Fostering K-Culture through Books and Building a Cultural Powerhouse through Publishing
Date Aug 17, 2022
MCST announces the 2022-2026 Publishing Industry Promotion Plan
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□ [Books for All] Identifying sources of demand to keep the industry growing □ [Books Everywhere] Fostering a foundation upon which the book publishing and distribution industries may grow in a balanced manner □ [Books for the Future] Developing new growth engines by enhancing the industry’s capacity for innovation □ [Governance for Books] Building a robust environment through public-private partnerships |
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister PARK Bo Gyoon, MCST) announced 2022-2026 Publishing Industry Promotion Plan on August 1 (Mon). Under the goal of “Fostering K-Culture through Books and Building a Cultural Powerhouse through Publishing,” the plan sets out the direction of the government’s efforts to support the publishing industry for the next five years. Specifically, the Promotion Plan defines four strategies and twelve tasks designed to boost the industry’s growth by increasing demand and innovation.
The Publishing Industry Promotion Plan is a five-year framework established under Article 4 of the Publishing Industry Promotion Act, with this year’s plan encompassing the period from 2022 to 2026. While drafting the plan, MCST comprehensively reflected on the overall changes in the environment surrounding the publishing industry: the dwindling number of book readers; the growth of the Korean publishing industry (including exports and reputation); the increased influence of online distribution; and the growing diversity and applications of published content. To determine the plan, the Ministry collected opinions from the public by issuing an open call for policy suggestions and organizing meetings with industrial experts. Based on the opinions collected, the Ministry held online hearings and issued inquiries to the relevant ministries and local governments. MCST also met with industry players and local bookstores in a series of conferences to collect opinions on drafting promotion plan before finalization.
[Books for All]
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① Address diverse demands: Support the publishing of diversity books; enhance the book curation feature; build a print on demand (POD) system ② Increase public demand for books: Support the publishing of high quality books; develop demand sources for future generations; increase book purchasing from local bookstores. ③ Create sources of demand across the world: Strengthen partnership with exhibitions in other sectors; enhance global exchange with publishing sectors across the world; build an integrated support system for book exporters |
The first strategy of the plan highlights “Books for All”. Korea’s dwindling birth rate and ageing population have quantitatively reduced the country’s book-reading population. On the other hand, Koreans’ preference and demand for books have gone through qualitative changes; readers have become more granular and diverse. To keep up with these changes, MCST plans to foster an environment where people can enjoy reading easily without any issues, and develop new sources of demand to bolster the sustainable growth of the publishing industry.
To meet the diverse needs for books, the Ministry will promote book markets to accommodate demands from various groups. In particular, the government plans to launch social programs for specific groups of readers, including programs aimed at alleviating the isolation of older citizens and supporting the translation of books for multicultural families. The Ministry will roll out systematic measures to reach global readers through the K-wave of publishing. Outside of Korea, these measures will focus on implementing strategies tailored to each country in order to promote the international trading of published content. Domestically, MCST plans to build an integrative export support system by, for example, launching business consultation programs for small and medium publishers and revitalizing the book export platform “K-Book”.
[Books Everywhere]
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① Strengthen the competitive edge of local (small-scale) bookstores: Develop spaces to experience books; expand the cultural function of local bookstores; build the basis for the self-sufficiency of local bookstores ② Upgrade publishing and distribution practices and systems: Upgrade publishing and distribution data; improve the publishing logistics system; reform unreasonable trade practices ③ Revitalize local publishing: Foster and support the foundation for local publishing; integrate local publishing sectors with local cultural tourism |
The second strategy, “Books Everywhere”, ensures that books can be enjoyed anywhere across the nation. It focuses on promoting the healthy growth of the publishing industry by upgrading the way that distribution connects readers with books.
One of the main branches of the strategy is to strengthen the competitive edge of local stores so that citizens can access books wherever they live. MCST plans to provide a store remodeling consultation service and support cultural activities at local bookstores to help facilitate their upgrade from commercial facilities into cultural spaces. For areas without bookstores, MCST plans to launch pilot projects for small “pop-up bookstores”. The Ministry will also revitalize local publishing, mainly through the “Book Culture Centers” that launched for the first time in Gangneung in 2019.
In addition, to boost the transparency and efficiency of publishing and distribution, MCST will work through the Korean Standard Publishing Distribution Data Hub System (KOPDS) to upgrade publishing and distribution data. It plans to revamp the system for a more pleasant user experience by widely listening to the opinions of users such as publishers, bookstores, and other players in the field.
[Books towards the Future]
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① Enhance digital capabilities: Expand the support for publishing and intellectual property (IP) contents; enhance the support for the ecosystem of new types of digital publishing; develop technologies and offer training programs to improve digital capabilities ② Build a system to train publishing professionals: Facilitate academia-industry partnership; strengthen and build a platform for integration between training programs and university curricula ③ Revitalize the ecosystem for innovative publishers: Secure resources and programs to promote investment in the publishing industry; incubate young publishing startups |
As for the third strategy, “Books towards the Future”, MCST will strengthen the industry’s capabilities to address changes in the publishing environment and ensures continued inflow of skilled professionals into the sector, so as to uphold the status of the publishing sector as the backbone of Korea’s cultural industry.
Today, many published contents are attracting attention as the source content for shows, films, comics, and other media contents. As such, MCST will help publishers expand the use of their intellectual properties (IPs). The Ministry will set up a comprehensive support center within the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA) to promote partnership between publishers and other sectors, thereby building publishers’ capabilities to utilize their contents. Academia-industry partnership will be also strengthened to attract skilled talent into the industry. For example, MCST will assist colleges (graduate schools) and business consortia with practice-oriented training programs. The publishing sector is characterized by the relative ease of starting a business. As such, MCST plans to revamp startup incubation centers to provide the training, consultation, and infrastructure required by young startups.
[Governance for Books]
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① Reform the relevant laws and systems: Revise the Publishing Industry Promotion Act; promote the rights and interests of publishers through institutional reforms ② Strengthen policy cooperation and promotion: Enhance cooperation for shared growth; boost PR efforts through integrative marketing ③ Build the capabilities of KPIPA: Enhance the policy research and statistics functions; enhance the agency’s abilities to prevent unfair practices and mediate conflicts |
The fourth strategy, Book Governance, focuses on building a public-private partnership system to ensure the stable growth of the publishing industry through public policies and institutional support. The strategy involves, in particular, the revision of the Publishing Industry Promotion Act (formerly, the Publishing and Printing Act), which marks its 20th anniversary in 2023. The revision will incorporate key developments in recent years, including changes in the very meaning of “publishing” itself, as well as its relationship with newly emerging industries. MCST will also continue to improve the capabilities of KPIPA as Korea’s only government agency dedicated to publishing policies. Also, it will shape the agency into the focal point of academia-industry-research cooperation in the publishing sector, boosting its ability to accumulate analytical and statistical data on industry trends and current issues, and actively engaging itself in campaigns against book hoarding and other disruptive activities.