SIBF 2025 18-22 June, 2025 l COEX Halls A & B1
Overseas Book Fairs
Guest of Honor Pavilion
Sharjah Book Fair(2023)
Book Talk
Theme Book Talk
Korea and UAE: 1,200 Years' Long and Deep Rooted Historical Encounter and Future Prospects
The historical connection and cultural exchange between Korea and the Arab world have continued peacefully for over 1,200 years, without any hostility or war. Trade and commercial activities that began in the 8th century gradually led to cultural exchanges, which further evolved into interpersonal interactions that brought Muslims to the Korean Peninsula. As a result, a large Muslim community emerged in Korea in the 13th century, leading to the establishment of The Great Mosque. Additionally, the introduction of Islamic science in the 15th century sparked a renaissance in Joseon. To ensure the future of this relationship, it is essential to revisit the history of peaceful bilateral exchange deep-rooted in the humanities. Cultural exchange programs and joint research in the humanities will further enhance the special strategic partnership between Korea and the UAE, which is based on the latter’s peaceful stance in the Middle East. This session includes discussions on future plans, such as the construction of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, a security partnership through the Akh Unit, agricultural and life science exchange, medical cooperation, space industry cooperation, and cultural and artistic exchange.
ㅣSpeaker: Lee Hee Soo (Emeritus Professor, Department of Cultural Anthropology, Hanyang University, Seoul)
ㅣModerator: Kim Ho (HK Professor
Seoul National University Asia Center)
- Date/Time : November 1 (Wed) 16:00 - 17:00
- Location : Forum 1
The Appearance of Cost-Effective Readers: Why Are They Crazy about Regression, Possession, and Reincarnation?
“I know everything. I’ve already seen it, or it has already happened. I am close to an absolute being who knows everyone, including how they will think and act. I can very well change what will happen in the future.” This paragraph is the main framework of the keywords “regression, possession, and reincarnation” that have dominated Korean web novels for years. While traditional literature conveys thought-provoking stories based on reality, web novels target light-hearted fantasy. They create a world where the impossible is possible, churning out a different kind of reality grounded in maximized fiction and imagination. These enticing stories help readers escape their real-life struggles. Using Jeong Munee’s works as a point of reference, we discuss the power of “regression, possession, and reincarnation” in the vast realm of Korean web novel stories. Readers in Sharjah are invited to immerse themselves in the boundless imagination of Korean content.
ㅣSpeaker: Jeong Munee (Novelist)
ㅣModerator: Ahn Jina(Associate professor at Okinawa International University)
- Date/Time : November 1 (Wed) 18:00 - 19:00
- Location : Korean Pavilion
Walking on Pixel Lines: Surviving as a Freelance Cartoonist
What is it like to draw “4-cut cartoons/in pixels/on social media/in the independent cartoon industry/in Korea?” Is it like looking at the vast beauty of a desert? Or, is it like akin to standing in a shrinking muddy marsh? Is it the same as tight-rope walking or defending the boundary between cartoons and the individual? Popular among Korean MZers (Millennials and Generation Z) for breaking the conventions of cartoons and webtoons to through experimental approaches, artist OOO talks about the past 7 seven years as a freelance cartoonist. The artist describes the process and concerns of creating original cartoons in Korea’s dynamic cartoon and webtoon market, which that is overflowing brims with diverse experiments and subjects.
ㅣSpeaker: OOO (Chung Sewon, Cartoonist)
ㅣModerator: Jeong Munee (Novelist)
- Date/Time : November 2 14:00 - 15:00
- Location: Korean Pavilion
Imagine History
This lecture introduces how a historian, who studies the daily lives of people in the Joseon Dynasty, approaches the past and interacts with people from the past through historical texts and literature. We explore the workshop of a historian who seeks to converse with the present and the past to understand the contemporary implications of their work. The lecture examines the values that underlie Korean culture by exploring the stories of Joseon kings, scholars, doctors, and commoners depicted in Imagine History. As a scholar who has contributed to the historical basis for globally popular K-drama series such as Jewel in the Palace, Donguibogam, and Chosun Police, Kim shares insights on the imaginative development of historical research into cultural content.
