'2026 K-Book Copyright Market' runs Monday through Wednesday; around 1,850 export consultations planned between 100 foreign and 100 domestic firms

Poster for the 2026 K-Book Copyright Market. [Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]
Poster for the 2026 K-Book Copyright Market. [Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]

Publishing and content companies from around the world are heading to Seoul to discuss K-book exports.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Publishing Industry Promotion Agency will hold the 2026 K-Book Copyright Market at Lotte Hotel World in Songpa-gu, Seoul, from Monday through Wednesday, supporting Korean publishers in expanding overseas.

Now in its eighth year, the K-Book Copyright Market is the country's largest business-to-business trade consultation event for publishing and content companies, designed to help Korean publishers export books and intellectual property rights. The event features one-on-one export consultations between domestic and foreign participants, expert consulting sessions and a networking reception.

This year's event will draw 100 foreign companies from 31 countries, who will hold around 1,850 tailored one-on-one export consultations with 100 domestic firms.

Major publishers attending include English-language giants Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Hachette, alongside Japan's Shogakukan and Gakken Inc., Italy's Rizzoli, France's Albin Michel and Russia's Eksmo.

By region, 57 companies from 12 countries in Asia and Oceania, 34 from 14 European countries, six from three countries in North and Latin America, and four from two countries in Africa and the Middle East will participate. Four countries are joining for the first time this year: Guatemala, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Lebanon.

Beyond traditional publishers and literary agencies, the event will also include broadcasters, streaming platforms, webtoon and web novel platforms, and content production companies, broadening the potential for K-books to be adapted into secondary content. Consultation categories have expanded beyond literature and children's picture books to include non-fiction, comics and digital publishing. On the final day, foreign participants will be connected to the Seoul International Book Fair, giving them additional opportunities to pursue business with Korean publishers.

Domestic publishing and content companies taking part include Dasan Books, Moonji Publishing, Munhakdongne, Mirae N, Book21, Eunhaengnamu Publishing, Jaeum & Moeum, Influential, Hanbit Media, Seoul Media Comics, Munpia and Jakka Company.

Last year's K-Book Copyright Market brought together 99 domestic and 98 foreign companies, generating 1,708 consultations and a record consultation value of approximately $86.2 million — the best results in the event's history. Those meetings led to confirmed export deals for titles including Lee Hee-joo's "Seongsonyeon," Gu Byeong-mo's "Jeolchang," Kim Geum-hee's "Sikmuljeok Nagan," Kim Yeon-su's "If the Wave Is the Sea's Work," Yun Jeong-eun's "Marigold Mind Laundry" and Hwang Bo-reum's "Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop."

Kim Jae-hyeon, director general of the culture and media industry bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the international standing of K-books — the roots of K-content — is rising, and expressed hope that the event would translate into tangible export results and help Korean books branch out into films, drama series and other content formats.


pink@heraldcorp.com