NAMYANGJU — Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province has been selected as the host city for the 2027 Korea Reading Festival, the country's largest festival for reading, publishing and culture.
The city said on the 14th that it had won the bid to host the event, which is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The Korea Reading Festival is the nation's flagship reading event, held annually in a different local government to broaden the reading culture. The 2027 edition will be the 14th.
Namyangju will receive the festival flag at the 2026 Korea Reading Festival in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on the 18th of this month and begin preparations in earnest.
The official slogan has been set as "Gathering Tomorrow's Wisdom in Jeong Yak-yong's Study." The city plans to weave the philosophy and reading spirit of Jeong Yak-yong, also known by his pen name Dasan and the city's most prominent historical figure, throughout the festival to offer distinctive programs rooted in the humanities.
In particular, the city will prepare a range of participatory programs that reinterpret Jeong's three reading methods in a contemporary style: jeongdok, or reading closely and in depth; jilseo, or reading while recording thoughts and questions; and choseo, or reading while copying out key passages. The aim is to go beyond simply viewing books and propose a reading paradigm that connects thought and记 record with wisdom for daily life.
The festival will begin in January next year as a series of year-round programs at 13 public libraries in the city, including Jeong Yak-yong Library. A "Declaration as a City of Books" ceremony in March will build momentum, and the main event, the festival's highlight, will run from Sept. 24 to 26 — during the nation's designated reading month — at Jeong Yak-yong Library and the Jeong Yak-yong Historic Site.
"Winning this festival is the fruit of the library infrastructure we have built up and the strong interest in the humanities among our residents," Namyangju Mayor Choi Hyun-deok said. "We will spare no effort in our preparations so that residents keep books close in their daily lives and Namyangju establishes itself as a leading center for the humanities in South Korea."