ㅣSpeaker: Kim Ho (HK Professor Seoul National University Asia Center)
ㅣModerator: Orbit (Science Communicator)
- Date/Time : November 2 (Tur) 16:00 - 17:00
- Location : Forum 1
How Far Has Humanity’s Dream of Heading to Space Come?
In early 2022, the UAE became the fifth country to successfully launch a probe to Mars, following the United States, Russia, Europe, and India. The UAE’s rapid growth in the space industry, which was previously dominated by the great powers, has solidified its position as a globally recognized space powerhouse. Over the past 20 years, the UAE, which used to collaborate with Korea to develop satellites, has emerged as a space powerhouse. On the other hand, Korea, which used to rely on other countries’ launch vehicles for satellites, has now become the seventh country in the world to possess a homegrown space launch vehicle. In this session, we trace the history of space development—from Robert Goddard, the father of rocket science, to Korean space launch vehicle Nuri—and explore the unlimited imagination and competitiveness of space, as well as the future of the partnership between Korea and the UAE.
ㅣSpeaker: Orbit (Science Communicator)
ㅣModerator: Lee Hee Soo (Emeritus Professor, Department of Cultural Anthropology, Hanyang University, Seoul)
- Date/Time : November 3 (Fri) 16:00 - 17:00
- Location : Forum 1
Beyond the Pages: Exploring the Dynamic Universe of Korean Web Novels and Webtoons
Original and fascinating Korean content has gone beyond the borders of Korea to captivate the world. The Korean content industry, covering K-pop and K-drama, achieved a remarkable total sales revenue of KRW 128.287 trillion in 2020. The second largest sector in the content industry is publishing, exceeding KRW 21.649 trillion in sales revenue. What factors are driving the rapid growth of the content industry, particularly driven by web novels and webtoons? How is Korea generating endless stories, especially with the rise of digitalization? In this context, the author explores how the dynamic imagination of Korean content is being expressed and realized through the lens of the history of Korean webtoons and web novels, media, and readers.
ㅣSpeaker: Ahn Jina (Associate professor at Okinawa International University)
ㅣModerator: OOO (Chung Sewon, Cartoonist)
- Date/Time : November 3 (Fri) 18:00 - 19:00
- Location : Pavilion
Korean Literature Author Talk
Taking the Past by the Hand
At what point do we stop being children and become adults? There is an inner child in every adult’s heart, and in those fleeting moments when our eternal adult selves encounter our childhoods, we briefly become young again and face the pasts we have forgotten. Author Hwang Sun-mi discusses how we can embrace our memories and look the world boldly in the eye.
ㅣSpeaker: Sun-mi Hwang (Novelist)
- Date/Time : November 1 (Wed) 15:30 - 16:30
- Location : Korean Pavilion
ⓒLTI Korea
Despair: a Synonym for Hope
Have you ever seen a face in the moonlight? Just as night makes day seem even more brilliant, the faces of those who have walked through darkness shine even brighter. To the poet Jeong Ho-seung, the words “Shadows, Tears, Floors, Walls” are synonyms for “Hope.” Take part in his journey from a painful, hopeless reality to the discovery of love through poetry.
ㅣSpeaker: Jeong Ho-seung (Poet)
- Date/Time : November 1 (Wed) 19:30 - 20:30
- Location : Korean Pavilion
ⓒLTI Korea
When Grief Stands with Grief
Grief can freeze us in time forever. It leaves us adrift in an endless sea of loss as we grapple with the loss of those we loved. What does it mean to truly grieve? Author Kim Ae-ran explores how we might dare to imagine grief we have not personally experienced, and how we might embrace that sadness.
ㅣSpeaker: Kim Ae-ran(Novelist)
- Date/Time : November 2 (Tur) 11:00- 12:00
- Location : Korean Pavillion
ⓒLTI Korea
TO YOU WHO ARE LONELY: Emirates and Korean Poems
Where are you now in the tunnel of life? Life usually marches on, but sometimes it pauses, and even stagnates. And yet these poets have chosen to walk onward, crossing the borders of birth and death to the heart of life itself. Listen to readings and discussions between poets from Korea and the UAE as they bring together their different perspectives.
