The Korean publishing industry published over 45,000 new titles in a single recent year. This article details the industry's scale, its digital transformation, and the market realities behind the numbers.
Key Takeaways
- Total number of new book titles published in Korea in 2022 was 45,672.
- E-book sales revenue in Korea hit 512 billion KRW in 2022, up 18% YoY.
- Number of publishing companies in Korea: 18,456 as of 2022.
- In 2022, the total sales revenue of the Korean publishing industry reached 4.72 trillion KRW, marking a 2.1% increase from the previous year.
- Total book sales volume in Korea for 2022 was 78.4 million copies.
Korean publishing revenues rose steadily in 2023, driven by stronger demand for digital and bestselling titles.
Related reading
01 · Category
Book Production27 stats
01
Total number of new book titles published in Korea in 2022 was 45,672.
02
Children's books accounted for 22.5% of all new titles published in 2022.
03
Academic and scholarly books numbered 8,934 new titles in 2022.
04
Print run average per new title in Korea was 2,156 copies in 2022.
05
Number of new e-book titles released in 2022 reached 12,450.
06
Novels and poetry new titles totaled 7,892 in 2022.
07
Self-published books via platforms like Ridibooks numbered over 50,000 in 2022.
08
Total pages printed for new books in 2022 averaged 248 pages per title.
09
Humanities and social sciences books new titles: 11,234 in 2022.
10
Audiobook production in Korea grew to 3,200 titles in 2022.
11
Religious books new titles: 2,450 in 2022.
12
Science and technology books: 4,120 new titles in 2022.
13
Total print run for children's books: 18 million copies in 2022.
14
Foreign language learning books: 5,670 titles in 2022.
15
Reprints of backlist titles: 15,200 in 2022.
16
Average production cost per title: 12 million KRW in 2022.
17
Eco-friendly paper usage in books: 35% in 2023.
18
Braille book production: 1,200 titles annually.
19
Total new titles 2021: 44,891.
20
Comics and graphic novels: 10,234 new titles 2021.
21
History books new titles: 3,456 in 2021.
22
Average print run decline: -3.2% to 2,100 copies 2021.
23
Educational print materials: 6,789 titles 2021.
24
Indie press new titles: 8,500 in 2021.
25
Paper book pages total: 11.3 billion in 2021.
26
Translation books: 4,200 new titles 2021.
27
Art and photography books: 1,890 titles 2021.
Interpretation
Book Production Interpretation
While the industry churns out a staggering library’s worth of titles each year, the sobering reality is that each new book must fight for a mere 2,156 pairs of eyes on average, making publishing both a prolific art and a perilous gamble.
02 · Category
Digital Transformation29 stats
01
E-book sales revenue in Korea hit 512 billion KRW in 2022, up 18% YoY.
02
Ridibooks platform held 42% market share in e-books in 2023.
03
Webtoon digital comics revenue reached 1.02 trillion KRW in 2022.
04
Audiobook market size grew to 85 billion KRW in 2023.
05
35.2% of Koreans read e-books monthly in 2023 survey.
06
Naver Series e-book subscriptions numbered 8.5 million in 2022.
07
Digital publishing share of total revenue: 12.4% in 2022.
08
Webnovel platforms like KakaoPage generated 450 billion KRW in 2022.
09
E-book reader penetration rate in Korea: 28% in 2023.
10
Overseas webtoon exports via platforms: 300 million USD in 2022.
11
Millie's audiobook listeners: 2.1 million monthly active users in 2023.
12
KakaoPage webnovel revenue: 320 billion KRW in 2023.
13
E-book piracy rate down to 8% in 2023 due to DRM.
14
VR/AR enhanced books: 450 titles in 2023.
15
Daily webtoon readers: 12 million in Korea 2023.
16
Overseas e-book exports: 50 billion KRW in 2022.
17
AI-generated content in publishing: 2% of new titles 2023.
18
Podcast adaptations from books: 1,200 episodes 2023.
19
Blockchain for royalties tracking piloted by 20 publishers 2023.
20
Social media book sales influence: 42% of purchases 2023.
21
Webtoon IP adaptations revenue: 600 billion KRW 2022.
22
E-book devices sales: 1.2 million units 2022.
23
Monthly e-book readers: 9.8 million 2022.
24
Digital comics market CAGR 2020-2025: 12.5%.
25
Overseas webtoon users: 100 million 2023.
26
Interactive e-books: 800 titles 2022.
27
Subscription revenue e-books: 200 billion KRW 2022.
28
AI translation tools adoption: 25% publishers 2023.
29
Metaverse book events attendance: 500,000 2023.
Interpretation
Digital Transformation Interpretation
Even as ink-and-paper purists clutch their pearls, Korea's publishing industry is quietly being stage-managed by a digital revolution where webtoons are billion-dollar exports, e-books are the new normal, and even audiobooks have found their mic—proving that if you can't beat the screen, you might as well get a 42% market share on it.
03 · Category
Employment and Workforce26 stats
01
Number of publishing companies in Korea: 18,456 as of 2022.
02
Total employment in publishing industry: 52,300 full-time workers in 2022.
03
Average annual salary for editors in Korean publishing: 48 million KRW in 2023.
04
Female workforce percentage in publishing: 62.4% in 2022.
05
Freelance translators in publishing: over 15,000 registered in 2023.
06
R&D investment by publishers: 1.2% of revenue in 2022.
07
Training programs for publishing professionals: 120 sessions annually by KOPRI.
08
Turnover rate in publishing workforce: 14.5% in 2022.
09
Small publishers (under 10 employees): 85% of total companies in 2022.
10
Digital skill gap: 41% of workers need upskilling per 2023 survey.
