1

South Korean author Han Kang’s first publication since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, Light and Thread (published by Munhakdongne), has taken the local book market by storm, debuting at No. 1 across major online bookstores on its release day.

According to the publishing and bookselling industries on April 24, Light and Thread, which began online sales at 11 a.m. the previous day, sold around 10,000 copies within 24 hours across Korea’s three leading internet bookstores—Kyobo Bookstore, Yes24, and Aladin. These platforms account for roughly 90% of the nation’s online book market, suggesting the total sales may not differ significantly.

On April 23, the book topped the daily bestseller lists on Kyobo and Aladin, and placed second on Yes24. Despite only a single day of sales, Light and Thread also soared to the top of Kyobo and Aladin’s weekly rankings, and placed third on Yes24’s weekly chart.

The book’s first-day sales are considered unusually high in Korea’s publishing scene, far exceeding the debut sales of Han’s earlier works. Aladin reported that the new title sold 3.7 times more than I Do Not Bid Farewell (2021), 8.6 times more than The White Book (2016), and an astonishing 104 times more than Human Acts (2014) on their respective release days.

Women in their 30s to 50s accounted for the bulk of purchases. Yes24 reported that women made up 73.3% of sales, with women in their 40s and 50s representing 23.7% and 20.3% respectively. Aladin said women in their 30s and 40s accounted for nearly half of all buyers.

This isn't the first time Han Kang’s books have sold rapidly. After news of her Nobel Prize broke in October last year, her works sold over 300,000 copies in a single day. Following her 2016 Booker Prize win, her novel The Vegetarian sold more than 14,000 copies in one day.

Light and Thread, which officially began in-store sales at 11 a.m. on April 24, features 12 pieces of writing, including prose and poetry. It contains Han’s Nobel lecture, her award acceptance remarks, five previously published poems, one previously published essay, and three new essays titled “North-facing Garden,” “Garden Diary,” and “After Living More.”

Though no promotional events were organized, the release has already revitalized the local book market. All three major online bookstores created dedicated promotional pages for the title. Kyobo Bookstore’s Gwanghwamun branch set up a special display near the entrance under the banner: “Han Kang’s first new book since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature.”

An Aladin representative noted the strong anticipation: “We received a flood of inquiries about the sale start time before it opened at 11 a.m. yesterday. Over 12,000 readers had signed up for pre-release notifications.”