SIBF 2025 18-22 June, 2025 l COEX Halls A & B1
Archive
Cultural programs and talks
Guest of Honor, Colombia
Colombia is the Guest of Honor at Seoul International Book Fair 2022. Colombian culture is as diverse and rich as its nature.
It is traditionally composed of various voices.voices ringing from the past; voices that question the present and envision the future; voices from cities and the countryside, from the coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, from the three branches of the Andes and fragrant coffee farms; and voices of the majority that make up a colorful, unique world of imagination.
The theme “Colombia: Creative, Diverse, and Fraternal” expresses the country’s geographical location on the other side of the Pacific in relation to Asia, hinting at the strategic partnership between Colombia and Korea and conveying the power of literature to call on the new, different, and distant. The program will feature talks on a range of topics including “Classic Colombian Literature,” “Colombia Today,” and “Colombia and Korea.”
Book Talk Program
Women in Charge: Contemporary Colombian Writers
l Speaker: Laura Ortiz (Writer), Margarita Garcia Robayo (Writer), Catalina Gonzalez (Independent Publisher), Pilar Quintana (Writer, Prerecorded)
l Moderator: Ana Roda (Director of Bank of the Republic of Colombia's Libraries Network)
- Date/Time: June 1 (Wed) 18:30–20:00
- Location: Readers Hall 1
Literature written by women is in a moment of effervescence in Colombia. Four of the most recognized writers in the country today will talk at this event.
The shape of the ruins, by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
l Speaker: Juan Gabriel Vasquez (Writer, Prerecorded), Cho Gu-ho (Translator)
- Date/Time: June 2 (Thu) 11:00–12:00
- Location: Colombian Stand
Virtual event: Presentation of the Korean translation of the novel “The Shape of the Ruins”, by Juan Gabriel Vasquez and his translator Cho Gu-ho.
*Conversation Prerecorded.
“The winds that sang”: Presentation of the Colombian poetry anthology
l Speaker: Fredy Chicangana (Writer), Romulo Bustos (Writer), Lee Moon-jae (Poet)
l Moderator: Catalina Gonzalez (Anthologist)
- Date/Time: June 2 (Thu) 14:00–15:00
- Location: Colombian Stand
Presentation of the editorial project developed in parallel by Colombia and Korea within the framework of FILBo and SIBF, which brings together stories by some of the most significant writers in each country. From the general slogan of the book fair “One small step”, we will talk about meeting points, similarities and differences between the texts included in these anthologies.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: From Common Traveler to Nobel Laurate
ㅣ Speaker: Jaime Abello (General Director and Co-Founder of Gabo Foundation), Song Byung-sun (Translator)
ㅣ Moderator: Carmen Elisa Acosta (Academic of National University of Colombia)
- Date/Time: June 2 (Thu) 16:00–17:30
- Location: Book Salon
Conversation between the head of Fundacion Gabriel Garcia Marquez and a Song Byung-sun, translator of 동유럽 기행(On a trip through Eastern Europe), a book published in Korea by the Minumsa publishing house with the support of the Colombian Ministry of Culture.
A Borderless World: Contemporary Colombian literature
l Speaker: Andres Felipe Solano (Novelist), Santiago Gamboa (Novelist), Pilar Quintana (Novelist, Prerecorded)
l Moderator: Sebastian Patron (Academic of Korea University)
- Date/Time: June 3 (Fri) 12:30–14:00
- Location: Readers Hall 1
Three Colombian authors widely recognized by readers and international critics will talk about the reception of their works and their experiences abroad.
Presentation of the book Arca e Ira: Conversations in dehumanitazion times, by Miguel Rocha
l Speaker: Miguel Rocha (Writer), Woo Suk-kyn (Academic of Seoul National University), Park Do-ran (Academic of UNAM-Mexico)
- Date/Time: June 3 (Fri) 15:00–16:00
- Location: Colombian Stand
Presentation of the book by the writer and academic Miguel Rocha, published by the Editus publishing house with the support of the Colombian Ministry of Culture.
