The 2024 Seoul International Book Fair, the country's largest literary festival, will kick off June 26 at Coex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Over 90 overseas publishers and publishing-related organizations from 17 countries and 350 Korean publishers will participate in the five-day event. Visitors can look forward to various activities including markets, book exhibitions, talks and signing events.

This year's theme, "Houyhnhnm," is inspired by Jonathan Swift's satirical 1726 novel "Gulliver’s Travels" in which Gulliver visits the Land of Houyhnhnms, the land of horses, on his fourth journey and describes the land as an orderly and peaceful society.

"The theme of this year's book fair was taken from the story of Gulliver. We aim to cast new light on Jonathan Swift’s message as we live in an era envisioning a peaceful future. Through the eyes of Gulliver, as he encounters imaginative beings in various destinations, we hope to seek clues leading to a better future," explained the SIBF organizer, Korean Publishers Association.

Saudi Arabia is the main Guest of Honor at the event, while Oman and Norway are highlighted as spotlight countries.

Omani writer Jokha Alharthi, the first Arab author to win the Man Booker International Prize in 2019, will visit the book fair and have a conversation with novelist Eun Hee-kyung.

Other notable international authors coming to the book fair include Norwegian biologist Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson, children's book author Kristin Roskifte, Nordic-based anthropologist Dennis Normark, "Crying in H Mart" author Michelle Zauner, "The Disappeared" author Andrew Porter and Japanese manga artist Mori Kaoru.

Novelists Kim Yeon-su, Kim Ae-ran, Kim Jin-myung, Kim Cho-yeop, Choi Jin-young, and Park Seol-yeon, biologist Choe Jae-cheon, physicist Kim Sang-wook and graphic novel artist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim are among the diverse talents participating in the book fair.

Admission tickets are available at a 50 percent discount until Sunday, and at a 30 percent discount from Monday until June 25, the day before the book fair opening.

For detailed program schedules, visit the official book fair website.