11
Editors with digital skills: 55% in 2023 survey.
12
Marketing specialists in publishing: 8,200 employed 2022.
13
Union membership in publishing: 12% of workforce 2022.
14
Diversity hires: 15% increase in multicultural staff 2023.
15
Remote work adoption: 38% post-COVID in 2023.
16
Internships offered: 2,500 slots annually by major publishers.
17
Age distribution: 45% under 35 in publishing workforce 2022.
18
Gender pay gap: 22% in favor of males 2023 data.
19
Publishers total: 18,200 in 2021.
20
Sales staff employment: 12,400 in 2022.
21
Editors average salary: 52 million KRW seniors 2023.
22
Youth employment rate in publishing: 28% under 30.
23
Vocational training participants: 5,000 yearly.
24
Digital marketers hired: +15% in 2022.
25
Part-time workforce: 22% of total 2022.
26
Leadership roles women: 35% in 2023.
Interpretation
Employment and Workforce Interpretation
With a landscape of 18,456 fiercely independent, largely small-scale publishers—where a predominantly young and female workforce creates culture for modest pay amidst a stubborn gender gap—the Korean publishing industry is a vibrant, sprawling, and precariously balanced ecosystem of artful content and business realities.
More related reading
04 · Category
Market Overview22 stats
01
In 2022, the total sales revenue of the Korean publishing industry reached 4.72 trillion KRW, marking a 2.1% increase from the previous year.
02
The Korean book market size was valued at approximately 5.1 trillion KRW in 2023, including both print and digital formats.
03
Export value of Korean published books hit 128.9 billion KRW in 2022, up 15.4% year-over-year.
04
Domestic publishing market share held by top 10 publishers was 45.2% in 2021.
05
Average annual growth rate of the Korean publishing industry from 2018-2022 was 1.8%.
06
In 2023, the physical book market accounted for 78% of total publishing revenue in Korea.
07
Total publishing industry revenue per capita in Korea stood at 91,000 KRW in 2022.
08
The compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for Korean publishing market 2020-2025 projected at 3.2%.
09
Import value of foreign books into Korea was 45.6 billion KRW in 2022.
10
Korean publishing industry's contribution to GDP was 0.28% in 2021.
11
In 2022, educational books sales revenue was 1.23 trillion KRW.
12
Literary fiction market share: 9.8% of total sales in 2022.
13
Total manhwa publications: 12,500 titles in 2022.
14
Projected market growth for 2024: 4.1% to 5.3 trillion KRW.
15
Independent bookstores numbered 1,800 in 2022.
16
Print-on-demand services usage up 22% in 2022.
17
Total sales revenue of the Korean publishing industry in 2021 was 4.62 trillion KRW.
18
The e-book market in Korea grew by 20.3% to 450 billion KRW in 2021.
19
Korean content exports including books reached 12.5 trillion KRW in 2022.
20
Top publisher Yes24 revenue: 1.8 trillion KRW in 2022.
21
Print book decline: -1.5% in units sold 2022.
22
Luxury edition books sales up 8% to 50 billion KRW 2022.
Interpretation
Market Overview Interpretation
While South Korea’s publishing industry may not be the nation’s economic heavyweight at 0.28% of GDP, it’s proving stubbornly resilient, growing a modest but steady 1.8% annually, fueled by a robust 78% physical book preference, a 15.4% surge in exports riding the Korean wave, and the delightful contradiction of print-on-demand rising 22% even as overall print units dip 1.5%.
05 · Category
Sales and Distribution27 stats
01
Total book sales volume in Korea for 2022 was 78.4 million copies.
02
Bestsellers accounted for 15% of total book sales volume in 2022.
03
Online bookstore sales share reached 65.3% of total book sales in 2023.
04
Average book price in Korea rose to 15,240 KRW in 2022.
05
Department store book sales declined by 12.4% in 2022 to 3.2% market share.
06
Export sales of Korean manhwa and webtoons contributed 25% to total book exports in 2022.
07
Per capita book purchase in Korea was 1.52 copies in 2022.
08
Discount rate average for books sold online was 28.7% in 2023.
09
Subscription box services for books generated 150 billion KRW in 2022.
10
Regional bookstore sales share was 12.1% in 2022.
11
Bestseller list turnover rate: 28 titles per week in 2023.
12
Used book market size: 200 billion KRW in 2022.
13
Airport bookstore sales: 45 billion KRW in 2022.
14
Gift book sales peak: 25% during Chuseok 2022.
15
International book fair sales leads: 10,000 from Bologna 2023.
16
Mobile app book sales: 18% of online total in 2023.
17
School textbook distribution: 99.5% digital adoption in 2023.
18
NFT book editions sold: 5,000 units in 2022 pilots.
19
Online sales volume: 52 million copies 2021.
20
Physical bookstore share: 22% in 2021.
21
Average discount offline: 10.5% in 2022.
22
Manhwa sales volume: 25 million copies 2022.
23
Holiday season sales boost: 35% in December 2022.
24
Export to Japan: 40% of total book exports 2022.
25
Convenience store book sales: 5% market share 2022.
26
Per title sales average: 1,720 copies 2022.
27
B2B sales to libraries: 120 billion KRW 2022.
Interpretation
Sales and Distribution Interpretation
The Korean publishing industry is a tale of two bookstores, where online discounts reign supreme, bestsellers hog the spotlight, and the nation's 1.5 books-per-person habit is increasingly powered by webtoon exports and digital convenience, leaving physical stores to fight over the literary crumbs.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Korean Publishing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korean-publishing-industry-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Korean Publishing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/korean-publishing-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Korean Publishing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korean-publishing-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
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