Reality and perspectives of the book world in Colombia I: book circulation and reading
l Speaker: Adriana Padilla (Colombian Viceminister of Culture), Diana Rey (Executive Director of Fundalectura), Ana Roda Fornaguera (Director of Bank of the Republic of Colombia's Libraries Network)
l Moderator: Andres Ossa Quintero (Director of CERLALC)
- Date/Time: June 3 (Fri) 16:30–18:00
- Location: Colombian Stand
Representatives from the Colombian publishing sector will discuss the challenges and goals for the growth of the book industry.
Too Many Roads: Presentation Colombian Short Story Anthology
l Speaker: Margarita Garcia Robayo (Writer), Laura Ortiz (Writer), Juan Gabriel Vasquez (Writer, Prerecorded), Choi Eun-young (Novelist), Kang Hwa-gil (Novelist)
l Moderator: Andres Felipe Solano (Anthologist)
- Date/Time: June 4 (Sat) 12:00–13:30
- Location: Book Salon
Presentation of the editorial project developed in parallel by Colombia and Korea within the framework of FILBo and SIBF, which brings together stories by some of the most significant writers in each country. From the general slogan of the book fair “One small step”, we will talk about meeting points, similarities and differences between the texts included in these anthologies.
The Whirlwind: The Amazon in a Classic for Today
l Speaker: Carmen Elisa Acosta (Academic of National University of Colombia), Cho Gu-ho (Translator of The Whirlwind)
l Moderator: Sebastian Patron (Academic of Korea University)
- Date/Time: June 4 (Sat) 15:00–16:00
- Location: Colombian Stand
Conversation around the current situation of the work of JosEustasio Rivera, recently translated by Cho Gu-ho and published by the Moonji publishing house with the support of the Colombian Ministry of Culture.
Don’t Stop Drawing: Graphic novel, screenplay and literature
l Speaker: Oscar Pantoja (Writer), Kim He-ny (Graphic Novelist)
l Moderator: John Naranjo (Association of independent booksellers of Colombia's representative)
- Date/Time: June 4 (Sat) 17:00–18:00
- Location: Colombian Stand
The graphic novel has been gaining a deserved space in the editorial production of Colombia. One of its main exponents will talk with a Korean graphic novelist about the aesthetic and thematic particularities of his work.
Guided By Voices: Colombian writers from all over the country
l Speaker: Miguel Rocha (Writer), Fredy Chicangana (Writer), Rulo Bustos (Writer)
l Moderator: Carmen Elisa Acosta (Academic of National University of Colombia)
- Date/Time: June 5 (Sun) 11:00–12:30
- Location: Readers Hall 1
A scholar of Colombian literature, an expert author and researcher on indigenous literature from Colombia, a poet from an indigenous community in Cauca, and an Afro-Colombian Caribbean poet discuss ethnic, regional, and cultural diversity in Colombian literature.
A Different Approach: Women in Publishing
l Speaker: Angelica Mayolo (Minister of Culture of Colombia), Kwag Mi-soon (Vice president of Korean Publishers Association)
l Moderator: Diana Restrepo (National Library of Colombia)
- Date/Time: June 5 (Sun) 13:00–14:00
- Location: Colombian Stand
A conversation about the empowerment of women in publishing industry in Colombia and Korea.
Reality and perspectives of the book world in Colombia II: the book industry
l Speaker: Pilar Londono (Colombian Book Chamber), Catalina Gonzalez (Independent Publishers), John Naranjo (Association of independent booksellers of Colombia's representative)
l Moderator: Diana Restrepo (National Library of Colombia)
- Date/Time: June 5 (Sun) 14:30–16:00
- Location: Colombian Stand
Representatives from the Colombian publishing sector will discuss the challenges and goals for the growth of the book industry.
Cultural Program
Forgotten will be: from literature to cinema
l Speaker: Alejandro Bernal (New Channels Manager at Caracol TV), Oscar Pantoja (Writer)
- Date/Time: June 4 (Sat) 18:30–21:30
- Location: COEX Megabox
Screening of the film adaptation of a novel by Hector Abad Faciolince and conversation with the film's producer.