ㅣSpeaker: Kim Seung-Hee (Poet), Jeong Ho-seung (Poet)
- DateTime : November 2 (Tur) 17:30 - 18:30
- Location : Forum 2
ⓒLTI Korea
JUST A LITTLE MORE THAN YESTERDAY: YA Literature in UAE and Korea
Is YA literature really just for children and youths? Children can sometimes provide the keenest insight into truths that adults have long since discarded and ignored. Join YA authors from Korea and the UAE as they discuss the kinds of adults we should grow into.
ㅣSpeaker: Sun-mi Hwang (Novelist)
- Date/Time : November 3 (Fri) 17:30 - 18:30
- Location : Forum 2
ⓒLTI Korea
Will You Remain a Cog in the Machine?
Truth is oftentimes scarier than fiction. Author Kim Un-su discusses how the fiction he’s created bears a frightening resemblance to society today. In a massive, overarching system that controls the world from an unreachable distance, how can the powerless individual resist the system? See how Kim Un-su chooses to address those fighting tirelessly each day.
ㅣSpeaker: Kim Un-su (Novelist)
- Date/Time : November 4 (Sat) 17:00 - 18:00
- Location : Korean Pavilion
ⓒLTI Korea
How Sci-fi Infiltrates Cracks in Society
Ever pictured a submarine on the ocean floor transform into a secret concert venue? Sci-fi is testament to how human imagination outstrips technology by an infinite margin. Meet author Bae Myung-hoon, who masterfully weaves everyday experiences into fiction as he crosses effortlessly between the real and the virtual.
ㅣSpeaker: Bae Myung-hoon (Novelist)
- Date/Time : November 5 (Sun) 15:00 - 16:00
- Location : Korean Pavilion
ⓒLTI Korea
Picture Book Talk
Possible Expansion of Anthropomorphic Animal Narratives
Kyung Hyewon and Kim Sangkeun are representative artists who use animals as their main characters. With the artists, visitors will explore the possibility of expanding the narrative of anthropomorphic animals in picture books.
ㅣSpeaker: Kyung Hyewon (Picture Book Artist), Kim Sangkeun (Picture Book Artist)
ㅣModerator: Choi Hyejin (Writer)
- Date/Time : November 2 (Thu) 18:00 - 19:00
- Location : Forum 2
How Picture Books Create Visual Dynamics
The works of Park Hyunmin delivers a vivid visual impression to the readers. Based on his works, Park Hyunmin and writer Choi Hyejin will discuss about the principles of creating visual dynamics in picture books.
ㅣSpeaker: Park Hyunmin (Picture Book Artist)
ㅣModerator: Choi Hyejin (Writer)
- Date/Time : November 2 (Thu) 11:00 - 12:00
- Location : Korean Pavilion
Picture Books, Opening Up Infinite Imagination
Kim Sangkeun will talk about the process of deriving ideas for picture books from his unlimited imagination, and the story behind creating picture books
ㅣSpeaker: Kim Sangkeun (Picture Book Artist)
ㅣModerator: Choi Hyejin (Writer)
- Date/Time : November 2 (Thu) 16:00 - 17:00
- Location : Korean Pavilion
You’re not Alone – Children, The Power of Imagination
Kyung Hyewon is a picture book artist who unfurls imagination through animals, especially dinosaurs. Reviewing her representative works, Kyung Hyewon will talk about children and the power of imagination
ㅣSpeaker: Kyung Hyewon (Picture Book Artist)
ㅣModerator: Choi Hyejin (Writer)
- Date/Time : November 3 (Fri) 19:30 - 20:30
- Location : Korean Pavilion
How to Break Out of a Frame and Look into the Infinite
Through his works So Much Snow, and Let’s Play Together!, Park Hyunmin will discuss about the reasons why we confine ourselves to frames. Visitors will have a chance to think about the limitations each might be experiencing.
ㅣSpeaker: Park Hyunmin (Picture Book Artist)
ㅣModerator: Choi Hyejin (Writer)
- Date/Time : November 4 (Sat) 15:00 - 16:00
- Location : Korean Pavilion
The Power of Breakthrough
Writer Choi Hyejin, the author of Asking Korean Picture Book Artists, will introduce Korean picture book artists who have created their own creative worlds with their unique breakthrough spirit
ㅣSpeaker: Choi Hyejin (Writer)
- Date/Time : November 5 (Sun) 17:00 - 18:00
- Location : Korean Pavilion
