must have received local bookstore certification.

Along with local bookstore certification, the province plans to promote various projects this year with the goals of ▲establishing a fair publishing culture ecosystem ▲discovering and supporting production of excellent publications in the province ▲activating contact points with books and local bookstores ▲promoting reading culture and enjoyment of reading.

First, the province plans to seek a new leap forward in book ecosystem activation projects in the COVID-19 era by gathering diverse opinions from the Local Bookstore Committee and book industry experts.

Additionally, the province will conduct surprise on-site inspections even before the renewal period following certification to ensure substantive quality of certified local bookstores.

The province will continue with the annual residents' book publication contest (Gyeonggi Hidden Writers), excellent publication production support, and independent publication exhibition support projects to discover and support production of excellent publications in the province.

The province plans to lead revitalization of the publishing market in the region by supporting emerging writers and small and medium-sized publishers.

The province will continue bookstore schools for training specialized booksellers and the "Discover! Neighborhood Bookstore Festival" to foster local bookstores as complex cultural spaces rather than mere places to buy and sell books, while newly launching the "Writing Creative Space" project to strengthen the role of local bookstores, thereby promoting local bookstore activation as contact points with books.

To spread the joy of reading, the province will work on subway reading rooms in cooperation with the Nettree Library Foundation and Shinbundang Line, produce promotional videos for the revitalization of Paju Publishing City, and conduct online promotion to attract general public interest in the book ecosystem.

Jang Woo-il, head of the province's Content Policy Division, said "In the COVID-19 era, as time spent at home increases, opportunities to encounter books are growing and the related market is expanding, but the concentration in online and major publishers and bookstores is intensifying," adding "The province will contribute to revitalizing the book ecosystem as a cultural content through activation of local small and medium publishers and bookstores in the region."